Operating systems

Windows

A Samsung N145 Plus netbook running Windows 7.

As of January 2009, over 90% (96% claimed by Microsoft as of February 2009^[62]) of netbooks in the United States are estimated to ship with Windows XP,^[63] which Microsoft was later estimated to sell ranging from US$15 to US$35 per netbook.^[64][65] Microsoft has extended the availability of Windows XP for ultra-low cost personal computers from June 2008 until June 2010.^[66] However, the discounted license costs only applies to reduced size and functionality netbooks, which effectively enables the production of low-cost PCs while preserving the higher margins of mainstream desktops and "value" laptops^[67] as well as avoiding increased use of Linux installations on netbooks.^[68] Microsoft also has ^[69] Windows 7 Starter for this class of devices. As of the first quarter of 2009 many netbook models previously announced with Windows XP for the US market were in fact being released with Windows 7 Starter instead, at the same price point previously announced for the Windows XP editions. However, unlike on regular desktops or notebooks that were sold with Vista but included a coupon for 7, users could not get a coupon for 7 Starter if they bought a netbook.^[70][71] Windows CE has also been used in netbook applications, due to its reduced feature design, that keeps with the design philosophy of netbooks.^[72]
Some netbooks have also been sold with Windows Vista (mostly prior to the release of Windows 7).
Many netbooks are by default unable to activate Windows in an enterprise environment using a Microsoft Key Management Service (KMS) as they lack System Locked Preinstallation (SLP) capability in their BIOS.^[73] The missing feature artificially segments enterprise customers from the lower end Netbook market; some hardware vendors offer an optional SLP-compliant BIOS to enterprise customers at additional cost.

[edit] Linux

Main article: Comparison of netbook-oriented Linux distributions

As of November 2009, customised Linux distributions are estimated to ship on 32% of netbooks worldwide (0.5% claimed Microsoft),^[74] making it the second most popular operating system after Windows. As Linux systems normally install software from an Internet software repository, they do not need an optical drive to install software.
As of August 2010, major netbook manufacturers no longer install or support Linux in the United States. The reason for this change of stance is unclear, although it coincides with the availability of Windows 7 Starter and a strong marketing push for the adoption of this OS in the netbook market. However, companies targeting niche markets, such as System76 and ZaReason, continue to pre-install Linux on the devices they sell.
Netbooks have sparked the development of several Linux variants or completely new distributions, which are optimized for small screen use and the limited processing power of the Atom or ARM processors which typically power netbooks. Examples include Ubuntu Netbook Edition, EasyPeasy, Joli OS and MeeGo. Both Joli OS and MeeGo purport to be "social oriented" or social networking operating systems rather than traditional "office work production" operating systems.