Netbooks are small lightweight notebook computers designed mainly for the web. Some computer enthusiasts claim, that early portable small screen computers, were early netbook versions. But the netbook didn't really start to catch on until ASUS launched the Eee PC in the fall of 2007.
Early netbooks were Linux based. Because Linux is a lightweight operating system and can run on smaller less powerful systems it was the perfect choice. Using this free open-source operating system, these netbooks were reliable, boot quickly, don't crash, and have tons of free software available.
You will find many different Linux based operating systems on netbooks today. But, there are problems with the Linux based systems. Most users are used to windows operating systems. Plus they would like the ability to run their Windows programs and easily hook-up their cameras and other peripherals.
Vista is too resource intensive for lightweight computing so current Windows netbooks will run on a light weight version of Windows XP. Which does make them easy to use since most computer users of the last decade have come in contact with XP at one time or another.
The demand for lightweight portable computing seems to be increasing and netbook manufactures don't want to disappoint. The market for a powerful OS that is still lightweight is full of new possibilities.
Rumor has it that Microsoft is planning a Windows 7 netbook edition. Which would give consumers all of the familiarity and ease of use of a Windows system. But still provide a fast lightweight OS.
Intel has created a new faster chip designed specifically for netbooks. They have also been experimenting with a new netbook OS. Intel Moblin is based on Fedora, a Linux distribution. Moblin is designed to work with the Atom processor offering better power consumption and speedier boot times.
Jolicloud is a new OS in the works designed specifically for netbooks. It's an Internet operating system that is supposed to combine open source and open web. The main resources are on the Internet. So the computing power required is not as much making this the perfect netbook OS. It offers lightweight cloud computing with an intuitive iPhone like interface.
Another option in the works is the Google Chrome OS designed for netbooks. The look and feel is similar to the Chrome browser and is designed for fast lightweight computing. This option should be available next year.
The netbook market is continuing to grow and it will take some time to get all of the bugs out. But with these new OS options on the horizons netbooks are about to become mainstream.
Find out more about netbook operating systems and netbooks such as the Lenovo Ideapad S10 at our etextbook site.
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