In its Monday report, The Wall Street Journal Monday has described Microsoft's netbook-tailored Windows 7 Starter Edition as a 'gamble,' saying that the company was trying to hook netbook customers to upgrade to the new version, sans Linux-based alternatives.

Apparently, Microsoft is trying hard for Windows to remain the netbook OS of preference, more so as it is involved in a tough competition with the recent netbook-favorite operating system - Linux.

The limiting factor of the new version is that it can only run three simultaneous applications, implying that users can only keep two applications open, along with an antivirus program; and its graphical interface is also less robust than the complete version of Windows 7.

According to critics, the noticeable limitations of Windows Starter can spell problems for Microsoft, that too at a time when the Windows Vista fiasco not so far back in the past!

Nonetheless, in the opinion of John Kistler, of St. Louis-based system builder J&B Technologies, with the kind of speed and performance boosts that Microsoft has woven into Windows 7, it might entice customers to upgrade. Kistler said: "I think people will accept the application limitation. Windows 7 looks like Vista, but it runs 10 times faster, and that's going to be a big deal for a lot of people."