First, let me point out that I think Microsoft has done a reasonably good job developing Windows 7. Most early buzz about the operating system was positive. But when it comes to running Windows 7 on netbooks, Microsoft has made a fatal design decision that will open the door for more Linux netbooks. Skeptical? Consider the evidence.

Our friends over at Ostatic have posed a good question, one I’ve thought about in the past. They are looking at the feasibility of Android-based netbooks, something we’ve covered here, and give a good case for open source netbooks. The problem they point out is that such netbooks, often running some flavor of Linux, usually have lesser hardware components than Windows-based netbooks.

Linux advocates had a lot of fun recently taking shots at Windows 7 Starter version, which Microsoft has positioned as an option for low-cost netbooks. What could Microsoft possibly offer in response to the "Starter is a comically bad attempt at an operating system" comments?

Windows 7 Starter Edition will be the lightest of 6 versions that Microsoft will be releasing. It will be made available to OEMs for installation on netbooks. It will apparently only allow users to open 3 applications at a time. Hardly competition for Linux on the netbook

Microsoft says that Windows dominates -- and will continue to dominate -- netbooks because customers are looking for a familiar, PC-like experience, as well as compatibility with their peripherals and software such as Microsoft Office.

Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 Netbooks running Windows XP and Ubuntu are on sale. But US newspaper advertisements from Dell and Best Buy show Dell’s Windows XP netbooks to be a far better bargain than Dell netbooks with Ubuntu Linux. Here are the details.

Back in February I wrote about how Linux had gone mainstream as netbooks became ubiquitous. Nobody doubts that Windows has captured the overwhelming majority of the netbook market. Even so, Dell claimed around that time that one third of their Inspiron netbooks were selling with Ubuntu preloaded rather than Windows XP.

An executive who heads up Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) Windows business said Wednesday Netbooks, lower-priced laptop computers geared to less intensive work, posed a cannibalization risk to the Windows operating system.

Do you like listening to music while you browse the web, chat with friends and download some torrents? Well, pick three because, you won’t be doing all those things at once in Windows 7 Starter Edition. Mind you, it’s not the the netbook can’t handle the workload, it’s because Microsoft thinks netbooks should be crippled.