This week, the Linux Foundation has begun offering discounts on new hardware from Lenovo, Dell, and HP for individuals who have joined the group’s membership program.

For the price of $99 per year, membership provides a discount of up to 40% on Lenovo devices, and employee purchase prices on Dell and HP products. The new incentive is designed to help Linux users purchase new systems without being hit by the extra costs they often face for not choosing Windows.

Jim Zemlin, executive director at the Linux Foundation, said that Linux users are central to the Foundation’s mission of promoting the open source OS.

“Our individual members are the heartbeat of the Linux Foundation and we will continue to find ways to extend special benefits to them,” he said. “Perks like the employee purchase discounts from Dell, HP and Lenovo and lifetime Linux.com email addresses are unique things we can offer to sustain support for Linux.”

“These benefits can translate into hundreds or thousands of dollars for those who purchase their devices as part of this program,” the Foundation said in a prepared statement. No doubt the group hopes that the promise of a good deal will garner new support for the Linux operating system.

//STORY UPDATE 10/16/2009:

Some users were complaining that they were unable to find out the discount information from Lenovo sales reps. A call to the Linux Foundation’s PR firm resolved the problem quickly; the particular Lenovo sales rep in question had been giving out bad information.

The user was contacted by Linux Foundation and directed to a website with discount information, which was valid. The happy ending? He saved $100 on a Lenovo laptop. -ed.