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Acer Aspire One and Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| I had my small "travel" laptop develop data-path errors just before a
| speaking trip, and decided to buy one of the new "small cheap" laptops, as
| all of the other laptops I've accumulated are larger than what I want to lug
| around. I picked up an Acer Aspire One, with 160GB disk and 1GB ram, for $350
| at Fry's. I thought the $350 model had 120GB, but mine has 160. I've not been
| able to determine if it has the better camera of the more expensive unit.
| There is a 0.3 and a 1.2 megapixel camera.
`----
http://technocrat.net/d/2008/11/27/54889
More coming from the charity killers:
Intel's Linux-based Moblin platform arrives on devices
,----[ Quote ]
| The platform leverages the GNOME Mobile and Embedded stack and uses Hildon, a
| derivative of the GTK+ toolkit that was originally designed by Nokia for
| Internet tablet devices. It also includes a modified version of the Firefox 3
| web browser. Developers who want to get a head start hacking on the platform
| can download the source code from Intel's Git repository.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081128-intels-linux-based-moblin-platform-arrives-on-devices.html
Recent:
Microsoft Missing Out on Netbook Growth as Linux Wins Sales
,----[ Quote ]
| Small laptops are becoming a big problem for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows
| business.
|
| A new breed of lightweight computers called netbooks are beginning to crack
| the company's dominance of operating systems. Acer Inc. and Asustek Computer
| Inc., which together account for 90 percent of the netbook market, are using
| the rival Linux software on about 30 percent of their low-cost notebooks.
|
| The devices, which usually cost less than $500, are the fastest-growing
| segment of the personal-computer industry -- a trend that's eating into
| Microsoft's revenue. Windows sales fell short of forecasts last quarter and
| the company cut growth projections for the year, citing the lower revenue it
| gets from netbooks. When makers of the computers do use Windows, they
| typically opt for older and cheaper versions of the software.
`----
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a3VyE_ofSwwE
Microsoft Battles Low-Cost Rival for Africa
,----[ Quote ]
| In Nigeria, Microsoft proposed paying $400,000 last year under a
| joint-marketing agreement to a government contractor it was trying to
| persuade to replace Linux with Windows on thousands of school laptops. The
| contractor's former chief executive describes the proposal as an incentive to
| make the switch -- an interpretation Microsoft denies. In Namibia and
| Nigeria, where it has sought government contracts, the company hired family
| members of government officials. Microsoft says they were qualified.
|
| [...]
|
| On Oct. 30, Mandriva announced it had won the contract to provide Linux
| software for the Classmates. Microsoft didn't give up. The next day, it
| delivered TSC a revised draft agreement with an "effective date" of Nov. 1,
| documents show. It offered to pay $400,000 to TSC. In the revised agreement,
| there no longer was any mention of TSC having to comply with Microsoft's code
| of conduct.
|
| In an Oct. 31 email, TSC told Mandriva that there had been a "change in
| circumstances," and that it "has recently reached an understanding with
| Microsoft to convert" the Classmates from Linux to Windows.
|
| Mandriva's chief executive, Francois Bancilhon, responded by posting "an open
| letter to Steve Ballmer," Microsoft's CEO, on Mandriva's Web site. "What have
| you done to these guys to make them change their mind like this?" he
| wrote. "It's quite clear to me, and it will be to everyone. How do you call
| what you just did, Steve? There are various names for it, I'm sure you know
| them." Mr. Bancilhon declined to elaborate on his letter.
|
| In the end, the joint-marketing agreement was never signed, and the Microsoft
| deal unraveled. Microsoft says it gave up after "it became clear" that the
| Nigerian government wanted Linux.
|
| The laptops were delivered with Linux.
`----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122332198757908625.html
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