Mumbai: IBM India (www.ibm.com/in) has launched its Linux desktop in India, the IBM NetVista A30 model, at a competitive price of Rs 39,900 (exclusive of taxes).

The NetVista A30 Linux desktop targeted at the small and midsize business (SMB) and small office/home office (SOHO) segment, will be launched in the non-metro cities in India like Lucknow, Patna, Raipur, Nagpur, Bhopal and Indore to name a few.

It is for the first time that a commercial desktop vendor has introduced an entry-level desktop that is certified on Linux. The NetVista A30 Linux desktop comes with a three-year hardware warranty and would be sold through IBM''s network of business partners across the country. Customers can also purchase them from the Internet from www.ibm.com/home/shop_ShopIBM.

Says IBM India vice-president (personal computing division) Alok Ohrie: "IBM''s focus on innovation has shaped the IT industry. Linux has evolved into an enterprise-class operating system that already has and will continue to have a significant and lasting presence on the IT landscape. Moving ahead on our belief of developing and deploying new technologies with real customer''s requirements in mind, the new IBM Linux desktop aims to support the business requirements of the SOHO and SME segments in these non-metro markets."

Today, Linux is widely used for Internet-related workloads such as web, emails and firewalls and has the performance and scalability to handle e-applications like database, e-commerce and enterprise resource management. The Redhat Linux 8.0 bundle with NetVista A30 will include the self-installing operating system CD and Microsoft Office packages like Open Office.org, Mozilla Web browser, Apache web server, Ximian Evolution, Project and GIMP. The application will address the basic computing needs for SOHO and SME segments.

Linux is also becoming a dominant platform for emerging technology, wireless devices, grids and pervasive computing. Analysts'' projections for Linux growth range from 28 to 35 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2001 to 2006 compared to other platforms that are expected to grow about 15 per cent during the same period.