Hewlett Packard has announced that its new UK range of
netbook laptops will not offer the
Linux operating system . The
HP mini 1000
laptop and the
HP Compaq Mini 700 will only be available on Microsoft’s
Windows XP
operating system, whilst the HP Mini 2140 will run on either Windows XP or Windows Vista. Following the announcement, the only HP laptop operating on a
Linux system in the UK is the one year old HP mini 2133, though that has since been superseded by the
Intel Atom powered HP mini 1000.
The news has come as a surprise to industry experts, following a period of increasing netbook popularity. Their popularity has been largely based on their ultra-portability and low price – a factor contributed to by the fact they run versions of the free, open source
Linux operating system, as opposed to the expensive Microsoft alternative. Indeed, the UK’s most popular netbook laptop is the Acer Inspire One, which runs a version of the Linux operating system.
Hewlett Packard didn’t directly explain their thinking behind dumping the Linux based operating systems, but did say that it felt
Windows powered laptops ‘better address the market and consumer needs’ of the British market.