$199 Linux device in Prodigy deal.

Upstart operating system Linux got one step closer to mainstream use--and competing with Windows in the consumer marketplace--in a deal between a small computer maker and online service Prodigy. Ebiz Enterprises and its Linux Store unit have released what they call the Pia, a $199 device that will be marketed through Internet service providers. Prodigy, one of the Internet_s oldest service providers, has already signed up to promote the Pia, which stands for Personal Internet Appliance. The online service sees Linux, a rebel open-source operating system, as a good way to power either cheap Internet appliances or servers at the center of high-speed home computer networks, Prodigy chief technology officer Bill Kirkner said today. "This provides a very effective, low-cost alternative," Kirkner said.