With all the enthusiasm around the Eee PC, we have already seen some customized distros for the Eee PC, but Linpus has something even more interesting to offer, according to Linux Devices. Linpus has just introduced a new Linux distro called Linpus Linux Lite, which is designed specifically for Eee-like devices. So what makes it so special? Two things. First, it incorporates an interesting balance between full Linux distro and Eee-like interface. Second, it is aimed at companies wanting to join the UMPC market.

With the Eee’s default interface, you are limited to basic tasks with very little ability to customize. On the other hand, that limited interface is very good for the small screen and a full distro may be too complex for many tasks. Imagine you want to use your UMPC on the road in the basic interface and than come back to your desk and connect it to an external monitor and use a full Linux desktop. Right now you would have to reboot into a different OS, but with the Linpus Linux Lite distro, all you have to do is press a button and you can switch from an Eee-like interface into a full KDE 3.5 desktop. (See this picture.)

Perhaps the most interesting part of this distro is just that it is a pre-baked UMPC Linux. This potentially makes launching a new UMPC a lot easier. No matter how customizable Linux is, not having to make your own distro to use on your hardware is a big deal. With a pre-baked UMPC Linux like this, the Eee could be getting some competition soon.

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 14th, 2008 at 11:02 pm and is filed under Distros, Future of Linux, KDE. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.