In an effort to make the new netbooks less expensive and to run a little tighter, HP and Asus both seem to be considering Google’s Linux based Android OS as an alternative to Windows.  Not only would a successful implementation drive the price down, it could also make your netbook compatible with your cellphone at level we haven’t seen before.  Digital Trends thinks this could lead to an OS war, though in this particular case it isn’t a new OS trying to make a name for its self like IBM’s OS/2, instead it is a new way of looking at Linux which has been slowly eroding market share for over 10 years from both Windows and Unix.

“We haven’t had a real operating system (OS) war since IBM and Microsoft tangled in the early ‘90s. Because Apple remained vertically integrated though, that match-up was uneven and really never put DOS, or later Windows, at much risk. OS/2 largely failed because IBM was seen as more of a competitor to the other PC makers than a partner, even though that OS was largely what Windows NT became years later.

Now we have Google about to make a run at Microsoft, and while they don’t appear to be directly targeting Apple, that firm could be collateral damage in this war as the least well-connected of the three contenders. With this apparent leak of an HP effort (coupled with an Asustek effort), there appears to be reviews going on with Android by all of the major OEMs, and Android, which is basically desktop Linux done properly, could be a contender.

With that in mind, let’s talk about the coming OS war.”

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