I do believe Android/Google are pushing Linux forward by introducing a managed code scenario where everything is managed. They appear to have beaten MS to the punch and hopefully this will work its way into the Linux community rather than the trojan horse that is Mono.
However I'm 50/50 on whether Google is pushing Linux any more mainstream than anyone else is. Maybe just the Google name on the OS helps push it into the light for people that otherwise wouldn't know anything about Linux.
Android to take Linux mainstream
Summary
For an OS to wrestle market share from Microsoft's Windows, it will need two things: the OS-maker's support and low licensing fees, an analyst said.
Topics
For an OS to wrestle market share from Microsoft's Windows, it will need two things: the OS-maker's support and low licensing fees, an analyst said.
This rings true even on the netbook front--a relatively new PC segment, and even for Microsoft.
Recently, the Android OS backed by Google was unofficially ported to an Asus Eee PC netbook, and according to online reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer has set up a team to develop a netbook running on the Linux-based OS.
Calvin Huang, an analyst at Daiwa Securities, told ZDNet Asia in an interview, Android is poised to "kill Microsoft" on several fronts: a big vendor-backed OS will likely provide better hardware support, and open source Android's license is free.
"Without any strong backup, Linux is just a niche platform. Now with Google’s support, Android has a better chance to win users from Microsoft," said Huang.
According to Google's developers, what distinguishes Android from other Linux platforms is its Dalvik virtual machine. It provides a layer for programmers so they do not have to worry about the underlying hardware on which Android is deployed.
While this helps app developers building software for Android's mobile app market, this benefit can extend to the broader developer community, should Android find itself on netbooks commercially.
The current economic downturn will also likely play a part in pushing manufacturers to Android, Huang added. "The license fee really matters and manufacturers don't like to be taxed by Microsoft. An Android netbook will definitely cost less than a Windows netbook."
But there is still the issue of user acceptance.
Several netbooks, including Asus' Eee PC and MSI's Wind devices first came with Linux OSes, but manufacturers started looking to Windows after resistance from consumers and stores started seeing returns from customers who did not like the interfaces.
In the Philippines, Asus dropped Linux on all of its Eee PC models in the country because Filipinos were not taking to the Linux OS well, according to an Asus marketing manager.
However, Huang thinks it is a matter of time for Android. "Users need to get used to a non-Windows OS. Microsoft should be fine for the next two to three years. [After that] Google will change Microsoft's dominance," said Huang.
Another factor likely to help push user acceptance is Android's release to customers on mobile phones, providing an inroad to penetrating this market.
This article was originally published on ZDNet Asia.
Talkback Most Recent of 21 Talkback(s)
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storm14k3rd Mar 2009 -
managed code is old hat
.NET managed code execution has been a
fixture of all Windows installs for
several years now. Any Windows developer
can create a .NET app and be assured it
will be able to run on most user's Windows
OS where .NET runtime is already
installed.
Even WinCE has Compact Framework as a
fixture. Our company develops apps for
industrial WinCE handhelds as all .NET so
that we don't have to be concerned about
the underlying CPU of the device.
Then on Linux, since Sun open sourced
Java, the Java JRE comes pre-installed in
most popular Linux distros. So already
today a developer can create a powerful
Java app and be assured it can run on
Linux too.
Plus Java SE and JVM is vastly more mature
and capable than Google's Dalvik VM. The
Google VM is optimized for low-end
resources in terms of CPU speed and
memory.
The Google Android platform is niche in
terms of being designed for portable
devices - as opposed to normal PCs and
notebooks that most people use in both
home and business.
rogerv5th Mar 2009 -
So they were not taking to the Linux well,
which is quite similar to Windows in many respects, yet Android will take off because it is more different then both the above mentioned operating systems?
That is quite a leap.
GuidingLight3rd Mar 2009 -
It is really a question of being comfortable with the brand, the backing,
and of course that the interface is not too different that what they are used to. You also have to give people reasons to change, like more reliable, more hip, etc.
DonnieBoy3rd Mar 2009 -
the Linux well,
Soo how long before MS sues for some BS reason to try and shut them down. As soon as they get some market share MS will be there to slice them up in court!
aussieblnd@...4th Mar 2009 -
Connect some dots
Connect the dots?? Android is on smart phones, so
what if the Net Book OS look and feel and operation
was exactly the same? Maybe that would reduce a
learning curve? How well is Windows mobile doing
in this market where it has to compete on merit and
not monopoly?
I believe Nokia alone outsells it about 2 to 1.
bigpicture4th Mar 2009 -
I have been saying all along that Google needs to put its brand on Linux,
but, in an open manner so that they do not try to control and enforce every last detail. Obviously, they must have minimum standards for the Google branding. Maybe Google could open the Android brand to an external group for policing, but keep the Google brand for themselves.DonnieBoy3rd Mar 2009 -
Complete nonsense....
Windows7 will take the netbook industry by storm. Linux and green screen technologies in general do not belong anywhere near a consumer eXPerience. One of our finance guys was remarking how he bought a Dell Mini with Ubuntu on it and how he "kind of liked it". After hearing of this from one of my MCSE spies, I called the finance officer in and read him our policy around using Linux. When he commented this was a netbook for home use, I ordered my MCSEs to block his email account and VPN access. Realizing he was wrong and embarrassed, he submitted his resignation. A CIO's power is unquestionable and all-encompassing.
Mike Cox
CIO
Facebook: michcoxmsft@hotmail.com
Mike Cox3rd Mar 2009 -
Read this...
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2009/02/26/why-windows-7-on-netbooks-wont-save-microsoft/
The hardware industry is slowly making the MS business model less viable and less relevant on the consumer side of the market. I'm expecting that the coming rise in netbooks usage will inevitably accelerate the growth of web applications and cloud computing in the next few years.
eMJayy3rd Mar 2009 -
JLHenry4th Mar 2009 -
Oh my god...
What a one-sided view you have!
"When he commented this was a netbook for home use, I ordered my MCSEs to block his email account and VPN access. Realizing he was wrong and embarrassed, he submitted his resignation".
What you have done is not ethical. Everyone is entitled to use whichever software or OS he/she prefers. Even more so if the netbook is decided for home use. There is no damage done when you are using a computer that is safer than the rest on the network, so what harm could he possibly have done by having the netbook at work?
It is people like you that cripple the alternatives. Different OSs, different choices, thats what people need. A lot of people don't like linux, but I've got more than a few to like it more than Microsoft.
I am a VS.NET user, I build on framework 2.0 from Microsoft and I have nothing against them. It is an effective business model. Nonetheless, you must not harshly judge Linux, because it has progressed a lot in the last years and you will see quite a change in the following ones to come.
Please, no one-sided views here. Be tolerant.
lemiffe4th Mar 2009 -
It's called satire
I'm pretty sure our "CIO" here was being facetious, and trying to make a point about the mindless bureaucracy that informs so many Microsoft-only companies. I used to work for one like that, and the lockstep, top-down, don't-think-for-yourself, anti-innovative ethos was a major part of why I left said company.
lance.e.king@...4th Mar 2009 -
Gitmo
You should have sent that infidel to Gitmo too. There's no reason why anybody should not use Microsoft technology. I'm like you, I hate people taking such liberties with company policies, in particular with respect to technology. I hope I'll work for a company such as yours some day.
Eleutherios4th Mar 2009 -
JLHenry4th Mar 2009
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I suspect a bit of "Tongue-in-Cheek" here
I think Mike's having a bit of fun here by pushing some hot buttons to
see whose lights flash!.
As a CIO I've done the homework and have no problem with any OS so
long as it's properly configured. While we're mostly a Windows shop, I
have some Ubuntu and OSX users who've purchased their own non-
Windows Net books.
I haven't seen Android so I've had no opportunity to perform a security
review and penetration test, so as a matter of policy I'd have to block
it until testing indicates there are no extraordinary security issues with
it and corporate standards are satisfied.
Beyond that my only requirement is that home computers must first
pass a security review by in-house staff to be allowed file level
access. Mail access is allowed without a security review but
attachments are not permitted until a review is performed.
Al Havemann
SysAdmi, CIO
afhavemann@...5th Mar 2009
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