Lenovo to preload Linux

Lenovo said Monday that it will preload Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 on ThinkPads.

In the announcement Lenovo said that the desktop flavor of SUSE will be loaded on the ThinkPad T Series, which targets business customers. These laptops should be available in the fourth quarter. Individual customers can also get Linux preloaded.

Under the agreement, Lenovo will provide support for the hardware and operating system. Novell will provide maintenance updates.

As Adrian Kingsley-Hughes notes Lenovo coupled with Dell could give desktop Linux some momentum. Dell went with Ubuntu. Adrian reckons that HP will follow suit soon. Ars Technica has more.

As for Novell and Lenovo both parties noted that the SUSE agreement is a long-term agreement and noted that they "have a history of joint research and development spanning more than five years."