It's only a stopgap measure, everyone knows. It's a temporary reprieve for XP. Just the same, netbooks are allowing XP, the operating system Microsoft tore from its loyal public last year, to make a comeback.

Last year I tried to get a new computer but was so badly abused by Vista I took it back and reformatted my old computer so I could avoid the demanding operating system.

Although PC sales have slowed drastically in the last three quarters, sales of the netbook PC have done just the opposite since the middle of 2008. These miniature notebooks -- which don't have the same capabilities as normal notebooks -- have shot up in sales and continue to ramp up at an impressive rate.

PC makers Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) and Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ) entered the new netbook computer category in 2008, hoping to capitalize on any new growth area in the industry. The PC market has not really come to a standstill, but laptops continue to outshine desktop PCs and even at that, overall sales have slowed. These net netbooks, which are really tiny laptops with small screens and minimal power, are meant for just that -- mostly net usage (internet, that is) -- and not much else.

But it's Taiwanese PC maker Acer that has stolen the show as of late. Taiwanese company Asus made the netbook category popular quite some time ago with the Eee PC, but it has been Acer that has been the most aggressive on pricing and marketing its netbook products. For example, you'll find Acer's netbook offerings at national retailers for $249 and up -- quite the discount from even the lowest-end laptop PC.

Netbook global sales in the third quarter of 2008 hit 5.61 million units, an increase of 160% from the second quarter. Acer was at the top of the list with a 38.3% market share of all those units. With a 2008 sales level of 14 million units (over 2007's one million sold), the market for netbooks is still relatively small, but the growth is explosive. The question is this: how much margin are manufacturers gaining on these small-priced PCs? In the latest quarter, HP was in third place and Dell was in fifth place, but Acer and Asus are completely stealing the show. If the netbook trend follows in 2009, Acer -- the king of low retailer PC prices -- should stay on top until this fad is over.

Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ), the world's largest computer maker, has released its smallest laptop PC ever. The new Mini-Note from HP weighs in at just over two pounds, but can run Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows Vista or a freely-available Linux operating system. That distinction is important since HP is making the Mini-Note available in a slew of configurations -- from $500 or so to over $1,200.

HP apparently sees a bright future in the miniature notebook, and will be competing with the Taiwanese computer maker Asus, which released the tiny Eee PC last fall. Although small notebooks, known as ultra-portables, have been around for years, this new Mini-Note is even smaller. Striking a balance between a smartphone and a full laptop, it will be interesting if the popularity of Asus's miniature PC offering will carry over into HP's new product, which is being offered in many flavors. That alone will make the Mini-Note more competitive.

HP's Mini-Note will have one defining characteristic -- a nearly full-size keyboard. Stuffing in a keyboard that's 92% the size of a normal keyboard laptop is no small feat of course, but the screen resolution and weight are nothing to sneeze at either. HP says that "We think the U.S. market will be extremely interested in this," which is probably true for early gadget adopters, students (due to price) and road warriors where weight rules. Could this type of product become a mainstream laptop seller? HP will give it the best shot it can.