| Netbook version of Mandriva thinks small |
Sep. 19, 2008
 French software firm Mandriva has released a version of its Linux distribution designed for netbooks. Aimed at original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs), Mandriva Mini is a faster booting, smaller footprint version of the Mandriva desktop distribution, says Mandriva.
Based on Mandriva 2008, which was released last October, Mandriva Mini is designed to work on small format, low-cost netbooks, which typically have screens ranging from 7 to 10 inches. It is said to support key netbook platforms, such as products based on the Intel Atom. According to a recent report on netbooks by Market Intelligence Center (MIC), netbooks will achieve sales of 8.02 million units in 2008, and 18.3 million units in 2009.
No stranger to the netbook category, Mandriva was the first official distributor of Linux for Intel's Classmate PC, and it also provided a customized 2008 Spring release designed for the Asus Eee PC, says the company. (No screenshots were provided of Mandriva Mini, but it may appear somewhat similar to the Classmate version, as shown below.)
Intel Classmate PC version of Mandriva
Mandriva Mini is touted as offering the following features:- Fast boot
- Support for WiFi, 3G cellular data, and "widgets"
- Major multimedia codecs included
- Small footprint
- Efficient power management
- Optimized for flash memory management
- VGU (very graphical user) interface adapted for small screens
Mandriva says it will support Mandriva Mini by offering OEMs and ODMs services including:- Product certification
- Target optimization
- Distribution customization
- Distribution maintenance management
Stated Mandriva CEO François Bancilhon, "We are very proud to bring to the market a product which answers the needs of OEMs and ODMs and we are busy distributing it to clients and prospective clients."
Availability
Mandriva appears to be shipping to OEMs and ODMs now. More information on Mandriva's OEM/ODM services are said to be available here
-- Eric Brown
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