Linux Tomorrow

Linpus Technologies has long been known in Taiwan for its Linux distributions. Now, it wants to become a player in the global Linux market with its new Linux distribution Linpus Linux Lite, which features a dual-mode user interface. One mode is for people who may never have used a computer before; the other is for experienced Linux users.

According to the company, these two modes are Easy and Normal. Easy mode uses large, colorful icons, arranging software in terms of its use. So, for example, instead of offering users a choice of Web browser and e-mail programs, there's an icon for the Internet. Under this icon, there are other icons for Firefox, as well as links that use Firefox to automatically connect to Google Maps, Wikipedia and YouTube. If users want a more traditional PC interface, they merely need to tap an icon on the master tool bar and they'll switch to Normal mode, which is a KDE 3.5x desktop.

This functional approach to the desktop is quite similar to that of Good OS' gOS 2.0. With gOS, which is deployed on Everex's inexpensive gPC, both Internet and office applications are built around Google's online software stack. Linpus offers a middle-of-the-road approach with an easy-to-use, functional desktop interface, but with the more usual PC-based applications underneath it.

Linux Lite is also designed to run on minimal hardware. Linpus claims the product will run well on PCs with 366MHz processors, 128MB of DRAM (dynamic RAM) and 512MB of disk space. At the same time, Linux Lite comes with an assortment of open-source software staples, such as OpenOffice.org.

"Our objective with this product was to create an operating system that offered choice and addressed specifically the ease-of-use needs of end users of UMPC [Ultra-Mobile PC] devices," Warren Coles, Linpus' sales and marketing manager, said in a statement. "If you are using a small screen, if you are a child, older person or inexperienced user, you will find the icon interface particularly helpful."

While Linpus would be happy to see end users pick up Linux Lite, the company is really targeting hardware vendors. "Our company has always been committed to creating user-friendly, mass-market Linux," Coles said. "Because of this, we have invested our time into not just being another desktop distribution, but in resolving all the issues involved in getting desktop Linux to market.

"Specifically, we provide unprecedented levels of support for hardware vendors —- and we recently pioneered our own preload solution and have worked extremely hard to create stable sleep and suspend modes for notebooks," he said.

"By having operating system, application and driver teams working side by side, in close proximity to the hardware manufacturers, we offer tremendous quality, value and time-to-market strengths," Coles added. "Ultimately, both the consumer and Linux enthusiasts benefit from a smooth, stable, out-of-the-box Linux operating system at the best price."

Reading between the lines, Linpus is encouraging would-be North American resellers and systems integrators to work with Linpus and Taiwanese PC vendors to deliver inexpensive, small laptops to the American market. Asustek has already shown this approach can be successful, with its popular Eee Linux desktop and laptop PCs.