Hewlett-Packard's decision to sell desktop PCs with Linux installed on them in Australia is <A HREF="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137227-pg,1/article.html">giving hope to Linux advocates at the Encompass HP user group</A> that a similar system may be on its way in the U.S.

In August, HP announced a Linux desktop for small and midsize companies Down Under. The HP Compaq dx2250 system comes preloaded with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Desktop and can be equipped with several processors from Advanced Micro Devices, including its Athlon dual-core chip. The Linux-based system starts at $600 Australian (about $505 U.S.) at the current exchange rate.