Garage Deemed Historic

The site of HP’s founding — the famed HP Garage and house — has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the US National Park Service.

Recognized as the birthplace of Silicon Valley, the garage was the building in which Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard set up shop in 1938. Hewlett-Packard Company was founded in 1939, and one year later the company outgrew the site. Today, HP is one of the largest IT companies in the world.

Located at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, California, the HP Garage was designated a California Registered Landmark, “Birthplace of Silicon Valley,” by the state in 1987. In 2005, the company completed a restoration of the site to help preserve its legacy.

“The HP Garage has become a symbol of what can rise from humble beginnings with hard work and determination,” said Gary Elliott, VP, Brand Management and Design, HP.

More information about the history, preservation and rehabilitation of the HP Garage is available at www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/garage/.

Dell Looks Outside Vista

In a move to satisfy consumers and put more reasonably-priced computers into the global market, Dell has decided to offer a free software suite and a very friendly distribution of Linux — Ubuntu. The taglines for Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com) are “It just works” and “Linux for human beings.”

A trial of the operating system by Michael Dell, apparently won the company over. There is no word yet on which computers will be loaded with Ubuntu but both desktop and notebook hardware has been proposed. Dell will offer the Ubuntu loaded machines at a lower price than Windows machines with the same specifications.

And, in response to “overwhelming demand,” Dell has brought back Windows XP as an option on small business computers. The vendor said that businesses needed more time to transition to Vista. Plus in response to a proposal on its IdeaStorm site, where users post their suggestions and vote on the best ones, Dell is also bringing back XP for several consumer desktop and notebook PCs.

“We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings,” Dell said on its website. Four consumer laptops (Dell Inspiron 1405, 1705, 1505, and 1501) and two desktops (Dell Dimension E520 and E521) will once again offer XP as an option.

Virtual Classroom for Moms

School is in session on Disney Family.com (www.family.com) for busy mothers wanting to make the most of technology in their everyday lives. Presented by Sony Electronics, the Disney Family Learning Center is a virtual classroom featuring self-paced courses created specifically for parents on topics ranging from digital photography and digital scrapbooking, to nontech topics important to moms such as achieving work-life balance and entrepreneurship.

The courses, designed by Sony Electronics and developed with guidance from online education provider Powered Inc., can be accessed by going to Disney Family.com’s “Education” section or by visiting http://learningcenter.family.go.com/.

“More moms increasingly rely on the Internet for a wide variety of information as it relates to their families,” said Emily Smith, VP in charge of Disney Family.com for The Walt Disney Internet Group. “The Disney Family Learning Center provides moms with an easy and convenient way to find practical uses for technology in their daily lives.”

The recently launched beta version of Disney Family blends content, search and community elements to provide parents with an easy-to-use, one-stop “best of the Web” resource of family-relevant information.

As part of the site’s “Education” section, the learning center makes available short tutorials on parenting-related lifestyle topics that highlight technology. Courses featured on the site include “Hands-On Digital Scrapbooking” and “Converting Videotapes to DVD,” among others. More courses will be added to the learning center in the coming months.

Sony Electronics will also sponsor technology and lifestyle-related editorial content for parents on the site. Initial articles are on such topics as “Capturing School Events on Video,” “Contact Management for the Busy Mom or Dad,” and “Traveling Light with Kids and Technology.”