Could Google Be Linux’s Ticket to the Desktop Market?

      by Wyatt Walter

Last week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt let us know that there’s a good chance that Google would be entering the netbook market soon. We’ve already seen Google’s Android OS on its new smartphone and have seen a working model on a netbook. It’s likely that if Google enters the netbook market either itself or with a partner, the netbook will be using the Linux-based Android OS.

Linux has seen some success in the desktop market with the Ubuntu distro backed by a large and ever-growing community. However, a large corporate backing could be exactly what Linux needs to be pushed over the edge. Of course, this argument has been made in the past, but at no other time in history has a corporation as large as Google hinted at pushing a Linux-based OS into the PC market. If anyone’s big enough to go toe-to-toe with Microsoft, it would be Google.

So what does Google need to make Android on the netbook a success? It needs the things any good Linux distro needs to succeed: a good community, package management, and hardware support. Android already has a pretty good amount of enthusiasm as a mobile phone (which is the only real option right now). Google also already has the Android Market which allows easy distribution of software for the platform much like the Apple AppStore for the iPhone/iPod Touch. The last is hardware support. This will have to be taken care of by the netbook device itself. However Google chooses to make the netbooks, flawless hardware support is going to be essential to the platform’s success.

A success for Android in the netbook market would mean better support from hardware makers for Linux. Giving better hardware and driver support to Linux will help it grow its user base as a lot of converts struggle with getting some hardware devices working with their chosen Linux distro. Ubuntu also already has a great community and a killer package management in aptitude. Hardware support has been all right so far, but leaves a lot to be desired. Given some more hardware support, Ubuntu (or any other popular distro) could be put in a much better position to compete with Windows on a more level playing field.

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Filed under Tech Trends : Comments (2) : Mar 10th, 2009

2 Responses to “Could Google Be Linux’s Ticket to the Desktop Market?”

  1. Could Google Be Linux’s Ticket to the Desktop Market? Says:
    March 10th, 2009 at 1:09 am

    [...] the original here: Could Google Be Linux’s Ticket to the Desktop Market? Categories : Arts, Computer, Mobil, Phone, SEO, Technology, image, software Tags : amazon, [...]

  2. Linux Usage on Servers Looking Good, Netbooks Suffering | What a n00b! Says:
    March 22nd, 2009 at 12:10 am

    [...] have accounted for 90% of netbook sales. Microsoft could face some competition, however, with Google planning to release a netbook as well as rumors of an Apple netbook next [...]

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