Lenovo to sell laptops with Novell's Linux

BOSTON: Lenovo Group Ltd, the No. 3 personal computer maker, said  it would introduce a broad line of Linux laptops, the strongest endorsement to date of the open-source software by a major PC maker.

The Linux operating system, which competes with Microsoft Corp's market-dominating Windows, has been one of the fastest-growing types of software used on servers and other types of powerful business computers over the past decade.

But until this year, the world's top PC makers have held back on embracing Linux. Windows still sits on more than 90 percent of PCs in the world.

Lenovo said it would offer a wide selection of low- to high-end machines be loaded with Linux software from Novell Inc.

The company has projected Linux PCs could account for 5 percent of its laptop shipments within a few years, said Raj Aggarwal, product manager for Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops.

He said demand for Linux PCs has been on the rise this year, particularly in the education sector, government and emerging markets.

Lenovo's announcement comes three months after the world's second-largest PC maker, Dell Inc, started mass marketing three PC models loaded with the Ubuntu version of Linux, allowing customers to choose it over Windows.

Dell introduced the Linux PCs after Chief Executive Michael Dell asked customers to post suggestions for new products on the company's Web site. Linux PCs were the most-requested item

So far, Dell and Lenovo are the biggest PC makers to embrace Linux. Market leader Hewlett-Packard Co does not mass produce machines with the software.

"We're waiting for the Linux desktop market to take off," said Laura DiDio, a PC industry analyst with Yankee Group.