OK not exactly.  What they have announced, according to what I have read so far, is that the are putting out a Linux Desktop that will run Ubuntu and a Lotus grouping of software.  The hope is that people will skip the costly upgrade to Windows 7 and make the switch to Linux.  This is what I got from the article written on InternetNews.com and ComputerWorld.  The Computer World article is much more detailed and actually talks about pricing. 

This is IBM’s attempt to push Linux to the desktop.  The offerings I see listed might work in some larger companies but could be quit costly for smaller ones.  This push follows on with many other IBM attempts to do nearly everything they offer on Linux.

As someone who supports many IBM products on a daily basis I have to say let’s wait and see.  Let’s hope that IBM has taken the last year of work with Ubuntu to make it as bulletproof as the Linux community knows it can be.  Let’s hope that the first time someone using this new system calls for support they don’t get the response my team get’s so often when we call with issues.   IBM Support Person: “Can you try that on Windows and let us know if the problem happens there?”

Can IBM make desktop Linux happen?  Let us know what you think in the comments below.