HP is also selling Linux netbooks, such as its

And Stevens said that colleagues in the mainstream notebook team at HP are "actively evaluating" whether to install Linux on laptops.

HP also said it will install a safe Web browsing tool that works with the open-source browser on a wide variety of its business desktops.

In terms of Web security, HP is using application virtualization technology from Symantec Corp. to put copies of Mozilla Firefox in a separate virtual layer. That lets users browse the Web without fear that malware they might inadvertently download from the Internet will make permanent changes to the PC as a whole, according to HP.