The market for pre-installed Linux laptops is relatively small. As a consequence, there are very few companies who are providing such a pre-installation service. Since this is such a small market, initial response to a company's offerings may also be discouraging larger competitors from entering the market.

This is an answer that was difficult to pin down. We started small, and without major corporate funding, and have been forced to live within our means, rather than spend and over-spend as the newsroom saga of many dot-coms played out. Our staff is composed of individuals all of whom have a variety of skills, both technical and office-related, that can be pooled to make the business run smoothly. We provide quality technical support for our customers' Linux difficulties; if we don't immediately know the answer to a new problem, we will work at it until we find it. We're willing to branch out beyond our known product line at a customer's request, providing Linux distributions other than our favorites, and access to systems other than those we already carry. We also, thus far, have avoided outstripping the relatively small Linux laptop market. Likewise, since the hardware requirements of Linux laptops change nearly every time a new laptop model comes out (generally, at least twice a year for a given system line), it is very difficult to keep the installation process up to date and running smoothly through each change.

EmperorLinux specializes in the installation and configuration of the Linux operating system on laptops and notebooks. EmperorLinux has been in business since 1999, and we are focused completely on our core portable Linux offerings.

Our goal is to provide an out-of-the-box experience with Linux laptops comparable to that found with commercial operating systems. We start with laptops produced by tier one manufacturers like IBM, Lenovo, Dell, Sharp, Sony, and Panasonic. Beginning with the Linux distribution of the customer's choice, EmperorLinux adds packages, configuration files, and a custom-compiled kernel to produce the most stable, most fully-featured Linux support for our laptops. Our configuration brings Linux support to all the laptops' features.

EmperorLinux backs up that installation and configuration with one year of Linux technical support by phone and email. We walk our customers through problems like wireless set-up and software installation. We provide kernel updates as they become available to enhance the features of their systems. The laptops' hardware is protected by the original equipment manufacturer's warranty.

EmperorLinux is committed to providing the best possible Linux support on all of the systems we sell. We are also committed to giving back to the Linux community. Our ability to test distributions and kernels on a wide variety of laptops allows us to generate valuable feedback as new kernels and packages are released. Many of our past and present employees have been enthusiastic open source developers. We're willing to talk Linux and laptops with anyone.

EmperorLinux is where the laptop you want, the distribution you love, and our dedicated support converge into an out-of-the-box portable Linux experience.

The short answer is, "No, EmperorLinux is not a Linux distribution." We are a value added reseller of top tier laptop computers with Linux pre-installed and pre-configured.

EmperorLinux provides service and support to the Linux laptop community, pre-installing the major Linux distributions (such as Fedora, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Debian, SuSE, Slackware, and Mandrake) on laptop and notebook computers produced by major manufacturers (such as Dell, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony, and Sharp).

We do collect software packages above and beyond the base installations of these distributions and recompile the kernel in order to make all the hardware on cutting-edge laptops and notebooks work under Linux. However, we have not collected these changes into our own "EmperorLinux Distribution." Because of the highly changeable nature of cutting-edge portable computers, this simply isn't feasible. We also believe that you should be able to get a supported laptop with the Linux distribution you are familiar with.

The primary thing that we do is ensure that every piece of hardware on the system you purchase that is capable of running under Linux does so when you pull your machine out of the box. We provide expert technical support for the problems which Linux users encounter. We are also willing to take into consideration special orders of machines not usually found in our product line, if there is a system that you feel is "must have."

EmperorLinux buys laptop and notebook computer hardware from major manufacturers such as Dell, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Sony, and Sharp. When we receive that hardware, we install one of the major Linux distributions on the system, such as Fedora, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Debian, SuSE, Mandrake, or Slackware (if desired, as a dual-boot system with Windows, as well). Then we install the necessary software to ensure that all the hardware on the system which is capable of working under Linux does, including USB, ACPI, PCMCIA, sound, X windows, etc. When you receive your EmperorLinux laptop, we want you to have a true out-of-the-box experience. We provide one year of e-mail and toll free technical support. The manufacturer provides the hardware (and, if required, Windows) support as per their warranty.

"The home of three pound Linux" was the company tagline that we used when we opened in 1999; "three pound Linux" refers to the fact that EmperorLinux provides Linux pre-installed on portable laptop and notebook computers. These machines, in the case of our product line, range from two to nine pounds in physical weight. So, technically, "three pound Linux" currently refers to the EmperorLinux Kiwi, Koala, and Raven systems, which weigh in at about three pounds.

But first, a little about our name, EmperorLinux. We got our name simply by combining what we do (Linux) with the fact that Tux is a penguin and the coolest penguins are Emperors.

When you put Linux on a laptop or notebook and pre-configure it to take full advantage of the available hardware, you fundamentally change the computer. So they need new names, to distinguish them from their plebeian MS Windows look-alikes.

The Kiwi is a small bird with a very small name. What better name for the smallest full-function Linux computer yet?

The BlackPerl was our very first model. We were impressed with its exceptional good looks, and the fact that it packed so much into something so small. The magnesium case has a luster not unlike a natural black pearl. And, of course, lots of Linux people use the Perl programming language.

The Toucan. I don't know why it's a Toucan; why is a rose called a rose? If Shakespeare doesn't have the answer, how can a bunch of geeks like us?

The Gazelle is a beautiful and very elegant creature, which makes its life in Africa by running faster than all the predators.

Some more names in our fun-Linux-laptop-name bin:

• For small systems: Newt, Nautilus, ...
• For medium systems: Kingfisher, Porpoise, Narwhal, Chameleon, ...
• For big systems: Ibex, Bison, Osprey, Orca, ...
• For ruggedized systems: Armadillo, Hedgehog, Rhino, ...

So, if you have a cool and fun name for a portable Linux box, send it to us. If we use your name, (no, not your name) we'll send you a free ... well ... something ... I guess ...

Our customers come from all walks of life, from private individuals to corporations and universities. In the university and government research world, our most common customers are physicists, mathematicians, geo-scientists, medical imaging researchers, and astronomers. In the corporate world, we most often see security / intrusion analysts, Java developers, web site and database developers, and people working on the development and testing of training simulations. Private individuals order our systems to do everything from research and school work to coding to gaming. Others may be long time Linux users happy to find current laptops running the OS of their choice, or they may simply want a tool on which to learn Linux. The uses to which our Linux laptops can be applied are limited only by your imagination.