Yesterday I received a Fulong Miniature Computer from China. This device
is produced by Lemote and is based on the Loongson chip, a MIPS-like CPU
developed in China and previously known as the Godson. The Fulong mini-PC
has a Loongson 2E CPU running at 666 Mhz, 256 MB RAM and a 2.5" 40 GB hard
drive. There are the usual I/O ports, such as USB, PS/2, Ethernet, audio,
VGA and TV out. The Fulong mini-PC ships with a customized version of
Debian.
I'm really excited about the Loongson because it promises to make MIPS available on the desktop. In fact, the folks at Lemote already have a laptop based on the same motherboard used in the Fulong mini-PC. Lemote is also trying to establish a community around the Loongson. They have given 400 devices to partners and 600 to Loongson fans and developers in China. It seems that the community is quite active, but it's hard to tell because I don't read Chinese.
For now, I have taken some pictures of the Fulong, but in the coming months I look forward to integrating Loongson support into Debian.