I can see several off the bat atm (completely free; not even a “paid” edition, free cd’s, clear design vision)…

So, Ubuntu’s progress may not be “new” or “different.” But would you agree that Canonical has managed to rally partners enough so that Ubuntu could emerge as a mainstream consumer platform?
-jp

It’s sad to see bloggers talking about this stuff as if it’s all brand new and different. Well, maybe it is to those bloggers. But not to people who know better.

http://www.mandriva.com/enterprise/en/company/press/mandriva-and-precedent-technologies-work-together-to-offer-a-new-low-cost-desktop-t

Paris, 21st July 2008- Mandriva and Precedent Technologies (“PTech”), announce a new partnership, working together on the release in September in the United States of a new low-cost desktop, with Intel Atom CPUs and Mandriva Linux preinstalled on these machines.

Since signing their agreement, Mandriva, the leading European editor of Linux distributions, and Precedent Technologies, full service I.T solution provider, have been working together on a new low-cost PC called: TechSurfer.

Precedent Technologies (“PTech”) is a full service I.T solution provider, and offers customers a full spectrum of I.T Solutions. PTech manufactures Notebooks, PCs, Workstations and Servers. PTech is based out of Stockbridge, Georgia.

The agreement enables Mandriva and Precedent Technologies to form a strategic partnership to pursue Linux solutions to address new customers.

«Precedent Technologies has anxiously awaited an opportunity to enter the low-cost PC marketplace. We were hesitant to make this move because we wanted to ensure each system we produce provides value and performance, as well as quality. The existing offerings in the system builder channel were not adequate for our standards. We did not want to produce a product that came with less than our standard 3-year warranty. Now, we have finally put the right mix together to deliver a high quality, low-cost PC for web-centric computer users. This doesn’t only mark the launch of our first low-cost Pc. But this is also our leap into the open-source operating system community. The Mandriva product is extremely well constructed and will give our users a great computer experience. The team at Mandriva is excellent and very hands-on. We are so excited to work with them. Our existing relationship with Intel Corporation has always been wonderful. With the release of the Intel Atom processor, we are confident that we can deliver a product that is the best of many worlds: performance, low cost, and quality,» declared Patrick F. Carley, CEO Precedent Technologies (“PTech”).

PTech’s new solution is called the TechSurfer. TechSurfer is a web-centric computing platform that is designed for customers who mostly surf the web; download music; and utilize VOIP services, such as Skype. The TechSurfer platform is also suitable for very light desktop productivity applications. TechSurfer is powered by the Intel Atom processor. The Atom Processor was designed especially for web-centric computers. TechSurfer starts at $399.99 with the Mandriva linux OS. Customers can add an additional $100 for Windows XP or Vista.

«Mandriva’s partnership with a growing OEM like Precedent Techologies is a demonstration of the end-user appeal for the Mandriva Linux operating system. It demonstrates Mandriva’s continual drive to become a global Linux desktop. This agreement will not only create more value for customers, but it also puts Mandriva’s featured operating system on the latest Intel Atom machines in North America and also validates Mandriva’s strategic investment in the low cost PC, that will be a growing market for Mandriva,» concluded Gaurav Parakh,Vice President, OEM Business Unit, at Mandriva.