Asus to ship all motherboards with Linux

FIRST TIER Taiwanese motherboard vendor Asus confirmed Wednesday that it will extend inclusion of Splashtop Linux from just a few of its most expensive models to more products and eventually throughout its entire product range.

Express Gate, as Asus brands its version of Splashtop Linux, is stored in flash memory, so it loads virtually instantly each time the PC system is powered on.

First offered by Asus last October, Express Gate was initially available only on high-end motherboards such as the company's P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP model. It was also available on Asus M3 mainstream motherboards starting in January.

In a press release yesterday, DeviceVM -- the vendor of Splashtop -- announced that Asus has extended integration of the instant-on Linux operating system to its entire Asus P5Q family of motherboards, 12 models in all, including the P5Q Deluxe, P5Q-WS, P5Q3 Deluxe, and P5Q-E models.

"In response to great user feedback, our plan is to proliferate Express Gate across our entire motherboard product portfolio, starting with over one million motherboards per month," said Joe Hsieh, Asus general manager of its motherboard division.

He explained the appeal of Splashtop Linux's technology, saying "Consumers want to turn their PCs on and off like any other appliance, and Express Gate has made that possible."

Of course, one can also install and boot another operating system from disk after Splashtop Linux initialises, and most users will probably do that. But, if all you really need to do is check your email, do a little light web-surfing or chat online, Splashtop Linux enables you do that very quickly, within seconds after turning on your PC.

And, for many casual computer users who make use of web-based applications exclusively, Splashtop Linux might be all the operating system they ever need.

DeviceVM is obviously hoping Splashtop Linux also catches on with other PC vendors. In its announcement, the company said it plans to have numerous Splashtop-enabled motherboards, desktops, and laptops available in 2008.

Asus motherboards with Express Gate should be available this quarter. Asus will be showing off Splashtop in its booth at Computex in Old Taipei in June. µ

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