OpenSolaris now available on Toshiba laptops

Toshiba customers in the UK can now choose an open source operating system when buying particular Toshiba business laptops.

The company has announced that Sun's OpenSolaris 2008.11 operating system is now available in the UK as a pre-install option on its Tecra M10 and Portg R600 models.

The deal is part of a joint partnership with Sun, and follows a similar move in the US.

Toshiba said that OpenSolaris is highly suited to developers as it enables them to debug and deploy applications faster.

"The OpenSolaris 2008.11 option will allow us to offer business professionals exactly what they demand - an even broader range of computing choices," said Ken Chan, senior UK product manager, in a statement.

The Tecra M10 is an Intel Centrino 2 platform based system and has been available in the market since mid-2008.

The Portg R600 is Toshiba's ultra-portable model featuring a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo and weighing in at just 970g.

The laptops with OpenSolaris 2008.11 are available from today from Toshiba UK's web site.

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.