ABI Research predicts that Linux and "alternative operating systems" (OSes) will overtake Windows XP in netbook sales by 2012. Reasons cited by ABI include the arrival of low-end ARM-based netbooks, as well as mobile stacks such as the Linux-based Android that are suited for these platforms.

Guanzhou, China-based Skytone announced the Alpha 680, a 533MHz ARM11-based netbook with a 7-inch touchscreen that appears to be the first commercial netbook running Android.

The "open" characteristic of open source tools helps enhance, rather than complicate, the teaching process, say its exponents.

"...To implement this operation, the NGO needed only a laptop, a cell phone and FrontlineSMS – free software available to community-focused development NGOs.

AT&T is putting its weight behind netbooks using ARM processors, calling them the "next big step." The carrier has also begun selling four different subsidized netbooks in Atlanta and Philadelphia, with plans to roll them out nationwide.

My laptop was slow while running my chain and ball KDE 4, and also got some things broken recently (e.g., battery, screen hinges), so I decided to buy a new one last week before it leaves me stranded. And soon enough I realized that I had two options

While Apple and Microsoft are chugging away at a release of their operating systems every few years, a free competitor is growing more and more powerful, releasing a new edition every six months and capturing low-end markets like netbooks and cell phones.

Less than one week after Canonical debuted Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix edition, System76 is playing an encure by launching an Ubuntu 9.04 netbook. The move had been rumored for several weeks. And it's certainly the first of many Ubuntu netbooks that will hit the market. Here's a bit more about System76's new device.