Asus Releases Open Source Ubuntu Netbooks
Asus is reafirming its commitment to open source with the news that it will ship netbooks running Ubuntu
Ubuntu Linux Distributor Canonical has revealed that Ubuntu is now available preloaded on the new Asus Eee PC series.
Asus has been busy of late. It used the recent Computex IT conference in Taipei to unveil new devices including its hybrid Padfone, plus a slew of other new Asus products.
And now three Asus Eee PC models, 1001PXD, 1011PX and 1015PX, are available with Ubuntu 10.10 pre-installed. More models pre-loaded with the open source operating system will be made available later this year.
Cloud Option
Ubuntu 10.10 comes with a complete office suite that offers easy integration with traditional Microsoft Office products. Mozilla Firefox and Adobe Flash are also pre-installed.
“Many businesses are turning to Ubuntu as they look for a cost-effective, proven, and easy to use and manage operating system that can be delivered on business-quality laptops,” said Chris Kenyon, VP for OEM Services at Canonical. “We expect the slim form factor and great design of Eee PC, combined with the great performance delivered with Ubuntu, to produce a real performer in the marketplace.”
“Since its creation, the Asus Eee PC has provided, and continues to provide the best cloud computing experience to users, while Ubuntu is an open source OS renowned for its customisability and stability,” said Stanley Chang, product director at Asus. “To fulfil the various needs of a diverse market and user base, the strategic alliance with Ubuntu is absolutely a win-win cooperation.”
Despite all the positive noises from Asus executives, there had been concern that the company’s commitment to Linux was waning.
Open Commitment
When Asus first launched its original Eee PC 701 back in 2007, it ran Xandros Linux but, in the end, most users opted to run Windows XP amid reports of user problems and high returns on the Linux-running machines.
Indeed, this led one Microsoft executive, Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communications manager, to announce, on the Windows Experience Blog back in April 2009, that Windows ran on 96 percent of netbooks, although some disputed his claims.
Besides recently launching its Android-based Padfone which has been dubbed a “convergent device” that combines a smartphone and a tablet computer into one symbiotic gadget, Asus also remains publicly committed to Intel’s MeeGo operating system and Microsoft Windows.
