http://www.extremetech.com/computing/131176hardwarecomespreloadedwithlinuxmintNot about to let Microsoft and Windows 8 hog the tech news spotlight, the folks behind the debianbased Linux Mintoperating system have released official branded hardware that comepreloaded with the open source OS — and you can get your hands on ittoday.Built around CompuLab’s Fit PC3 hardware, the new mintBoxcomes in Standard and Pro flavors — each preinstalled with the latestopen source Mint operating system. Encased in a diecast metal case (thePro version adds fins to show off its speed potential), the mintBoxresembles what I imagine the offspring of my wireless router and laptopwould look like.Smaller than a DVD case (though not quite as thin), the mintBox PCs pack an AMD APU (1GHzGT40N or 1.65GHz GT56N), at least 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and more portsthan you can shake a USB cable at. Surrounding the proudlydisplayedLinux Mint logo on the front of the case are four USB 2.0 ports. On therear, the port explosion continues with S/PDIF, DisplayPort, HDMI,gigabit ethernet, four USB 2.0, slots, two USB 3.0 slots, a serial RS232port, power, and two WiFi antennas. A DVI adapter is also included withthe unit.It may be the size of my router, but it has more ports than my desktop!Otherneat features include the inclusion of two mini PCIe/mSATA slots, afanless design (the metal case acts as a passive heat sink for thehardware), Bluetooth and IR support (ironically the IR hardware does nothave Linux drivers but they are working on a new revision), VESAmounting points, and an easily accessible hard drive.What makesthis small form factor PC interesting is the preinstalled operatingsystem. CompuLabs and the Mint developers worked together to ensurecompatibility specifically with the mintBox’s hardware. Mint 13 Cinnamonwill come preinstalled on the mintBox, but the team has also crafted aspecial build of Linux Mint 12 with the MATE 1.2 UI and XBMC mediacenter software as an alterna tive. Further, they managed to enable theLinux operating system’s 3D and hardware accelerated interface elementswithout needing the proprietary (free but closed source) display driversfrom AMD.Should users choose to install the AMD drivers, theywill get access to smoother video playback and audio output over theHDMI connection. Both models are capable of 1080p video playback, butthe mintBox Pro is a bit faster. It manages 60 FPS in glxgears and 1000FPS in the Gallium renderer with the AMD drivers. the base model mintBoxhas the same glxgears performance but slower Gallium results at 800FPS.The mintBox PCs are ready to go out of the box, and the formfactor and hardware open the doors to interesting project possibilitiesand niche uses. Home uses include low power servers, family desktops(kids might take a bit longer to break this PC thanks to the metalcase), and as home theater PCs (HTPC). Further, organizations coulddeploy these in internet cafes, school labs, and libraries. Unfortunately,while the hardware and operating system is solid, it comes at a heftyprice. The base mintBox is $476 while the mintBox Pro runs $549 beforetaxes and shipping. That is going to push it out of reach for all butthe most hardcore Mint fans, especially considering the free Mint OS canbe installed on any old system.The developers received some flakfrom users (evidenced by comments around the internet) for the price ofthe Mint hardware, but it is merely an option to get Linux Mint withthe mintBox — users are still encouraged to download it and install iton whatever machine they want. Seeing Linux included in such a high endproduct is commendable, and I hope that it is a trend that continues.Linuxon the desktop has to start somewhere, and the Mint developers may aswell start at the top with a reallynicebutexpensive product. One thatwill hopefully spur demand and interest in lower cost platforms thatbundle the OS. In 2007, major PC OEM Dell began offering computerspre installed with the popular Ubuntu operating system. They neverreally caught on, however. The PCs were mainly budget rigs, and due tothe lower sales numbers than computers running Windows, Dell neverscaled the offerings upwards to higher end computers in its lineup.Linux Mint seems to be going with the opposite approach of starting outwith a high end product and (hopefully) working its way down into otherproducts as the bundled open source OS of choice.Dear mailinglist! Get Yourself a cool, short @in.com Email ID now!
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