With Pepper Computer and Ubuntu both pushing their respective embedded OS efforts towards Intel’s Mobile Internet Device platform, it appears the market for ultra mobile PCs is taking a sharp turn towards Linux.

Pepper Linux, which runs on the slick Pepper Pad Internet browsing appliance, will be ported to Intel’s MID platform, with the software being available this fall to equipment makers. Ubuntu, already one of the most popular Linux distributions for desktop users, last month announced that its planning a version of its software aimed at Intel’s MID design. The corporate face of Ubuntu, Canonical, last week gave more details on its development efforts. It says Ubuntu Mobile and Embedded Edition could be released this October, with the release of Ubuntu 7.10.

Intel’s MID platform includes designs with thumbsized keyboards, seven-inch LCD screens, and chipsets that run between 600MHz to 800MHz. The platform is Intel’s own answer to Microsoft’s vaunted Origami reference design.

Ubuntu developers say they’re working on giving the Mobile Embedded Edition music and video-playing capabilities, full Web-browsing features, and other features for the “prosumer” demographic targeted by the Intel MID platform (people who want to work and play on the same wireless gadget). Pepper Computing says its software will include e-mail, IM, VoIP and other communications capabilities.

The trick is getting the Pepper Linux and Ubuntu slimmed down to a very small software image, and shaving the time it takes the system to boot up. (Under 500MB of flash memory, and 5-second boot times are the goal). Pepper Linux developers should have an easy time porting to Intel MID, since the software was originally built for these types of devices. The Ubuntu development community is extremely active and creative, so it will be interesting to see their slimmed-down Linux edition for Intel MID as well.