So which is better suited for netbooks? For the mass consumer audience, there's little doubt: Windows 7 is superior. Installing new software and updating existing software in Linux isn't for the faint-hearted, and most people won't be able to figure out how to do it. In addition, Windows 7 has eye candy and extra features that Linux lacks. Most people also won't want to tackle the learning curve they'll face when moving from Windows to Linux.
Beyond that, Microsoft will spend countless millions of marketing dollars pushing Windows 7, and you can bet a good portion of that will go toward promoting it on netbooks. Since no one company owns Linux, there won't be any marketing muscle for Linux.
With all that being said, a Linux-based netbook should cost less than a Windows 7-based one. The operating system costs will be less, and depending on the version of Linux installed, may be zero. In addition, Linux can work with lighter-weight hardware than Windows 7, and so the hardware costs can be less as well.
So Linux won't completely vanish on netbooks, but Linux netbooks will become a small niche, primarily for budget-conscious technically oriented users.
