Epson and HP getting into the Linux desktop market

Slash Gear reports that printer giant Epson will release a desktop and laptop that run the Linux operating system:

EPSON is looking to release both a desktop and laptop running the open-source OS. The Endeavor LX7800 desktop will feature processors ranging from Celeron to Core 2 Duos, (sorry, no AMD here) though little else is known about these.

Their Endeavor LX1000 laptop will sport a 15-inch XGA screen and an ATI Radeon Xpress 200M GPU. Little is known about either of these systems, though they will be BTO and running TurboLinux.

And sources tell Joe Panettieri of Seeking Alpha that HP wants to follow Dell in offering Ubuntu Linux-equipped systems, catching the wave that the fast-growing Linux distribution produced by Canonical has created in the marketplace:

Dell's initial success with Ubuntu apparently has caught Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) attention. Sources close to HP tell me the company hope to offer PCs with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed in a few months -- or perhaps even a few weeks.

Growing interest in Ubuntu Linux is easy to explain. After all, Ubuntu is simple to use and friendlier than Windows in some (but certainly not all) ways. For instance, Ubuntu boots up fast -- really fast -- and isn't bogged down with dozens of desktop icons or menu options that you'll never use. Nor does it require certain types of security software that can further slow down your PC's performance.

Panettieri also points out the potential pitfalls of pre-loaded Linux, and the short article, alon with the site from which it came, are well worth looking at.