Differing trends for Linux on netbooks

Well, I finally got my MSI Wind with a French keyboard, which I had to
order from France. I didn't want to get an XP version here in Belgium, so
I ordered a SuSE Linux version online from a French supplier.

Well, even though I used SuSE since version 5 something, I was
disappointed with the SuSE Linux Enterprise desktop 10 version installed
on the Wind. First of all, it screwed up the keyboard layout on setup (I
want the French keyboard with
English main language), but hey, I wanted a non-standard setup, and I can
deal with it. But the kicker was that the built-in wireless (RTL8199)
isn't supported for WPA, and the webcam doesn't work.

In other words, the SuSE version on the Wind is a slapped-on
afterthought, not a linux version prepared specifically for the MSI Wind.
To make things worse, the installed SusE Entreprise 10 only comes with 60
days update support.

It was no big deal for me to install Kubuntu 8.10 beta, and hack things
up the way I like them. I've ordered an Intel wireless card, and I've not
had time to set up the webcam yet. As a Linux geek, I think the MSI Wind
is great value for money for my needs.

But for a normal user, buying the MSI Wind to be directly usable, the
choice of an old, non-customized, non-appliance oriented, "demoware"
60-day trial SuSE Linux distribution is pretty useless, and I can easily
see why returns are higher than for the eeePC with a customized appliance
interface, ready to work out of the box.

So in this particular case, it seems that the underlying problem is the
effort that the manufacturer is willing to make to get a linux version
properly adapted to the hardware they're selling. For MSI, the effort is
insufficient.