OStatic

The Linux Foundation's executive director, Jim Zemlin, pondered the idea that next year Linux may ship on more desktops than Windows or Mac. He cites a New York Times article on PC manufacturers reducing boot times with utilities such as SplashTop.

Even if the Linux shipments don't outpace Windows, Linux is being used increasingly on consumer machines. Zemlin says that though this isn't what was envisioned as the Linux desktop, it is a positive sign.

As noted over at JKOnTheRun Lenovo has joined forces with the DeviceVM folks behind SplashTop to produce a netbook computer with instant-on web capabilities. We've written about SplashTop before, and laptops from Asus using the Linux-based SplashTop operating system. Incorporating applications such as Firefox and Skype, SplashTop lets you instantly get web access via a browser, and run applications such as Skype without having to wait for your system to boot. Here's more on where this trend is headed.