I would like to see some real numbers on this. Yes, there is a “Microsoft tax” for the license fee. But there is also the fees PAID by the vendors of antiviral software and the like to the OEMS for the inclusion of their “crapware” on the product. This offsets the cost of the computer. In the end you might get the the best value by purchasing the Windows machine and then installing your favorite Linux distro. The web has plenty of instructions. I regret having to support Microsoft in this way then again I regret the way my government spends my tax dollars. It’s the bottom line that counts.

I’ve just been going through the same hunt, also interested in the Aspire One and likewise finding much more choice and availability of machines with XP on them.

I’m not convinced this is as simple as the linux based machines selling better. My guess is that Microsoft were caught by surprise with netbooks and have been pretty aggressive since with manufacturers getting XP onto the things. I’d bet the manufacturers are getting the OS for next to nothing, probably been made offers they can’t refuse

One other puzzle, anyone know why amazon.ca doesn’t have netbooks on offer, whereas amazon.com has a good selection?

I think the real reason that Linux netbooks are hard to find is that manufactures and shops are still skeptical about Linux and since Windows XP is an option, that’s what they offer.

It should be extremely simple to convert a Windows netbook into a Linux machine (because we already know that Linux drivers are available because a Linux variant exists). So, if vendors wanted to deliever Linux, they could do so.

There may also be a hidden Microsoft tax on Linux devices. Maybe decreasing the percentage of Microsoft OSs sold does not really decrease the total amount to be paid to the Redmond Giant

It is unlikely that the Linux offerings are outselling their XP counterparts. I’m more inclined to believe that resellers are simply stocking more XP netbooks than Linux ones as they think that potential customers will want to have something familiar to them.

[QUOTE]While there were a number of online outlets that were sold out of the Linpus version, most of these same places had hundreds, sometimes thousands of XP netbooks in stock.[/QUOTE]

While one way to read this information is that GNU/Linux based net-books are selling quicker, the other way to view this information is that the stores are stocking more of the Windows XP net-books than the GNU/Linux ones.

One way around is to pre-order. This will do two things:
1. with enough orders coming in, the stores will be forced to act on the statistical data of which items are ordered more and which sit on the shelf.
2. it will offset the imbalance pushed into the market by Microsoft lobbying the net-book industry to push more XP net-books out into the market.

Sellers will always stock what sells. So ordering exactly what you want is far more effective than getting what you don’t want and then customising it to suit you.

I don’t think it’s being argued that *more* Linux netbooks than XP netbooks are selling, as in more than 50%. Since the baseline seems to be around 30% Linux, that would be tough.
What does seem clear is that, whatever percentage the vendors are estimating, Linux is selling more than that. They underestimated the demand for Linux, overestimated the demand for XP. Thus they are selling out of Linux miniboxen, and having XP left n the shelves. The actual sales percentages are almost beside the point, given that we can’t know what the percentages would be like if Linux netbooks were always available. Some demand for Linux netbooks is remaining unfilled, and in many cases XP is being accepted as a substitute–under these circumstances, sales figures will mislead if you’re trying to determine demand.

@Rufus Polson - Agree entirely, whatever the ratio, it’ll be getting skewed.

Another issue I find interesting were the early claims about return rates, unmatched expectations, and whether/how this could be attributed to retailers not building the correct expectation of the benefits of one OS over the other. Just as early punters who didn’t know any better and got home to find Linux was not Windows, how are all these buyers of the XP version going to feel in April when XP goes EOL for all that aren’t on expensive corporate “Extended Support”? (i.e. most all of them). How can the likes of Dell honestly be flogging XP netbooks without at least a little *footnote that in <3 months you’ll be “afloat on your own without a paddle”?

I was checking prices of Netbooks in several stores in Scotland and found that many places selling Linux-based systems NEVER HAD THEM ON DISPLAY but the assistants would admit there were some “in the back” if I asked. One such was a Tesco store on the Kingsway in Dundee. For the spec the price was good too, but who’s going to buy or even investigate if the Linux variants are hidden??

Sold out?

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Amazon has several EEE PC, Acer Aspire One, and Sylvania Meso with Linux installed as OS for sale. No sales tax, free shipping if you buy directly from Amazon, and usually you’ll get stuff from Amazon within a week of ordering. I got my EEE from Amazon, happy with it. Easy shopping.

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