Asus deploys Linux on motherboards

 

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 15 May 2008 at 14:10

Asus is gearing up to include the Splashtop Linux desktop on all its motherboards.

Splashtop, or Express Gate as Asus calls it, is stored in flash memory, allowing users to boot up their systems in a few seconds, granting them access to the internet and webmail without having to wait for a Windows or Linux operating system to load first.

Asus debuted the software on its high-end motherboard range in October, before extending it to its mainstream M3 boards in January. However, the company has now rolled Splashtop out to its entire P5Q family of motherboards, covering 12 models.

And the company doesn't intend on stopping there: "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," says Joe Hsieh, general manager of Asus' motherboard division. "Consumers want to turn their PCs on and off like any other appliance, and Express Gate has made that possible."

DeviceVM, the company behind Splashtop, says it is also working with other manufacturers to incorporate Splashtop into their designs. More intriguingly the company says it is working on getting the software into laptops by the end of 2008, where it could prove incredibly useful in extending battery life.

The rollout should prove another boost for Linux, which has begun to find traction following its roll out with the incredibly succesful Eee PC.