HP Netbooks Sport Their Own Linux Interface
HP is now entering the second round of the Netbook match. As advertized, Atom instead of VIA, slimmer, more affordable and most importantly, available with Linux.
Hardware giant Hewlett-Packard has now confirmed rumors that it is venturing into a Linux solution of its own. We're not talking about a complete Linux distribution, but rather a graphical interface built on top of Ubuntu.
HP's so-called Mediastyle interface (not at all unlike Apple's TV interface) is meant to hide Linux from its users. It offers quick access to music, IM, photos, videos and, naturally, email and the Web. The Linux model adds MIE to its name, meaning Mobile Internet Experience. HP is thereby trying to shy as much as possible from the "Linux" name. Hence the statement from Carlos Montalvo, VP of marketing for the Personal Systems Group at HP, in an article in news.cnet that "It's important we made sure that Linux does not manifest itself to the user."
Pictures of the Mediastyle interface have started to appear on the Web and Laptopmag.com has released a video. Looks pretty good.
The first HP Mini 1000s should start appearing in December and the Linux MIEs around January. Prices should start below $400, with the MIE at about $379.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.