Recently, I’ve started to notice a proliferation of companies selling computers (laptops mostly) with Ubuntu preinstalled.

One of the most talked-about (and mature if the word can be used in this case) is System76 who has the dual resume of not only selling Ubuntu-powered laptops, but also selling laptops that are classy looking, and are “reasonable” configurations for the average non-gamer.

Their current Darter offering is a plenty-powerful setup in a very pretty package:

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Some of the specs include:

• 13.3” Screen
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
• Built-in 802.11g and Bluetooth
• 4-in-1 Card Reader
• Weight: 4.3 lbs

All in all, quite the impressive and capable package (as long as you aren’t planning to play Rainbow Six Vegas (which if you are, why are you looking at Ubuntu laptops!).

For the price they are able to offer, I’m tempted to consider buying one of their laptops, and I’m further motivated by the desire to promote Linux on the desktop.

I’ve personally been running Ubuntu on my Sager for quite some time now, and my only complaint is the next-to-terrible 3D acceleration support for Linux coming from ATI; it’s a wonder that the open-source drivers are able to compete as well as they are in terms of performance in Linux - especially considering they are effectively reverse-engineered.

I never used to be a proponent of Desktop Linux until I tried Ubuntu. I really think it’s one of the first offerings to actually get things right “enough” to make it usable for non-power-users. I have been using it exclusively on my laptop now for almost two years, and I have no desire to go back.

From my perspective, laptops play the ideal entry point for Linux. When considering Linux, one of the main deficits when compared to Windows is not in the reams of productivity software that always gets compared on site after site, nor is it the internet capabilities or the security, performance, or any other general workstation feature. It’s in the lack of true support for retail gaming.

Like it or not, the best games are still shipped for $49.99 or $59.99 to stores like Best Buy and Circuit City where they are consumed by the Windows-only masses. Because of that, it’s hard to convince anyone who enjoys a good non-casual PC game to install Linux on their desktop.

However, more and more people (like myself) have a desktop computer and a laptop, and the laptop rarely plays the role of the gaming system. I have moved to Ubuntu on my laptop because I program, read emails, write documents, craft spreadsheets, and browse the web from my laptop, but I play games from my desktop.

In the end, Windows has just become my gaming OS, and that, my fellow readers, does not bode well for me upgrading to Windows Vista.