Just like with the Eee PC, ever since the gPC started the low-cost Linux desktop market (yeah, yeah I am sure there is some cheap Linux PC that came before it), many, many companies have rushed to essentially copy the design and call it their own. This is understandable in the case of the Eee PC, since it has done so well, but it makes a lot less sense in the case of the gPC, since the gPC and all the copies so far have basically failed. I can even understand some early rip-offs thinking they could do better, but after every product in the market flops, you would think the flow of these cheap Linux PCs would stop, but it has not. Shuttle just set a launch date of mid-April for their “KPC.” (Even the name is a rip-off.)

While I am saying that companies should stop copying a tried and failed idea, I am not saying that no one should try to enter this cheap Linux PC market. Just don’t do the same thing as everyone else. To figure out how to make a better cheap Linux PC, look at the Eee PC. One major factor, at least in my opinion, in the Eee PC’s success is that it has appeal to both geeks and regular people. On the other hand, the gPC has almost no appeal to a geek (why would they want another underpowered computer even if it were free?)

There are plenty of ways to increase the geek appeal of a cheap Linux PC, you just have to think of it as a little more than your average Dell PC. As one commenter named Robert Pogson pointed out in a comment on “Will Asus’s UMPC Success Carry into Linux Desktops?,” Asus could make their new cheap Linux desktop PC a “base station for the eee (backup, software repository, home files, printing…).” Or how about an inexpensive media center/home server computer? All of this could be done.

The cheap Linux desktop PC market is not hopeless, it just needs some products that are not copies of failed ideas.

Since Asus said they planned to sell Eee PCs with Windows pre-installed, a lot of people, including Asus themselves, have tried to predict which version of the Eee PC, the one with Linux or the one with Windows, will do the best. It is an interesting question, particularly since Linux has not traditionally done well with the non-geeky, mostly uninformed group of people who will really be deciding how well each version does, since they are the majority of people. While you might expect that the past will simply repeat itself and Windows will triumph again, Linux has never been given a chance before in the way it is being given a chance now, so the situation is different.

Put yourself in the shoes of an uninformed person looking at two models of Eee PCs. They both look the same (after all, what does GB or RAM mean?), but one says Windows and the other says Linux. Since you don’t really understand what Linux is and you may only have a vague idea what Windows is, what do you do? Ask the sales person. (Or scroll down and read the product details in the case of an online store.)

Typically, this would be where Linux gets unfairly put down by the Microsoft marketing giant. In most circumstances, the sales person would basically tell you that Windows is better (although not always) and that would be the end of it. To prevent this from happening, however, I propose Asus create a small set of bullet point benefits for each that the sales people can explain to potential buyers or that can be posted on retail websites. For example:

Windows:

• Most people are familiar with Windows, so unless you are already a Mac or Linux user, you will know how to operate the Eee PC as soon as you take it out of the box.
• All of your existing programs will work on your new Eee PC.

Linux:

• The interface is customized specifically for the Eee PC.
• Linux will run faster than Windows in most cases.
• No anti-virus software is needed as there are no viruses for Linux.
• Although things may not work exactly as you expect them to, most common tasks can be done as easily on Linux as on Windows.

With a set of fairly unbiased and easy to understand points like this, everyone could make an informed decision on which Eee PC to buy. Personally (and I expect many people will agree), if people make an informed decision to choose Windows, I have no problem with that.

After around 5 months of stocking the gPC in stores, Wal-Mart has decided to stop stocking Linux-based computers in their stores, although they will continue to sell them on their website, according to the AP. Although I can see how a decision like this would be made, if you ask me, they jumped out too early and did not really give Linux a fair chance.

The Linux-based computer Wal-Mart experimented with was the gPC. Although the gPC was one of the first Linux computers to receive a lot of attention, it was not, by far, the best received. Many negative reviews were written and, although the price was low, the hardware was somewhat lacking in many people’s opinion. While based on this I can see choosing to stop selling the gPC in stores, I think it is too soon for Wal-Mart to give up on Linux. Look at how well the Eee PC is already doing, and Asus’s CEO just said they could sell 300,000 to 400,000 per month if battery shortages were resolved.

While Wal-Marts decision is somewhat justified in that not all Linux-based PCs have done well at all, giving up on Linux before even trying to sell what is almost certainly the most popular Linux computer, the Eee PC, seems like giving up on something good without trying it.

Earlier this week Microsoft promised to be friendlier towards open-source software in what was basically an attempt to suck up to the EU, however, in a recent development, it turns out that the EU was not done bashing Microsoft over the head for all the stuff they did in the past. To resolve this situation, the EU has issued a big fat bill for $1.35 billion (many times more than previous fines) to cover all the stuff they never got a chance to investigate. With this settled, the EU will be able to focus on investigating Microsoft for whatever they think of next.

OK, the EU is not really just giving Microsoft a bill for all the stuff they never got to investigate, but, according to Reuters, they did just fine Microsoft a record amount just days after Microsoft issued a press release presumably intended to suck up to the EU. The Reuters article says the real reason for the fine is ”using high prices to discourage software competition.” Although I cannot claim to understand it entirely, I gather this specific case has to do with not making interoperability information avaliable enough or cheap enough and thus discoraging competition. Of course it could just be the EU wants their money before Microsoft goes broke buying Yahoo.

The EU seems to think Red Hat got it right on Microsoft’s press release (which was about interoperability, read more here) yesterday. According to Linux Insider, the EU has said that, while they would appreciate “any move towards genuine interoperability,” they have seen similar statements from Microsoft in the past and they will not be impressed until Microsoft really does something. Additionally, the EU stated that Microsoft’s recent action “does not relate to the question of whether or not Microsoft has been complying with EU antitrust rules in this area in the past.”

That is a lot of bad news for Microsoft, which was presumably hoping to get the EU off their backs with their recent press release. It looks like the EU will not go easy on Microsoft in their current investigations no matter what and unless Microsoft really does what they said they would, it looks like the EU will continue to keep the pressure on Microsoft.

The real question now is what Microsoft will do next. There are basically two options for Microsoft, really do what they said or deal with the EU in some other way. Or else they could just send some expensive laptops the way of the EU courts…

Earlier today Microsoft announced plans to increase interoperability and be more friendly to open-source software, but, as Red Hat points out, it is just a press release and does not guarantee that everything they say will happen will happen soon, or ever. After years of pressure from the European Union (EU), Microsoft has announced that they will not sue non-commercial open-source developers, make efforts to improve interoperability, and publish APIs for many of their products meaning, for example, that plugins for additional formats in Office could be added.

All of this sounds great, but as Red Hat’s responce to Microsoft’s statement points out, “we’ve heard similar announcements before, almost always strategically timed for other effect. Red Hat regards this most recent announcement with a healthy dose of skepticism.” Although I would like to think Microsoft was truly planning on being more friendly to open-source software, I just cannot help thinking that Red Hat is right. Until Microsoft really does what they say they will do, it is just a publicity stunt to get the EU off their backs. I just hope they really do follow through.

Following Sun’s recent purchase of another open-source company, MySQL, Sun has just bought Innotek, according to Information Week. Innotek is the supporting company behind the VirtualBox virtualization software, which is distributed in both open-source and proprietary versions. VirtualBox emerged as a frequently used virtualization product quite recently, but it already has features that compete with larger proprietary-only companies.

Although it is impossible to know for sure, this acquisition seems likely to be a good thing for the development of VirtualBox. Sun has previously shown their awareness of open-source software with their support of Open Office and there is no reason to believe they will do anything other than put more resources into the development of both versions of VirtualBox. Although it seems unlikely that there will be any very noticeable changes to VirtualBox in the near future, in the long term this acquisition should be good for VirtualBox.