Microsoft and Asus have launched a marketing campaign to encourage netbook users to use Windows rather than Linux.

The campaign has kicked off with a web page entitled “It’s better with Windows” showing adverts for Windows and suggesting it is a better choice for use with Asus’ range of netbooks.

Asus confirmed to vnunet.com that the campaign was legitimate, saying: “As a hardware vendor we have to provide both operating systems for our consumers.”

However, some will see the initiative as an attempt by Microsoft to protect its share of the growing netbook market.

Microsoft is also facing an increasing challenge from a traditional ally. Intel’s Moblin operating system for netbooks is developed around Linux, and the company recently released its beta of the latest version.