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It’s being reported that Acer is going to start pushing Linux on it’s Laptops and netbooks. The choice for Acer is obviously a smart financial move. Linux is open source and much cheaper then the alternative Microsoft operating systems. Gianpiero Morbello, the vice president of marketing and brand at Acer, even stated “We have shifted towards Linux because of Microsoft,” he said. “Microsoft has a lot of power and it is going to be difficult, but we will be working hard to develop the Linux market.”
This is definitely a great push for Linux. Acer has a lot of influence in the hardware market, and taking a stand against Microsoft for Linux could make other major companies think twice about what operating system they develop hardware for. However, I’m reluctant to see how Acer will go about marketing the OS on their brand of laptops. I hope they don’t plan on just having a lower cost laptop sitting on the store shelf and waiting until the customer gets home to discover that the operating system looks “different”. If done correctly, Acer could help the Linux desktop spread to more homes.
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I think any major computer company that chooses to distribute Linux (and stick with it, you know who I mean Dell…) would be great, not just because of it being open source, but in many ways it is a superior product.
At this very moment, I am using Ubuntu 8.10 on an Acer Aspire 9503EWSMi, and it is great. Many people mention the learning curve associated with Linux, or even their fear because it can give the impression that only computer programmers, IT experts, etc. would use it. I have my system set up for dual-booting (alongside Windows XP, still use it to play WoW!) and my wife (not a computer expert by any stretch) prefers using Ubuntu over Windows hands down. It loads faster, is just as easy to navigate, and has everything on it that she would ever want to use.
Hats off to Acer, and here’s to hoping other companies take the same route!