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HP's Ubuntu Netbook interface now available

Customized for its Mini 1000 Netbook, the open-source interface is now available to the public.

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Erica Ogg Former Staff writer, CNET News
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.
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HP Netbook Ubuntu interface
The HP MIE Ubuntu interface is intended to shield users from having to interact with Linux. Hewlett-Packard

There are a lot of Netbooks on the market that are more or less the same, save for some cosmetic details. One of the Netbooks that manages to stand out from the pack is the HP Mini 1000 MIE, which sports a custom interface that sits on top of the Ubuntu Linux operating system.

HP now plans to make that interface available to the public, according to Download Squad. Netbook prices can be cut way down when they don't have Windows installed, which is why HP offers a Linux option. The MIE interface is intended to shield users from having to interact with Linux, according to HP. It's a dashboard-like system that has buttons for music, photos, videos, IM, and Web search.

It looks like the MIE download will work with other HP Netbooks, but it's unclear whether that will also include non-HP Netbooks.