Windows 7 good for Linux

Ubuntu's Mark Shuttleworth sees blue skies ahead for Linux.

Fresh from claiming that 2009 will be the year of the Linux desktop, Mr Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth, claims that Microsoft's introduction of Windows 7 will be a great day for the Penguin.

Shuttleworth said that the desktop and the applications that people are using are changing in ways that make the coming desktop battle different than it has ever been before.

Shuttleworth told InternetNews.com that the benefits to consumers and industry of having an alternative are substantial.

So if Microsoft makes a change it will give the opportunity for those who want to challenge it. He added that while Microsoft hopes that its Windows 7 will go into netbooks, Canonical's also got big plans, making netbooks a key focus.

The next version Ubuntu Linux 9.04, "Jaunty Jackalope" which comes out in April 20, will include faster boot times, a new notification system and an improved desktop user interface.

There will also be a new edition of Ubuntu Linux Remixed, a version specialised for netbooks.

Shuttleworth said that Windows 7 creates a level playing field where we'll be competing with a new version of Windows.

This means that Linux can say, "look you are going to have to buy new software, why pay for it?"

Then he starts to get a bit silly saying that the next billion PC users won't be as interested in compatibility with Microsoft Office as they are in connecting to Twitter and staying connected to their social network through the Web.

Twitter? Office? He would have been better off saying that OpenOffice now does what normal Office does, so why pay for it?

He also fails to notice that on the netbook space Linux is more likely to be competing against Android, which is also free.