The final numbers are in. During Installfest at this week’s LinuxWorld Expo, Untangle and its partners put Ubuntu Linux on 750 aging PCs that now run like new. The Installfest was a win for school budgets, kids and the environment. And the event proved — in a small way — that Linux can be a key tool that helps close the digital divide.

"Fifteen members of the Ithaca Free Software Association congregated for what they called “Installfest” Saturday in the Borg Warner community room in the Tompkins County Public Library."

Untangle is scheduled to host an Ubuntu Linux Installfest from Aug. 4 to 7 at LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco. This latest Installfest, coupled with recent moves by Canonical and Intel made The VAR Guy wonder: Can Ubuntu Linux close the digital divide?

IDG World Expo has teamed up with open source security gateway provider Untangle and electronics recycler Alameda County Computer Resource Center (ACCRC) to host an Installfest for Schools at LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in San Francisco next week. Volunteers will refurbish older discarded computers with free and open source software (FOSS) before they are donated to schools in need.

I recently attended a Linux Installfest and the primary distribution recommended by those heading up the event was Ubuntu. That's all well and good but during their Linux dog-and-pony-show a statement was made regarding Red Hat that struck me.

Ubuntu is an open-source operating system which aims for ease of use. The BBC's George Wright and Ubuntu Community Manager Jono Bacon offered to install the OS on a laptop for Ashley to take home and experiment with.

A room strewn with slightly worn, yet comfortable couches, donated computer equipment and a collage of CDs spelling out “UCLA” hanging on the back wall is a haven for the technologically savvy and the technologically inept alike.

"On March 1st, the Alameda County Computer Resource Center and Untangle are pairing up to run a massive installfest, pairing donated computer hardware with Ubuntu GNU/Linux..."

Sure, Microsoft expects Windows’ installed base to top 1 billion licenses by the end of this year. But in the shadow of Windows Vista, a rather remarkable trend — known as an InstallFest — continues to transform Linux from a fringe desktop option into a mainstream Windows alternative. Here’s the scoop.