After a business trip to China, the ZaReason team is back in the US preparing to offer Ubuntu 9.04 on PCs and laptops the day Canonical's latest Linux distribution launches. But that's not all: ZaReason is preparing to expand its Ubuntu server lineup. Here are the early details, based on an email interview with ZaReason CTO Earl Malmrose.

By the time Ubuntu 10.04 LTS rolls around next April, Canonical is interested in seeing Ubuntu boot on an Intel Atom netbook (specifically the Dell Mini 9) in less than ten seconds. These incredibly fast boot time goals even led Canonical to decide against investing more time in enhancing the boot experience with Red Hat's Plymouth.

A course set up by a Junior High public school in Monza, Northern Italy, involves students who find difficult to focus on theoretical, talk-only lessons by teaching them how to build their own computer and install Ubuntu on it. A few participants went back to Windows after the course, but the majority liked Ubuntu so much to stick to it.

I seriously don’t understand why schools don’t do this. If your school needs a PC lab, buy a whole bunch of Pentium 3 computers (or even Pentium 2) and run Ubuntu. It comes with almost everything a school computer needs. Kids in public school won’t know how to modify the system in any way and its completely safe to use.

Each time Canonical ships a new Ubuntu release, I'm inclined to reach out to two specific PC companies: ZaReason and System76. Both companies focus intensely on Ubuntu netbooks, notebooks, PCs and servers. Here's a look at ZaReason's Ubuntu 10.04 strategy - according to CEO Cathy Malmrose and CTO Earl Malmrose

The city will be deploying 15,000 OLPCs to its school system. The OLPCs will be given to all first- through eighth-graders in the city's school system. Some of the computers are expected to be deployed as early as March, with the rest to follow by the beginning of the 2008-9 school year. The first of these small Linux laptops will be used in pilot programs as teachers get up to speed on these computers.

Back in 2007, Canonical launched Ubuntu Live - a one-time conference hosted in Portland, Ore. Since that time I've been looking for another Ubuntu-centric conference where I can meet key sources from across the Ubuntu ecosystem. Fast forward to September 2009, and I think there might finally be a conference that fulfills my Ubuntu educational needs.
It's called Atlanta Linux Fest.

ZaReason is preparing to expand its portfolio of Ubuntu systems - including a new server and netbook, according to CEO Cathy Malmrose. But that's not all. US-based ZaReason also continues its push deeper into the European computer market.
I traded email with Malmrose about Ubuntu 9.04 and ZaReason's ongoing business strategy. Here's a look at our exchange...

T@SCHOOL project offers exclusively free software based support for primary education in kerala.This time,Director of Public instruction has decided to conduct SSLC(secondary school leaving certificate-the basic requirement for higher studies in INDIA) IT practical examination for this year from 27th February to 7th March 2008. It is first time , conducting IT practical examination for complete students in the free software – IT@School GNU/Linux. IT@School project and Pareekshabhavan has entrusted to conduct the examination for more than 4.7 lakh students throughout the schools of Kerala, Lakshadeep and Gulf countries. IT@school admins are preparing to apply for guiness as they have the largest number of student attending an exam based on exclusive free software based softwares:)