5 ms·

MS opened the door for the chromebook by killing off the netbook market with their silly limitations on the netbook format. People wanted the devices, just not

by bnolsen 13y ago

MS opened the door for the chromebook by killing off the netbook market with their silly limitations on the netbook format. People wanted the devices, just not the crippled ones. Chromebook just filled the hole intentionally left.

eli 13y ago
Chromebook still feels pretty limited to me -- that's just a less malicious version of crippled... Or do I misunderstand? My understanding was that the relatively high licensing cost of windows (relative to the hardware) was a major problem.
- Mikeb85 13y ago
  Activate dev mode, get access to a full Gentoo-based distro.... Chrome alone is pretty capable too, especially with Chrome Native Client...
  - pjmlp 13y ago
    > Activate dev mode, get access to a full Gentoo-based distro.... If you have to do that, it is a prof that it doesn't fulfill the needs of the users. Plus which normal user is going to do this?! https://sites.google.com/site/chromeoswikisite/home/what-s-new-in-dev-and-beta/developer-mode https://sites.google.com/site/chromeoswikisite/home/what-s-n...
    - Mikeb85 13y ago
      Which normal user needs to? I could easily use Chrome alone for any 'normal' tasks. The only native apps I use are Vim, some specialised content creation apps, and command line tools. Don't tell me the average user needs these. Chrome OS' popularity is proof that for many, it is enough. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see OEMs shipping Ubuntu or Suse, but Chrome OS is more capable than it gets credit for.
      - pjmlp 13y ago
        > Don't tell me the average user needs these. The users that use PC as a TV do not, surely. > Chrome OS' popularity is proof that for many On US I guess, I am yet to see them anywhere else.
      - eli 13y ago
        I would argue that the "crippled" Windows netbooks were just fine for normal tasks too... so what are we debating?
- beagle3 13y ago
  Nope. Hardware that ran Linux fine was insufficient for Windows. So Microsoft made requirements for larger screens, bigger memory or they'd take away the windows discount. So manufacturers stopped making 7" and 9" netbooks. And the 11" that they did make we're not as appealing to the people who liked netbooks at the time - the price/performance/weight/size difference was not reasonable compared to a bona fide laptop. Which probably was microsoft's intention in the first place.
pjmlp 13y ago
> Chromebook just filled the hole intentionally left. A tablet is more usable out of the box than a Chromebook. No developer mode does not count, as it is not a simple configuration switch but rather traditional Linux installation party fest. In Europe there are still lots of places, online and offline, where one can easily get Netbooks. In some stores even with Ubuntu pre-installed.

by bnolsen 13y ago

eli 13y ago

Chromebook still feels pretty limited to me -- that's just a less malicious version of crippled... Or do I misunderstand? My understanding was that the relatively high licensing cost of windows (relative to the hardware) was a major problem.

Mikeb85 13y ago
Activate dev mode, get access to a full Gentoo-based distro.... Chrome alone is pretty capable too, especially with Chrome Native Client...
- pjmlp 13y ago
  > Activate dev mode, get access to a full Gentoo-based distro.... If you have to do that, it is a prof that it doesn't fulfill the needs of the users. Plus which normal user is going to do this?! https://sites.google.com/site/chromeoswikisite/home/what-s-new-in-dev-and-beta/developer-mode https://sites.google.com/site/chromeoswikisite/home/what-s-n...
  - Mikeb85 13y ago
    Which normal user needs to? I could easily use Chrome alone for any 'normal' tasks. The only native apps I use are Vim, some specialised content creation apps, and command line tools. Don't tell me the average user needs these. Chrome OS' popularity is proof that for many, it is enough. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see OEMs shipping Ubuntu or Suse, but Chrome OS is more capable than it gets credit for.
    - pjmlp 13y ago
      > Don't tell me the average user needs these. The users that use PC as a TV do not, surely. > Chrome OS' popularity is proof that for many On US I guess, I am yet to see them anywhere else.
    - eli 13y ago
      I would argue that the "crippled" Windows netbooks were just fine for normal tasks too... so what are we debating?
beagle3 13y ago
Nope. Hardware that ran Linux fine was insufficient for Windows. So Microsoft made requirements for larger screens, bigger memory or they'd take away the windows discount. So manufacturers stopped making 7" and 9" netbooks. And the 11" that they did make we're not as appealing to the people who liked netbooks at the time - the price/performance/weight/size difference was not reasonable compared to a bona fide laptop. Which probably was microsoft's intention in the first place.

pjmlp 13y ago

> Chromebook just filled the hole intentionally left. A tablet is more usable out of the box than a Chromebook. No developer mode does not count, as it is not a simple configuration switch but rather traditional Linux installation party fest. In Europe there are still lots of places, online and offline, where one can easily get Netbooks. In some stores even with Ubuntu pre-installed.