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 Talking about how Linux will one day trounce Microsoft's "Evil Empire" is something that will cause most veteran techies to groan, partially from the frustration of waiting too long for this to happen, and partly because this has been said so often before. In fact, you could say that a Microsoft vs Linux story is something like Indo-Pak peace or the Loch Ness monster and you hear so much about it, but don't see it at all.
But now, over the past few months, things are changing. It would be foolish right now to say that Microsoft, which still controls the lion's share, has anything to fear from Linux in terms of pure numbers. But, perceptions matter as much as numbers in IT, and this is where Microsoft could be hit.
For one thing, Linux seems to be growing fast on netbooks, especially thanks to Asus. In May 2008, Asus, said to be the world's largest maker of motherboards, decided to embed Linux into all motherboards. Earlier, as of October 2007, this was only available on its M3 series, but this year, thanks to growing user demand, this feature was extended to all motherboards.
Instant access
The embedded Linux, called Splashtop (Asus calls it Express Gate), includes a Firefox-derived browser and the Skype internet-telephony application. The main thing is that it is an instant-on system, and allows users to quickly boot up, check mail or make a call, and then shut down all without firing up the main version of Windows that is loaded on the PC.
Big deal, you think? In a way, you could be right, but this means that users get into direct contact with Linux.
No longer is it something that lurks on some Web server or mail server. It is here, right in front of you, and people perceive it to be faster because it is loaded instantly.
Linux also has one interesting advantage, especially during a slowdown it runs off lesser hardware, and this has interested companies like HP so much that they are developing a custom version of Linux for their netbook.
Talking of netbooks, according to research firm Gartner, worldwide PC shipments reached 80.6 million units in the third quarter of this calendar year, and the predominant factor pushing this growth is the rise of the netbook.
One way in which Microsoft may tackle the spread of Linux in the netbook segment is through its yet-to-be-launched OS, Windows 7. While this is expected only towards the end of 2009, Microsoft has provided technical details on the new features at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. While a lot of features were discussed at WinHEC, not too many details were revealed about how big its footprint would be, and if it would fit on a low-cost netbook but since there is a lot of time between now and the release, these may be added if Microsoft feels that this is important.
How much time does Microsoft have? This question can be answered by looking at another question how well are netbooks selling? According to Gartner, of the 80.6 million worldwide PC shipments, HP owns an 18.4 percent share, followed by Dell (13.6 percent) and Acer (12.5 percent). But more impressive than the current figures are the changes from the same period that is, the change from JAS 2007 to JAS 2008. Looking at this figure is illuminating. For, while HP and Dell jumped by 15.1 per cent and 11.6 per cent respectively, Acer went up by a whopping 47.3 per cent. Much of this growth can be attributed to its netbooks. Clearly, netbooks are growing, and this growth is propelling the growth of Linux.
While it would be foolish to say that Microsoft is under any threat, the figures do indicate that the sale of netbooks could spur Linux to greater heights. | 
