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VIA-driven HP 2133 Mini-Note, a nifty-looking machine that clocks in at $499, completed a Linux. A little pricier than the ASUS Eee, but it looks like low-cost computing is one niche for Linux to derive wider market penetration, as it's reported in informationweek.com. It's been shaping up like that for a while, but this -- and promises of similar devices from the likes of Dell (Dell) - further clinches the case. Linux has gone from being "just a kernel" to a whole ecosphere for hardware, a way not just to make an inexpensive OS but a whole galaxy of things for less, and we're now finally seeing a lot more than just proof-of-concept work in that realm. This isn't to say that low-end computing is the niche for Linux. There are people from all walks of the computing life that use Linux successfully. It's just that the low-end / educational niche may be one of the best places for Linux to develop a case for adoption by the broad mass of computer users. If you spend $299 on a computer that gets as much done for you as someone else who spent $899, that's a strong argument.