Hewlett-Packard announced plans to <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2161717,00.asp?kc=EWKNLEDP72407D">acquire Linux thin client specialist Neoware,</A> in a deal valued at $214 million. HP said the deal will boost its thin client Linux software, and help the company compete in the emergent market for virtualized client computing systems.

Neoware is the third-largest thin client vendor, after Wyse and HP. Of the three, it alone is "committed to the Linux operating system," it said in February of this year, when it last revised its NeoLinux OS.