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Netbooks are great XP machines

Sunday, June 07, 2009 by Dave Winer.

Just tweeted: "Microsoft's problem, they employ billions of dollars worth of engineers who produce stuff no one wants."  

I pointed to this article. 

Short version of this post: Microsoft -- Let the netbook guys put whatever they want to in the box, and sell them XP Home for a reasonable price and stop trying to tell us we have to use Vista because people don't want to.  

Longer version. 

Netbooks are great Windows machines. I remember seeing a $600 pricetag on an Asus last year and thinking "Geez that's cheap!" so I bought one. Now it seems expensive. Same computer now is $280. That's even cheaper. So cool. And it runs Windows XP Home so I can run my software on it. Now I'm totally uninterested in buying an iPhone-like laptop, which Apple almost surely will want to sell me.  

You'd think that would be great news for Microsoft! You'd think they'd be running ads on TV saying "Holy Shit People Like Our Stuff Now Man That's So Fucking Cool." 

But you'd be wrong. 

Because. Because. Well. You tell me why they're not super excited about this. Steve? Ray? 

As a user, I'm happy as can be. I love this new stuff. And I'll tell you what. It's found money for them, whatever they get, because I wasn't ever going to buy a Microsoft product. I'm amazed that I like XP. But only because it runs on these coool new netbook computers. 

And the netbook market is incredibly competitive. They keep dropping the prices and they want to add features, but Microsoft won't let them. If they add more features, they say, they have to put Vista on the computer. People don't want Vista. And Microsoft must be worried they don't want Windows 7 either. 

That's their problem, not mine. Their job is to create software people want.  

I recorded a brief podcast about this, but if you've read this post you don't need to listen to it. You've already heard what I have to say. 

XP is cool. Sell it and be proud. Create products people want, and all is good. Create products people don't want, go back to the drawing board or find another line of work.