Asus Board with Embedded Linux for Fast Web Access
Asus recently released the P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n, a mainboard for Intel CPUs that includes embedded Linux for Web access and Skype telephony and is capable of booting in a matter of seconds.
Under the hood, the Express Gate function for fast booting of an embedded Linux system is a proprietary Splashtop system by virtualization technology specialists Startup Device VM. Asus is one of Device VM's sponsors. Splashtop will be officially released in October; the splashtop.com site currently has a "Coming Soon" note.
Asus Express Gate
The Express Gate function gives users the ability to access the Web and use Skype without booting Windows or Linux.
According to Asus, users can boot Splashtop by pressing a keyboard shortcut as an alternative to the installed operating system. A modified Firefox browser and a Skype client give users access to the Web and VoIP. Device VM promises that the system will boot in just 5 seconds. Splashtop can be updated by downloading image files. Bookmarks and settings will be persistent.
Asus Splashtop
A drop-down menu gives users the ability to launch programs and access system controls.
The board with its Intel X38 chipset supports Intel Core2 Quad, Core Extreme, Core 2 Duo and Pentium Extreme CPUs. The RRP according to Asus is 309 euros for the P5E3 Deluxe Wifi-ap@N model. The 802.11n WLAN specification promises transfer rates of up to 300Mbps.
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
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.