A Netbook is a new type of laptop computer, defined by size, price, horsepower, and operating system. They are small, cheap, under-powered, and run either an old or unfamiliar operating system.

Size-wise, Netbooks have 9- or 10-inch screens, weigh from 2 to 3 pounds, and sport keyboards sized from 80 percent to 95 percent of normal.

Despite a huge proliferation of Netbook models, these specs seem to be standard:

• Screen resolution 1024x600
• Intel Atom CPU running at 1.6-GHz
• Wi-Fi B and G
• Ethernet at 100Mbps
• A slot for a flash RAM memory card
• External VGA output jack
• Integrated graphics
• Two or three USB ports
• Built-in camera
• Headphone and microphone jacks

What's Missing?

For one thing, there is no optical drive. CDs and DVDs had to be thrown overboard to reduce both the size and cost. Another omission is the now legacy PC card (aka PCMCIA) slot. Most Netbooks don't include Bluetooth. And, while they do have Ethernet and Wi-Fi, they don't include the fastest version of Ethernet (known as gigabit Ethernet), the latest version of Wi-Fi (N) or the older "A" version of Wi-Fi.

What's Different?

One of the big differences among Netbook models is the storage medium, some have spinning platter hard disks, other come with solid-state disks (SSDs).

Frequently the Linux based Netbooks employ SSDs whereas the Windows XP models use a standard hard disk. The reasons for this include: Windows XP needs more storage space, SSDs are more expensive and Windows itself is more expensive than Linux.

Another difference among Netbooks is battery life/power, with low-end models having 3-cell batteries and higher-end models having 6 cells.

What's Next?

Despite being underpowered, Netbooks will be extremely popular because they will go where no computer has gone before. Their small size and low cost will open up new applications, that we can only guess at.

For years techies and the public focused on the cutting edge of personal computing. Netbooks are dull technology-wise, the equivalent of last year's model. But for many applications, they are good enough. Many things have been popular because they were cheaper than the competition and although not as good, were thought to be good enough.

How will Netbooks affect personal computing going forward?

For one, they'll introduce more people to Linux. Perhaps the inherent safety of Linux, shared with OS X, will popularize it with users sick and tired of fending off malicious software.

Netbooks will help and benefit from the transition away from plastic DVDs as a movie medium to electronic media. Likewise, they will help and be helped by the transition to SSDs and away from spinning platter hard disks. Same with cloud computing, no matter how you define it.

Netbooks may make the Kindle into a dinosaur. Why carry a small box that does one thing, when you can carry a small box that does many things? Why buy a dedicated Internet radio, when a Netbook can do that? Why buy a small DVD player if you can get a movie on a flash memory card? Why buy a high-end smart phone, when a Netbook can do all that on a larger screen? It's an exciting future for Netbooks.

For standard computing tasks, the small Netbook screen and keyboard will, no doubt, limit its audience. That said, you can always connect a Netbook to an external monitor, a real mouse and/or a real keyboard. And software tricks can be played to increase the font size when an external monitor is not available.