Comments on: Windows Starter Edition on Netbooks Might Be Just Right

By: Baz

Baz — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:22:26 +0000

All of these discussions about Win7 (Starter or not) are presuming that what we’ve seen / been promised so far in Beta show up in Gold. And with Win7 being, by Microsoft’s own admission, not available until next year (and likely the stable SP1 fix another 6 months later), discussing its ‘features’ seems pointless. See Vista.

Microsoft is an OS player in netbooks only because so many of these devices came with such a poorly realized and supported Linux distro and users felt it “was better the devil they knew than the devil they didn’t.” XP is well past its sell-by date, but Microsoft is forced to keep it alive in order to sell anything at all.

But millions of netbooks running XP will be sold by the time Win7 shows up and by then the users of these devices will expect and demand that the OS they use be as fully functioning as what they can currently get – and not get a hobbled version of a troubled OS.

By: Udo

Udo — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:35:30 +0000

The problem is, Starter Edition – already targeted for a market that doesn’t require many of Windows’ strong points – is additionally crippled in a fashion that makes me wonder why people should even bother with it at all. When it comes to low-power, constrained equipment in extensively pre-configured environments, Linux seems to be viable even for consumer devices. Specifically for people who are, as you said yourself, living in the browser.

By: Virtuous

Virtuous — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:52:31 +0000

If they’re smart Linux distro companies will take advantage of this arbitrary limit to gain market share in the netbook space. Apple should make a commercial about Starter Edition.

By: Ed Bott

Ed Bott — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:59:15 +0000

Kevin is correct. You can have as many instances of the Chrome.exe process as you like; collectively it counts as one program. The screen shot I show in my post shows a single Chrome icon, but there were actually six tabs open (and thus six Chrome.exe processes running).

By: GoodThings2Life

GoodThings2Life — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:47:35 +0000

Kevin,

I read Ed’s article yesterday, and I have to say that given the facts of how it interprets the 3-app count, it doesn’t seem completely unreasonable… especially since you could buy it up front with Starter Edition and use the “Anytime Upgrade” feature to step-up to a more-advanced version later for what I suspect will be considerably less.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:30:31 +0000

OK, let’s try something not so idiotic. Vote with your wallet and don’t buy Starter Edition. ;)

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:29:37 +0000

David, I’ve owned and used netbooks every day since November of 2007 when the Eee PC first arrived on the scene. Never have I said they’re only suitable for light tasks. And since the days of the UMPC, I’ve always pushed the limit of my devices. The gist of what I said in the post is that *if* you plan to use a netbook for light tasks, the Starter Edition could work for you and offer some cost savings. Folks that want to do more than light tasks should use the right tool for the job and *not* buy Starter Edition.

Having said that, I understand your points on the business model. The problem is that Microsoft painted themselves in a corner with XP & the netbook craze; they’re now trying to find the most suitable business model that continues their cash stream.

By: c1oudrs

c1oudrs — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:29:26 +0000

I don’t think its idiotic at all. Thanks for the post. I think Kevin has some valid points. If nothing else its good to hear that its easy to upgrade windows mobile 7 and for that alone the post was worth reading. The real question is going to be price as I do agree that the starter I don’t think will be for me though I could be wrong.

By: David Cohen

David Cohen — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:05:04 +0000

Kevin, why subscribe to this artificial line that netbooks are only suitable for light tasks? They are more powerful than the full price laptops we were buying a few years ago! Their compromises come from form factor, not a lack of horsepower.

Fact is, Microsoft, Intel and other are terrified the Netbook will drive sales away from more expensive hardware, and so have been talking down the netbook as a real computer. However, instead of dealing with it by stepping up to the plate and delivering good value and an experience people are prepared to pay a premium for, they try and throttle the very bottom end of the market by putting artificial limits in. It’s akin to a mafia racket. And you can bet that the app limit will not be advertised in bold letters on the hardware’s box, but hidden away in the small print.

It will, of course, backfire. No-one will understand the limit, and they’ll blame Microsoft for their frustrations – which will drive adoption of other solutions. Such a shame, because I know from the beta that Windows 7 Ultimate runs REALLY well on a netbook, and could really turn their fortunes around.

By: Tery

Tery — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:01:41 +0000

What an idiotic post. Trying to defend the 3 limit app that you can’t even explain yourself.