In the last few months there have been a lot of operating system installs to devices other than their intended targets. Some of the more notable installs are Google Android on a Netbook, Windows 3.11 on a smartphone, Windows 95 on a smartphone, and Mac System 7 on an iPhone. The primary reason for most of these installs is just about the “Geek Factor” and not about usability or functionality. It is just to see if it can be done and then have everyone talk about how cool it is.
One such operating system that is being focused on is Palm’s webOS which has not even been released yet. What makes webOS different than so many of the others is that it could actually enhance the device it is installed to instead of just it just being cool. The operating system itself is based on Linux and as such is very customizable.
Several websites lately have been proposing why it is not only a good candidate for a Netbook install but should be focused on by Palm themselves. Instead of just working to sell the operating system with phones they could also capitalize on the popularity of the Netbook market and capture virtually all of the touch capable Netbook market that is still budding.
Things such as webOS’s heavy Internet integration, Flash capability, ARM processor compatibility and the fact that it just looks good, all make it an attractive OS for Netbooks. Linux has recently had a hard time maintaining it’s share of the Netbook market but a product such as webOS could change that.
webOS may never be sold on a Netbook but one thing is for sure, modders will be trying to do it within days of it’s release. And maybe someone will even get it to dual-boot Android in the first couple of days.
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