Windows 7 Starter Edition to pave the way for $200 netbooks?
By Donald Melanson 
posted March 30th 2009 1:44PM
posted March 30th 2009 1:44PM
Microsoft still hasn't nailed down all the specifics about its much talked about Windows 7 Starter Edition, but it looks like the company is all too happy to talk up a few of the potential side effects of the OS variant, including the promise of some actual $200 netbooks by this coming holiday season. Apparently, Microsoft sees netbooks running Windows 7 Starter Edition as all but replacing current entry-level Linux-based netbooks, which it says see a "disproportionate amount of returns," although the company insists that it will still market Home Premium as the default option for most netbooks. Microsoft also says that's it's going out of its way to make Windows 7 as accommodating for netbook manufacturers as possible, adding that it has cleaned up the system tray and "made some other concessions for the OEMs to help with branding."
[Thanks, fikhl]
[Thanks, fikhl]
I thought the Ubuntu Forums were free...
If everybody knew how to use forums to fix all their problems there would be no computer repair shops like Geek Squad who's most frequent repair is reversing all the stupid stuff people do like deleting /system32. Just imagine somebody getting root access.
I have the Win 7 7057 running on my mini 9 with absolutely no problems. I was astonished at how well it runs. Boots up quick, divx playback is perfectly fine, so are flash videos. It's pretty amazing to be honest.
I had ubuntu on it before with the netbook remix ui, and while I liked it... OpenOffice, terrible flash implementation in linux, and broken wpa2 support made me want to install windows on it.
Wouldn't that be a "re-paving" then? Dell was already selling the Mini 9 netbooks with Ubuntu a couple weeks ago for $199.
+! exactly and ubuntu allows personalization to the hilt and doesn't care how manay apps you run and upgrades are free and wine runs most apps these days there really is Little to Lose
They should bundle machines distributed with linux with a simple but thorough-enough video guide on how to use the bloody thing, and put an icon for it in the ./usr/local/etc/root/proc/lib directory for easy access.
You'll find the icon on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of OSX Leopard'
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ubuntu+manual&l=1
Why would people want such a useless Windows 7 Starter? I'll take Linux over that any day. There are already netbooks for $200 with Linux. What is the use of having an OS that is so restrictive and it is only just a bit better to run than Vista, still not near as fast as XP.
Windows 7 Starter is a dumb idea and will be a failure. Hell why would a poor person in a 3rd world country even want that.
I think the biggest reason there were a disproportionate number of returns of Linux-based Netbooks is that most of the people thought they were actually going to get Windows. And then there are those that are too stupid to learn something different from what they've been using for the past X years, even if different is actually easier and better. Old dogs, and all.....
I wouldn't refer to it as easier, it isn't hard, but it's far from easier for the normal user.
I don't understand some people going against Microsoft for this, they are simply trying to give users that want these affordable laptops an option without making 1/3 of the cost the OS. I know most users here are power users (10+ applications at time, not to count the 20+ tabs), so like it was said before you guys are not even close to the target market.
I don't ever remember wanting the ability to only run 3 apps...
Questions, will you be able to run Chrome with more than three tabs on this limited version of windows 7, I may be completly off here, but my understanding is that each tab in Chrome is its own windows process.
The best thing Microsoft could do at this point is make Windows 7 Starter Edition absolutely free. Think about it.
Agreed.
I really really really wish microsoft would stamp out piracy. Whenever I get spam advertising pirated copies of any MS product I immediately forward them with headers to piracy@microsoft.com. I'll also do a traceroute to the website and the mail origin, in order to do my best to make it easy. I also appeal to them to start using a crytographic token (there are many that look like usb memory sticks but aren't).
I'm a linux fan. so why do I do it? If people had to pay the proper price to MS for their products and not get a free ride with backups of their friends CDS, and truly suffer the inconvenience of DRM every single day, they might finally grasp what the open in OSS truly means.
"There are already netbooks for $200 with Linux..."
Yes, and that's the problem Microsoft is facing here: how do you compete with that and still make a profit? Answer: build an OS version that can sell very cheaply, but doesn't cannibalize sales from more expensive versions. That's what Starter is.
"What is the use of having an OS that is so restrictive and it is only just a bit better to run than Vista, still not near as fast as XP..."
Latest versions of Win7 seem to be performing better than XP in benchmark tests.
The best marketing ploy they could hope for would be to give away Win7 on these little laptops. I'm sure most people have other computers, so getting a taste of 7 on these would up their chances of buying a much better version for their other computers.
Do you really think that MS is going to give you a really cheap Win7 out of the kindness in their heart, or sympathy for the masses. No way. It's because they are afraid of Linux and they fight it with every means at their disposal. Netbooks run fine with Linux, and I should know because I use Ubuntu all day long on mine. I know Linux is not perfect, but it does get better by the day. Linux should be viewed more as an "interesting challenge", something new to learn and expand your mind. Once you "get it" you come to realize that this is a fantastic OS and is in many ways far superior to Microsoft. And that my friends is what Steve Balmer hopes you will never discover!
A question from Engadget readers:
Will you pick a $200 Windows 7 netbook vs these Windows XP ones currently available? To be more specific, will you take this one in the link over a Windows 7 Starter machine?
http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/22/11-6-inch-acer-aspire-one-inches-closer-to-our-hearts-reality/
Windows: Life without Wallpapers.
Over here in Europe rumors are going around that Acer is terminating Linux-equipped netbooks because of non-existing demand in the marketplace. People want Windows, it's just as simple as that. And they want it because they like it and are willing to pay for it.
I'm assuming that it won't consider all those tiny background apps (updaters and the like) to be applications. If so, it would be unusable. I typically have 4-5 large apps open at once, but I admit that it would be better for me not to - like closing Firefox when I'm trying to get work done.
MS is aiming at both the netbook and 'third world' markets. Both use Linux for use on low-powered machines. It will be bad for MS if these markets develop without migrating to MS at some point.
The Linux community could block MS' efforts by continuing to develop (or porting) friendly, graphically compelling, feature-rich applications as well as its OS. It's still not quite there, but getting close.
Get over yourself Nohone. I dislike overly pro-Apple pieces as well. I'll just chalk this one up to an Engadget oversight...
I had a Linux computer which saw several different distros installed on it... fought like hell to get sound working after Ubuntu (the only distro that worked with its sound card) upgraded to a newer version. After reading through forum after forum, I eventually gave up. Webcams? Forget it. Printers? If you don't have the right hardware, you'll mess around with CUPS trying to find a "good enough" driver to get it working. If you have an all-in-one printer with a scanner - forget about it unless the manufacturer cares that you're running an OS which maintains a single percentage point of market share.
Windows 7 is gonna be on cell phones, netbooks, notebooks and desktops. Microsoft (is going) FTW.
Cellphones? I sure hope not...
FYI, my Brother MFC7820N runs just fine print and scan over network or USB. So, does my various Intel HDA, Audigy sound cards, Intel/ATI/Nvidia GPUs. Maybe I am an exception (though I don't think so), but five computers with varying HW configs runs various linux distros (none ubuntu, btw) just fine.
when was this Vs Dude?
Thanks for getting rid of the unicorn.
WOW
why does engadget always show a crappy screen shot of windows 7. they didnt change the taskbar to small size, and they use a square resolution etc.
I can't imagine netbook manufacturers wanting to release a crippled product while still paying for the OS, when they can release it with any of the multitude of linux OS's, have a fully operational computer and not pay a dime.
I don't think this move by MS will slowdown the transition to linux, certainly not for netbooks.
I think this is a great move if it drives down the cost of the netbook. Lets be honest, people are just going to reformat their netbook the second it comes out of the box. Probably with an OS that came from a torrent.
When I bought my Acer netbook it had a limpwristed version of linux installed. Immediately threw that out and put XP on.
is this how the next windows GUI looks like? oh come on! Microsoft, why don't you hire some someone that has some design knowledge. it looks like a cross of vista and windows 98. this is why most design,art students stick with mac.
This picture is misleading, Aero is not present in starter edition.
It would surely be boring but at least take a new screenshot when talking about starter (with aero properly turned off).
One of the concessions made to OEMs is the ability to change the login screen to another picture, so different companies can "brand" the software. Little stuff like that from what I have seen.
OS X is Microsoft's Ender's Game.
I installed the Windows 7 Ultimate BETA on my Dell Mini 9 ... (2gb RAM) ... it ran good ... only reason i didn't stick with it was it filled up my 8gb SSD.
I will eventually upgrade because XP seems SO ancient and is annoying to use now that i'm using 7 on my desktop.
Will my AVG virus count as one of my 3 programs? ... hmmm
I don't multitask ... i am either surfing the net, watching video, or playing WOW on my Dell Mini9. It's screen really isn't big enough to multitask ... if Microsoft was to want to sell me an upgrade to Win7 Starter Edition for $30 or less and not fill my whole SSD i'd bite.
Article on arid.net (http://arid.net/p26) that talked about windows 7 starter edition and had suggestions on a better way to implement the starter edition for netbooks.