It may still be a bit early for the ubiquitous end-of-year story looking back at 2012, but even now, it seems safe to say that the “Linux preloaded” trend will surely go down in history as a big part of what has characterized this year in desktop computing.

Think Linux is just a hobbyist's platform for manual installation by experts who already know it well? Think again. As the following examples show, vendors are increasingly selling it preloaded and ready to go as a compelling Windows 8 alternative.

1. System76 Sable Complete

Fans of Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular are no doubt already familiar with System76, and late last month the company released its Sable Complete all-in-one Ubuntu desktop starting at $749.

rest here