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Michael Robertson Interview about Lindows
unclegus writes "I ran across this article talking about Michael Roberston and Lindows. Says a "Sneak Preview" will be available in a few weeks. Release 1.0 will be $100 for single user ..." Dan Gillmor, the author of it, has said that it appears to be the real thing - I'll be interested in getting my hands on it.
"More choice is always better than less."
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
it's impressive that a company (other than microsoft) can come to market with an operating system for this cost. It would seem like the product would be more expensive when you had to support it.
I get paid to write ASP pages.. there is no changing that to PHP, JSP or any other non-M$ platform. With that said, if I could run Interdev under Linux, then I would never have need for Windows again. If Lindows can do that for me, then I'll give it a shot.
With all of the current "interoperability" software available (wine etc.), I'm not convinced someone can throw together something THIS good in the time frame they seem to have done it in, but I will keep an eye on it.
Mmmm. Seems to me it would be easier to write new versions of these "10 Major programs" for linux rather than reverse engineer every Windows API. It will probably end up flaky as hell.
That's if this whole thing isn't vapor..
i hate pansy republicans
$100? What would he have to distrubute free under the GNU? At that price he won't see many windows users switching over, as XP lame edition costs about that.
Is this (serious question) a GPL violation? If Apple can't make BASH the MacOS X command line shell (apparently they asked, RMS said no, that would be a violation), how can Lindows make Linux the kernel?
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Why in gods name would someone buy this at $100 a crack ????? It isnt gooing to be ANYWHERE (Windows isnt stable you say, Ok , whatever but for running Windows apps youre going to tell me a hacked emulator is)near as stable for windows apps as windows, and the Linux stuff is going to get dragged down by bloating everything to the moon for compatibilty ???
Hell now that courts have ruled its legal to resell throw a copy of Win98 under VMWare, at least there I can run all kinds of fun stuff.
At $100 a crack I cold buy a copy of whatever windows version I wanted, you mean to tell me I should buy this monstrosity because BillG isnt getting my money ?
This seems to me (I am a 30% Windows user 70% Linux user) te be the single stupidest approach for either system.
Sig went tro...aahemmm.....fishing........
From the info in the article, it seems that they are either erverse-engineering the Windows APIs, or mimicking the functionality with their own code. This is a time-consuming task.
Also, they said they are focusing on only 10 or so applications. They list Work, Excel, etc. But what about future revisions of these programs? I wonder if Ms would purposefully change them to break under Lindows, which Lindows would have to change to accomodate.
So will this become a perpetual 'chasing' game, trying to catch up to Microsoft?
Moderation: Put your hand inside the puppet head!
He ran several Microsoft Office applications on his IBM ThinkPad, though some functions of those programs still aren't working properly under Lindows. They'll come in time, he says.
So, instead of paying $100 for a Windows upgrade that crashes occasionally, but runs everything, we can pay $100 for an OS that crashes occasionally and can't run everything.
This
what is the replacements to those 10 amps I tried staroffice and it wasn't cabibly of the amount of data I need to push around. Yet I want an application that I will be able to use it on a stable desktop. I Use Litestep and it is free to download and program For.
look my sig changes!!! nrrt mf oci jdabi.o!!! z..a ir kot gh-ntbk{{{
I know I can't speak for anyone else here, but for me the attraction of using Linux is not having to worry AT ALL about licenseing issues. If I have to worry about how many licenses is have I might as well use windows, then the windows apps I might be using will work (as well as they can).
I mean, it is cool to put it together and all, but why would you pay 100 dollars for it? Isn't the complaint of most linux users that:
a) Windows is unstable. Period.
B) That pricing is enormously high.
Just wanted to state the obvious.
Honestly this is a fine achievement if it does what it says. But for $100? To run on slow machines so that companies don't have to upgrade their hardware?
/etc/printcap entry w/printtool is not helping (even w/the drivers from the HP sourceforge page).
.02
Come on.
Unless it supports things like USB for devices Linux doesn't already support, etc. I really don't see this being a viable competitor.
My main beef w/Linux at this point is that I can't sync my Casiopeia via USB cradle (I have to use the serial keyboard "cradle") which is slow and painful.
My god damn parallel printer (HP 960c) is not very well supported and making a
If Lindows will solve those problems for me I would be less weary... For $100 though? I will suffer w/my serial cradle and using WP8 (which works w/the printer just fine).
Just my worthless
There are two screenshots of Lindows in use here:
h ot s.php
http://www.lindows.com/lindows_products_screens
It looks impressive to me (so far).
The current WWN is convering the progress for some new testing tools for Wine..
But what if Lindows.com already HAD those tools? They could have fixed those regressions already, and boom, you have a 'more complete' Wine.
I don't think LindowsOS running Win32 apps is all that impossible. All the parts are already there, they're just not all working at the same time.
"I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)
Home users are unlikely to - most of them stick with the windows that came preinstalled & M$'s oem pricing is sufficiently good that i cant see system manufacturers changing. Not to mention all those clauses that stop them shipping non-ms OS's. After all lindows is unlikely to run games or edutainment software well.
The business community are unlikely to - why would a sysadmin decide to put his neck on the line switching 5000 systems to lindows. When one critical application doesn't work as it's meant to, it all come crashing down around him. Most sysadmins will just stick to windows even if it does cost more.
The geek community are unlikely to. For the past five years i've kept a linux machine and a windows machine and will soon be readding a mac to that collection. Bluntly windows rocks for games and multimedia - whilst i'd love to do these on linux the support just isn't there. I'll keep my linux pure and gpl'd thank you very much.
The education community might. Although schools tend to avoid anything that they dont know since they dont tend to have a dedicated sys admin to set things up (and in the uk most schools pay sooo far over the odds for computers that the price difference wouldn't care).
Universities and Colleges might jump, since art students will be able to stick with word and it of course gives tech students unix as well. However most uni's at least have some linux workstations, or windows machines with exceed and big linux servers.
Quite honestly i dont see the market for it. Although if they go bust i really hope they open their code to wine.
Ultimately microsofts approach to this problem will be obvious:
Windows costs $W
Lindows costs $L
Office costs $O
Simply create a new bundle which includes Windows and Office at a price less than $O+$L.
I always love this metaphore. And how true that describes the situation of Microsoft's customers. You keep on putting in more efforts, keep on running, but you are going nowhere.
I think this is a great idea, but the execution is flawed. I can pay less for VMWare or Win4Lin and get access to all the applications that Lindows allows, plus some that it won't. I also don't care for the fact that not only will the final product cost $100.00, but the 'preview' will as well, at least according to their website.
for $100, I could get MS windows and run it natively.
for FREE, I could download mandrake linux and run windows apps through wine or VMware.
What does lindows have to offer that the above don't? NOTHING.
'When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.' -HST
Is [creating a Linux kernel module] a GPL violation?
No. Linus has allowed binary-only modules into the kernel provided they communicate with the kernel using well-defined APIs. For instance, the vmware package includes a binary-only kernel module.
If Apple can't make BASH the MacOS X command line shell (apparently they asked, RMS said no, that would be a violation)
I don't see how it would be a violation under the "mere aggregation" clause of the GPL.
Will I retire or break 10K?
There may still be a Linux market for Lindows' extensions to WINE or whatever they're building on, though. There are certainly worse ways to burn VC.
Ever heard of Wine??? Let's see, free or $100? Btw, aren't Lindows/Wine incompatible with the whole GNU/Linux movement?!?!?!?!?
Microshit Windows 2002 Pro XP Ultra Gold, for a mainstream OS that might work for six months.
The biggest trick the devil pulled was letting lawyers become politicians so they can write the laws.
Has anyone tried the new release of Petros? Does it work?
The price is way too for something that will run only a handfull of Windows software.
On top of that I'm sure Microsoft will find another reason to sue Lindows. Even better they might change future updates in a way that Lindows won't be able to emulate.
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
So what is the big benefit of using Lindows? (Assuming it is not vaporware.)
- Not having to dual-boot?
- Price?
- Just to screw over Micro$oft?
You can get Windows cheap at several places. At the previous link Windows 2000 and Windows XP (both full version, OEM) are under $150.
As much as you may hate Windows, chances are good that Windows-based software is going to run better on Windows than Lindows. Why spend $100 on Lindows when you can get the real deal for a few bucks more?
The thing that always worried me the most about widespread linux, is hackers. With windows (safe for XP) script kiddies can DoS a machine, but they cant r00t it. Linux has some security issues, and the common user wont be upgrading and patching every time a security issue is found. Running Office applications on Linux doesn't make a user a Linux user. Imagine a world where a script kiddie can ssh to thousands of home users boxes. DDoS has suddenly a new meaning.
I know I'm going to be modded down to oblivion, but here goes nothin'...
Everything I've heard up until now has convinced me that Lindows is for sure a modified version of Wine, with some eye candy added and all this backed up by a team of PR goons.Also, not releasing the source speaks for itself...
Up until now, Lindows seemed like a good candidate for SatireWire's vaporware list, but they might have something to show after all.
Also, the price is unbelievable! Who would pay to run buggy microsoft software on an (almost certainly)buggy emulator? I'd rather buy a windows license:)
The bottom line is: instead of trying to emulate windows, try to help developing native linux applications. Like Staroffice and Gimp for starters.
> The business community are unlikely to - why would
> a sysadmin decide to put his neck on the line
> switching 5000 systems to lindows. When one
> critical application doesn't work as it's meant
> to, it all come crashing down around him. Most
> sysadmins will just stick to windows even if it
> does cost more.
I doubt that a sysadmin would switch of his own volition (unless it was a small shop), but often these kinds of decisions are made by management. They do care about the cost of software, and if Lindows.com can market it well, they might go for it.
I agree that it will be a tough sell, though. Let's hope that the Wine project can get a lot of good code out of it...
Even if it is not flakey now, It will be easy Microsoft to change upcoming versions of Office software to make sure it will be flakey on the newer versions. This seems like a good jabbing point for MS to quash this quickley. Hopefully there are alot of people that are only dependent on Windows for a single application that needs not be upgraded.
Im not here now... Im out KILLING pepperoni
Robertson is also back in court. This time Microsoft has launched the lawyers, claiming that the name ``Lindows'' might be confused with Windows and thereby violate Microsoft's trademark.
Robertson has one word for the claim: ``absurd.''
There are thousands of computer-related products with ``Windows'' in their names, he says. Yet Microsoft has left those products unmolested.
Come on, Lindows, Windows. They are obviously trying to use the Windows name to generate intrest (and the lawsuit as well). While I don't think MS can make him change it, I do think there's not much point in denying that the name is purposly similar.
And 1000s of applications with the name "windows"??? I can't think of any, help me out??
TRoy
If Microsoft wants to get the maker of "Lindows" for infringing on the WINDOWS® trademark, the maker of "Lindows" can change the name to the Spanish word "Lindos" (meaning "pretty ones") which carries connotations of both Windows and DOS.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Might make it easier to explain to the manager that it cost $100 a copy , then why its free. Managers are seem to be scared of free things.
Cruise TT
Hummmmm.
1. Only screen shots I've seen are it running windows apps.
2. Appeared out of noware.
Perhaps Microsoft is mudding the waters with a modified win kernel made to look like Linux that runs windows apps well and linux apps poorly.
The lawsuite with the name is to throw everybody off the trail.
It may be easier to rewrite "10 Major programs." However, what happens when 10 becomes 11, which becomes 20, and onward? Why not run EVERY (or most) Windows programs and support all future ones instead of doing just a few rewrites? It makes much more sense in the long run. I think Lindows sounds like a good idea.
"I either want less corruption, or more chance
to participate in it." -- Ashleigh Brilliant
For those curious, you can sign up to get the sneak preview. I'm curious enough to at least see the sneak preview before I bash away like the rest of you. I'd rather be an informed basher rather than a newbie/fanboy/hax0r kind of basher that we see so much on /. :)
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
This OS, despite the near magical quality of Windows and Linux applications on one system, looks to be a nitch OS even if it succeeds. Here's why.
In the article itself, the opinion is voiced that there are about 10 major applications that Windows users use. OK, granted. Unfortunately, what we are discussing here is an OS switch, and it's not that simple.
Linux users are quite accustomed to the notion of things like using 8 different IRC clients as the situation warrants. Windows users, on the other hand, quickly grow accustom to even the tiniest quirk of their default system. AOL can't change anything, even on their website, without causing some of their users to be unhappy about the difference.
The point is, if Lindows runs Office and a few other major apps well, that's enough for some businesses. But for home users, EVERYTHING must work as they expect from previous experience, or they won't even consider switching. If their bizarre little propritary note keeper doesn't work, no dice. They ain't movin.
Linux users, who you might think logically would be more interested, will be put off by the commercial nature of the project and are far more likely to wait for/help the wine project. Also, VMware and WinforLin allow people to run Windows programs. There's already compeition out there.
So the only conceivable mass market for this system is business. Great. Unfortunately, we all know how keen the vast majority of the business world is on switching to something different and untried. Especially if it involves retraining. Linux applications won't intice them much - there are other ways to get those, using cygwin, vnc, remote Xwindows connections, etc. Lindows does most of this, let's say. It does it a little better than the above solutions. But will it do ENOUGH better to justify businesses upgrading? Unlikely.
Don't get me wrong - I hope it succeeds. It's just going to have a heck of a time doing so.
"I object to doing things that computers can do." -- Olin Shivers, lispers.org
I noticed on the lindows web site that its not just $100 to buy a preview copy...It also costs $99 to join their 'Insider' club....
From their site:
* A $99 fee for a one year membership in the Lindows.com Insiders program and your commitment to take time to share your feedback about our plans, our products and our future direction.
* Agree to a non-disclosure agreement, keeping the program itself and those things you learn as a Lindows.com Insider confidential, just as any Lindows.com employee would.
So basically they want you to pay to be a bug finder plus pay for the product....nice deal...for them....
Sign up to see the sneak preview before you bash. Personally, I'm quite curious to see what it can do.
AirSpeak - http://itunes.com/apps/AirSpeak
But here's my question... Is it going to be GPLed? I always thought that if you 'changed' Linux, you were obliged to GPL it. Here they come out, selling it for $100 for a single-user system? Granted, some people will probably buy this and love it. But, IMHO, a lot of Linux's success has been that you can get it free, in both terms of the word. Lindows might suck; it might rock. But I don't want to pay my $100 and hate it, so I'd spend a while talkign to other users, or maybe *cough* try someone else's copy *cough*. With Linux, you download it, or (legally) use someone else's disk, and if you don't like it, you delete it. If you end up liking Linux, you can put it on other computers too.
I think a lot of Linux's success has been due to it's license. Yeah, IMHO, Linux is incredibly stable and secure, but if people are too apprehensive to use it, none of that's going to matter to them. So, to sum up my ramblings... I think that, while $100 alone isn't all that bad (RedHat Pro is right around there, isn't it? It's GPL, but to buy the disk set and manuals and stuff...), the fact that it's "single user" is a bad move for them, in terms of attracting users. (Granted, being mentioned on Slashdot frequently may not hurt...)
________________________________________________
suwain_2
I have some serious concerns about Lindows for
several reasons:
- Wine is licensed under a BSD (X11) license -
they are not obligated to share any of their code
or contribute any of their valuable work back to
the community.
- They have an "Insider" program - for $99 you
have to sign an NDA to be able to get help, does
this smell like Microsoft?
- They don't care about releasing any details
about the product, so we'll likely get lots of
people on newgroups begging for help and not
being able to get it because of proprietary code.
What this is really about is what MS basicly points out in taking Lindows to court over the name.
Take the ten applications mentioned and given enough time the GNU/linux/GPL side of the spectrum will come up with compairable products.
All Lindows really does is help the consumer who is stuck on windows to move over to linux. The the fear of moving from a product they paid for having such and such supposed support, to linux which is not the same "paid for and supported by the manufacture" type of system.....Lindows can only help.
Anyone here who wants to argue against that (knowing full well that wine also exist to base a market test against - regarding whatever success lindows has) is exposing themselves as being a potential MS cronie
(And the MS cronie tag game is on!! Only rule, when you find an MS cronie posting distortions here - point them out as being such! - Maybe slashdot could use a forth option on the pill [friend, neutral, foe] - a blue one for MS cronie tagging.)
(slightly OT)My HP960 works great in linux using the HP drivers and CUPS.
$100 for single-user mode is kinda spendy, I
wonder if init 6 costs extra? Hope not, if
it's as ustable as windows. I'm assuming run-level
3 is also available?</joke>
I went to their website and trolled around. I couldn't find any references to what OTHER applications they run. (Besides Office)
Can anyone provides links with more info?
(i.e. Does it run Half-Life?)
Look at the screenshots. It is obvious that Lindows is Wine. In the article it mentions that you can either run it alongside Windows 9x or replace Windows with Lindows. It however is supposed to maintain your settings. It uses WINE with the Windows DLLs to increase compatibility. My guess is that the "Windows Compatibility Module" is nothing more than something to bring the Windows DLLs over to Lindows. Also if you use Microsoft DLLs you might still need a Windows OS License. I really have my doubts to these being a real product. Can you install it on a machine without Windows already installed?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
While $100 isn't much money, seriously, I still would like to try before I buy, hopefully there will be such an option. It should not take more than a week or so to get the feel of the system after all.
But. Considering that I more or less feel I must purchase another system, because dual-booting is ridicolous when trying to get something done, and I don't feel I have an option of choosing either system, $100 is a bargain. I won't get under $3-400 in parts I lack to put up the minimum system I need to run two, and that is if I use my old 14" monitor or get some kind of switch.
To be perfectly clear, I can't do without Windows, and I don't want to do without Linux (I don't actually need Linux, but it sure makes life easier to test certain stuff, and it is lots and lots more fun).
If it is any good, I would definetely try and get a copy at work too, because it would make my life a lot easier there too. Being able to use the corporate-specific applications (yeah, you know the ones) and a few of my own specials alongside with running in a *nix environment would certainly brighten up my day. The applications I use in Windows are few, but extremely necessary, some according to me, and some according to guys that don't know shit, but does pay me cash. Heh.
And yes, I do love open-source, it has saved the day for me countless times, but I also believe in making money, so I understand the guy. Just possibly, this could add to the flora of open-source programs out there, as more people would possibly be able to write stuff on a *nix environment. I don't feel that whether the OS costs money is that important. Consider it a part of your computer, much like memory chips or the motherboard. It is a natural part of the system, and some prefer Intel, while some prefer AMD or Motorola. What you run on it is more important in my opinion (and in this imperfect world I might add).
Anyone know what the upgrades will cost if you buy this first version?
I can't play Diablo II on it :(
Apparently there is no Direct X support for Lindows. What a bummer. I guess one of my machines will have to remain a Windoze box.
GeneralKael -- Slacker Extraordinaire
I beleave it was determined in a court of law that generic words like that can not be "owned".
Like file manager, windows, folder.
This was years ago, and I really don't remember to much of it.
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive
There is no doubt that Lindows will show up on the budding Linux warez market. As more users migrate to Linux and discover that WINE is still alpha-level software, they will want a program that runs all their Windows appz, for free.
Many Linux warez groups already offer appz such as Mandrake Gaming Edition, WineX, all of Loki's games, Corel WordPerfect, and all major distros. There is no doubt that as soon as Lindows is released, it'll be uploaded to all Linux warez sites in the next 24 hours and be massively pirated.
So, why pay $100 for yet another Windows emulation attempt? The FSF^WLinux warez community needs your support.
Ok, let me get this straight. If I want to help Lindows become a success, all I have to do is give them $99.00 and sign a NDA stating that my input cannot be shared with my peers. Yeah that is GPL material ;)
michael robertson is out to prove he was lucky with mp3.com, not smart.
at least he chose an opportunity where his uncanny ability to lather up the media with a carefully chosen though not always accurate/truthful soundbyte will be a help.
seems more than a little ironic for him to be selling free software when he used to be the champion for unlimited, free redistribution of someone else's IP at his last startup.
Justice will be when he can't make a profit because everyone is pirating his software..
"I'll keep my linux pure and gpl'd thank you very much."
:)
Isn't this an oxymoron?
You mean those bastards are warezing Debian?!
The enemies of Democracy are
I know a guy in my neighborhood who's a really good Windows/MFC programmer. He used to own his own company, Axiom Technologies, maybe you've heard of it. He sold it to some big firm somewhere so he could move his family to San Diego. That's right, he's moving his family to go work on Lindows. Somehow I doubt that this guy would be spending all his spare time learning Linux as well as he knows Windows, and moving to San Diego, to partner with a guy who has no product.
;p.
Now all I need to do is see if I can get a job with them
A solution to the problem with music today
Will it be a full Linux Distribution like Red Hat or Debian with the added feature of running MS apps? Or will it be a stripped down version of Linux that run MS apps?
Are they only concentrating on running MS apps on it or are they working on making a good Linux distribution in the same time? I doubt it.
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.
I agree. I posted the article for the info, not to complain about the $100 cost. I think that they should do an approach that many companies have used, even a company I use to work for oh so many years ago, Mead Data Central (now called Lexis-Nexis i believe). They have a legal/news research tool that they gave to law schools for free. This way when the lawyers graduate and get a job, guess what tool they might want to use? And is wasn't free anymore.
They could do the same or a similar thing here. Charge joe internet guy a couple of bucks or give it away. If the product is great, then people like you will want to start using it at work. Ever read the book called "The Tipping Point"? Same thing could happen here, it could start a mass movement! That would be great. I would be all for it. Let's face it, if Lindows only works or is used by the hard core techie at home, what good is that for the greater cause?
Let me give you the Linux newbie opinion:
I have tried several versions of Linux at home but in the end I always delete it, because of problems installing the OS or the apps. I just don't have time to learn a new OS. I use Solaris at work so I have a little bit of Unix experience and I have always wanted to use Linux on the desktop at home. SO far Lindows sounds like a good "newbie" Linux for those who want to try Linux, but need a simpler install, or more familiar GUI, or simply don't want to give up their beloved AOL Instant Messenger. A lot of people have heard of Linux, and most have heard that it's better than Windows(although they may not know why). It's these folks who might try the new OS on their desktops.
you still have to pay for Windows to run in VMWare.
you are paying for Windows, aren't you?
Oh, look, here comes the BSA. *duck*
Assuming they are using Wine (which it would be stupid not to... ), then that would be the second closed-source fork of wine (that we know of). While neither bothers me individually, it occurs to me that there are going to be features of both proprietary forks that would benefit the other... But since those changes won't get merged back into main wine, that potential benefit is lost.
You know... I like the GPL for a reason...
The enemies of Democracy are
The main part of Lindows is exactly like WINE; simply a program that uses system calls. The only changes they have to release are changes to the Linux kernel, and not even those if they use binary-only modules to extend their version of the Linux kernel.
Okay, I have to say that I'm quite impressed what Lindows.com has done (if it's true), but i wonder if the Linux Community wants/needs this? Or is here anybody using MS-Office frequently? Maybe those great programmers should have concentrated on writing good import filters for MS-Office documents for KOffice/OpenOffice/Abiword and a good and stable GUI for easy configuration (I know Yast2 and Mandrake are doing this quite well, but the Linux-Newbie wants something Windows-A-Like and stable).
X
Boycot? Blackout? Subscriptions?
I don't care!
Everything is "up and coming" on Linux and has been since its inception. You people are consistently at least 5 years beyond the feature curve and 10 years behind the technological curve.
Those who haven't been around for awhile, Sun owns that one :)
Someone here recently made a similar comment about tab completion in Suse 7.3. Looking through the bash man page, I found that adding 'complete -d cd' to your
One day I really should read up on what bash can do, and how to do it.
CAUTION: Product may be hot after heating
I've emailed them and the damn brits wont make a linux version. I like it much better than freakin vim/emacs
Who carez that Microsoft is the company you're depending on when writing ASP pages. You're depending on Sun while writing Java. That's not a problem at all. I build n-tier webapplications for a living and some layers are ASP code, others are VB/C++ code, others are T-SQL code. All microsoft. Because my customers think the same I don't have to preach to them to tell them the stuff works. The same with linux developers who work for linux-minded customers.
It's however sad to see still people think by writing ASP pages you seem to have an above average risk to catch all kinds of silly virusses: server/internet development isn't easy sometimes and you need knowledge to write and setup solid systems. That's true on all platforms.
I only use interdev for the intellisense in asp code (no other editor has that, otherwise I'd have switched already).
Never underestimate the relief of true separation of Religion and State.
Not content to run half assed UNIX software poorly, Lunatix are currently salivating at the prospect of running Windows apps poorly on Lunix.
.. the next version of Office won't run on it.
Get off my virtual lawn, you damned virtual kids!
Is Lindows going to honor the GPL of programs they are obviously going to borrow from the *nix community?
Will Lindows make their source code available?
-AlPhAbEt
Almost forgot about that long gone goodie. Actually there's a VMS box around here still using it. Where'd that thing run off to.....
I hate to say it. I think competition would be GREAT on the desktop, but this won't fly.
Why? I'm a network admin and I wouldn't switch for ~$50/machine. What happens when one of our apps doesn't work? What happens when the VP of whatever gets a new widget and there is no driver? Now I'm supporting a couple of operating systems.
Also, what happens when an app is flakey. You think the vendor will support me when I'm running Lindows? Good luck! It sounds good in theory, but I just don't see it. One thing people need to realize is that the cost of software is very small compared to support and other things. Saving ~$50/machine is not a big deal. Sure, you may save a lot if you buy 10K machines at a time, but if you do you can get some good deals from other vendors as well.
I think the OpenSource community will have much better luck with a *GOOD* Office type application, not so much on the operating systems. That's where the real money is spent. Since the OS comes on the system the price of that is usually overlooked, and low enough not to matter when a $100 competitor comes out. Give me a good supported Office app for $100 and I'll switch from my $350/user app.
Check out ReactOS.
They are working on a GPL Windows emulator. It can already run some console-mode apps.
...You are over-qualified and under-paid. If we give you a raise, we will break the cosmic balance of the universe.
I think That's still used as the VMS desktop of choice for Compaq.
I don't understand what I get for $100. A hack (Lindows) written on top of another hack (Linux)to try to (poorly) emulate the status quo? I don't think so.
If you want Office Apps on a Unix system, get OS X. Not only is the GUI better, but the underlying OS is better. But I'll probably never even bother with that; I'll just keep using Windows 2k, and keep using SecureCRT to ssh into one of the fifty FreeBSD/Solaris boxes I run.
This MIGHT have value IF it was free.
This Linux revolution is really taking off.
Now we'll be able to run Win apps on the Linux kernel. Windows everywhere!
Isn't it Microsoft's job to put "Windows everywhere" ? ? ?
Hey Lindows, how many Microsoft moles are working there?
I know I'll get wasted for this, but it has to be said that windows, in its current form, is not in the least bit unstable. I use Linux and XP every day and they are both as stable as each other, i.e. very.
Say what you like about MS, and yeah 3.1, 95, 98 and ME were a crock of shit, but 2000 and XP are rock solid. Sorry.
Invoicing, Time Tracking, Reporting
I heard Lindows is at least partially based on WINE.
Is Lindows just a WINE repackinging, and if not, what new code does it add that WINE does not have?
There's 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
My machine doesn't run Linus yet: So will there be a version for us poor windows users to test out? Dough....
Artificial intelligence is the study of how to make real computers act like the ones in the movies.
His whole point was: I'll switch to Lindows if it can run (My Favorite App)
Not: InterDev + ASP RULEZ!!!
This is a great point, especially for Win32 developers. If you can't run your Win32 development tools on Lindows, what can you run?
Lastly, I don't understand this IDE hate. What's wrong with using productive tools like integrated debuggers, color coding, code templates, etc. Are these extra features a major cause of sezuires? He finds them very useful, as do I. Why should he or anyone have to REVERT to notepad?
I can understand another editor like CodeWarrior, Emacs, etc., etc. but NOTEPAD???
Maybe we should all revert to assembler... no...no... HEX!!!
"Communism is like having one [local] phone company " - Lenny Bruce
It seems that there is alot of negativity being shown towards this distribution. I'm not passing judgement on it, until it is 'released'. However, I too am skeptical. I think, that should the exact same thing be done, and it was all open source, done by a well known, or maybe not so well known group, there would be huge hurrahs and it would be claimed to be (yet another) ultimate windows killer. Shit, people were going all nuts about how cool Mandrake Gaming edition was.
For the average user, if there is a choice to upgrade to the newest Windows or buy Lindows, both for around $100, I'm sorry, but they are going to choose M$. $100 is too steep for what they are trying to achieve, IMHO. I think Lindows is a great idea and shows potential, but for the price tag, I doubt home users will go for it.
The OEM licence for Windows is around $100, and last time I checked, Linux is still free.
May be I am stupid, if so I would like someone to tell me why Lindows, linux that can run SOME Windows Apps and all of the linux apps is better than my Windows XP + Mandrake setup? Last time I checked Windows XP can run all the Windows programs (except some weirdo ones) and all of the linux programs all at the same price?
I think Linux movment should now look at how to improve and refine the UI. That's the biggest turn off.
kawai
I strongly believe that Linux should stop trying to be Windows in place of Windows. Lindows may do more harm than good in the long term, because no one will write those much needed office apps for the native platform.
Come on people. All that is missing is a printing/font layer, a standard UI, a word processor, a spreadsheet app, a presentation application, a web browser and an e-mail client.
Start coding!!!
Will Lindows have a Hardware Compatibility List at least comparable to Linux's and Windows'? I am so unimpressed by MS's lack of support for certain hardware in Windows 2000--why should I risk more of my hardware getting left in the cold by a new OS?
The whole Lindows concept sounds like a Good Thing(TM) to me. I really hate having to dual boot all the time. Really, this is what I have wanted since I was first introduced to Linux. The only reason the netadmin at my old high school wouldn't use linux is because it wouldn't run a few rather exotic (and expensive) programs that were strictly Win32.
.NET API. This is supposedly the next greatest thing for MS. And, if I understand the .NET strategy, MS can break compatibility by releasing "update patches". How does the Lindows CEO plan to get around this?
There is a lot of Windows software that I have, because I actually enjoy using the software. Who cares that it runs on a Microsoft. I do, but only because I'd rather have the same exact software running on top of Linux.
However, Lindows won't be able to leech off Microsoft's market share very much if it doesn't support the
The worst case scenario is that MS will build a security layer for thier API's, so that the API's can only be accessed after MS authentication. Just imagine doing
#include stdio.h ($license_id, $checksum)
and you can only compile the source if the authentication returns true.
What could possibly hurt the security of the American people more than giving our own government the ability to hide its
Isn't Michael Robertson the same tool that founded MP3.com because he realized that MP3 was a popular search term on search engines? I guess he's picked up on the next buzzword and tried to build a business out of it.
I have a website. It's about Macs.
I really doubt that; do you have any references? More likely, Apple picked tcsh because of the BSD heritage.
The company responsible for this can be found here: http://leafrd2.cjb.net/ Click the LDE(X) at the top of the page to go to that section.
I find this program to hold vast potential, plus it's a ton of fun to set up and I find my productivity increases a lot when I use this shell. The sad part is that due to less and less interest and demand the company is finding it difficult to support further development. If any one is interested, download away, install, and get on the yahoo message forum and yack away. The support is excellent and the guys at Leaf really care and try to help!
Use the Z-modem protocol between Information Superhighway routers to compress the plaintext. ~LordOfYourPants
Come on, if this runs on Linux, it shouldn't be too hard to pull off the deb or rpm that runs their wine variant and run it on your RH or Debian box.
Unless they much with the filesystem or have some CheckForOSX-type script which in case will just require a few symbolic links.
I won't doubt it. . .afterall MS started that very young with the creed, "MSDOS 2.0 is not complete until Lotus 1-2-3 is broken". . .and DOS 2.0 broke 1-2-3, but people did not switch to thier product, "MultiPlan". . . .
.I don't doubt that they'll do the same to hold their office status.
.if the scope hadn't been narrowed I think the Justice Department could have dug up some nasty stuff from long ago that would have amused us all. . .afterall the only positive thing the anti-trust case seems to have done is kill popular opionion of MS and more of that wouldn't have hurt. Lord knows that nothing has happened legally yet. . .
Years later MS owns every desktop app debunking biggies such as Lotus and WordPerfect. .
I think it's too bad that Judge Jackson limited the number of witnesses in the MS case. .
Heh, I love watching the criminal monopoly try to convince people that free and cheap is worse than paying their premium price for shoddy product. We just saw a remote root crack from winXP. And it ain't stable for multimedia, either.
It is obvious to tech people why Lindows would be handy. And for others that know they hate M$, but like using Word and Outlook, Lindows will be a fun alternative. So let's look at why it is good for places with non-technical users.
Most non-tech industry people at work run:
Word
Exel
Outlook
IE
solitaire
and maybe some custom apps that will be a dream to port to WINE.
Now I ask you sysadmins, how much would you pay to never again have to spend days installing the latest M$ patch for the latest M$ bug/worm/crack across your network? (remember, even with net update, you still must monitor the upgrade and communicate with your users about what is happening.)
But wait, there is more!
You would also be able to remotely log into your user's systems and fix/diagnose problems using the cutting edge ssh or telnet technology.
but before you say how much you would pay, look what else you get:
A system you can trust not to send data about your business back to Redmond! Also a client firewall that doesn't have backdoors M$/NSA/FBI can use on a whim!
and if you order by phone in the next 10 minutes, Lindows will run on hardware you purchased three years ago!!!
I bet you would pay a lot more than $100 a system!
Lindows could be very popular, but it looks like M$ will use its power to crush it.
The more likely case is that within two years linux will be playing catch-up with Win2k for stability...but in any case Linux vendors will have to come up with something better than stability to sell their distros.
how about Windex? (UF reference)
Remember, there were no nuclear weapons before women were allowed to vote.
... I can tell this is going to be like Windows already. -sigh-
Like, will it run the RDP Terminal Server that pisses over X, VNC and seemingly everything else available for remote access in terms of speed, without the bizarre and restrictive licensing scheme.
I'd like to run Linux apps over RDP, but there doesn't seem to be an RDP server available for Linux.
I gots ta ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long
"More choice is always better than less."
That's true, and that makes sense. However, consider Microsoft making another version of Windows. Sure, now we have another Windows we can use.... but there are factors other than the availability of a new product or piece of software that affect the amount of "choice" we really have. Microsoft affects user's choice by brute force. It's not just Microsoft though... it's a common practice in the software industry. So who's to say whether this Lindows company will provide us more "choice"? In the end, they are. Also consider that Microsoft can easily break Lindows compatibility with later versions of Office and what not. They have the upper hand in that battle (bar the U.S. government's hand in the matter). I'm not saying this will not be a good thing.... just stating some thoughts, and I welcome your thoughts/counterthoughts.
Please help! I'm stuck inside my virtual reality headset!
These people seem to be thinking inside the box that says "the only way to REALLY make money in software is to sell licenses." WRONG. Software is a service! Until people get that straight, nobody's going to make much money on free software. You can't make a half-hearted attempt and expect it to fly. It's free software or die. GPL everything. Control nothing but your services. And the beauty of the model is that it fits perfectly with the OSS development community. Contributed code allows everyone to provide customers with better service.
My question is who's gonna buy Lindows. OSS meets all of mine and my organization's needs. We don't need to run expensive MS Office apps or Lotus Notes. And for those who mistakenly think they need such pricey commercial software, why would they spend another $100 to use it in emulation?
Available at http://www.lindows.com/lindows_michaelsminutes.ph
"A few of you have asked how you can get more involved and so we have launched our Insider program. It's a way for those with the inclination to get more information and insights into our company and to give us their assistance as we forge ahead. We don't imagine this program is for everyone - just those who care passionately about what we're doing and want to give us all the assistance they can to help us succeed."
Sounds a little like Shared Source. Yet also BSD alike. Yet still most like Shared Source.
"We still plan on selling the first version of LindowsOS when we release version 1.0 in the early part of 2002. It will be a modern, affordable and feature rich operating system. With your patience and support we can do it."
Feature rich? ohh please my two uttermost reasons for escaping Windows is
MS Business Practises
Quantity not Quality
I don't want all the stuff they just want me to have.
I'm both sceptic and positive. I see a rather large amount of business users who could be prime purchasers.
That's why M$ never changes anything, right? Sorry, but that does not hold water. I'm sitting here at a new w2k machine. There are dozens of UI changes from NT and 98. Many of the changes are on heavily used items, like find which used to be under tools and is now under a right click. So why is it that people like you never apply the same criticisms to OS from M$?
It's funny how shifing convienence is more difficult to use than a constant CLI tool. Let me tell you how frustrating it is to not be able to pull up a command prompt and get the same find tool I've been using for the last four years under Linux.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
These Lintel guys are opportunists who are not interested in improving Linux or giving back to the community that wrote 99.99% of what they're about to sell. I can't say I wish them well. I only hope for a "deathbed conversion" in which, upon going bankrupt, they release their code. But I wouldn't count on it... as long as MS is willing to offer them $500 for it, we can be almost certain that we'll never see a line of it.
I am thinking a bit possitive about this for 1 reason. Michael Robertson did some neat things with mp3.com (before the bullies got to him) I think the idea of being able to purchase a CD online -- and then listen to all mp3's of that CD instantlly was a brilliant idea. So I will give him some credit. What is funny -- is that 1 1/2 years ago -- many of us NON-Windows users would have given some random left extremity in order to be able to run the latest version of IE on Linux. Now -- with a lot of money, blood, sweat and tears from the likes of Mozilla, Opera, Konq. -- et. all. Having IE on Linux now would really be no big deal. I think native Linux apps (ported or original) are more important and long term than the voodoo ideas of emulation, API manipulation, and smoke and mirrors. I may very well donate the hundred bucks to people working on KDE or such (Linux desktop apps that rise above hobbyist status and can compete at any level)-- rather than send $100 in Mike's direction.
(+1 Funny) only if I laugh out loud.
Linux is a multiuser OS. Are the Lindows people going to bill me for every user account I create? The multiuser power is right up there with not worrying about licenses and all the other blessings of freedom. Being able to share my computers with other people and myself is important to me.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Well, for an operating system costing as much as MS-Windows and pretending to be a competitor, I see a couple of problems.
First of all, I don't know which problems can be with the GNU-GPL license of Linux. If they don't include any kind of non-distributable code, then it might be distributed with PC-World or similar (as they do with other Linux distributions). In this case, perhaps they won't earn so much money as they thought (look Corel LinuxOS).
And second and most important, his argument for catching people to use Lindows instead of Windows is stability to run the 10 most used apps (Word, Excel, etc), which are mostly by Microsoft as well. What will the result be? As happened when a lot of other DOSes appeared, MS will just create new AARDs for Office, so that it only runs on Windows. And that's the end of the story.
I think they should try and encourage the use of other office suites, as KOffice, or better, StarOffice, as there won't be such problem with this packages.
A FreeDOS user and developer,
Aitor
If you read the article, you notice he only talks about 10 major applications.
It may just be 10 different "modes" for 10 different pieces of software, not a system capable of running any windows app. What is needed, is a system that can emulate all the standard windows API's, not just hacks for a few programs. WINE supports more than 10 apps, and i'm sure there is software that works, that is not listed on the WINE Application Database
The people at Lindows may have got a few programs to work that WINE hasn't. I doubt their applications database compares to WINE's.
--Frank
"Neither life nor happiness can be acheived by the pursuit of irration whims." --Ayn Rand
My HP 940c works great through USB. Maybe you should upgrade the printer filter? The 1.0 version from HP works great. Maybe you should upgrade your kernel, though it will probably break WP8. Of course, you could use Applixware or Hancom Office for compatibilitiy with *.wpd files or just use OpenOffice, Koffice and the like.
Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life
Hey you guessed it from the subject.
;)
If you want to run MS Office, yet still have a unix system, then may I suggest OS X???
Yep Darwin ain't Linux but it's still open, AFAIK. And Office runs natively (and VBA works, as long as you're not relying on binary COM objects: class modules with source appear to work)
Much as I love my Macs, it'd still be cool if OS X was ported to cheap PC hardware (yeah I know Darwin works but I mean the whole 9 yards)
Offtopic as hell
LX
hawk
I can crash linux with windows now! Oh, wait
That's not what I wanted either....
Aren't most non-OEM machines upgrade eligible for Windows? Does that not run something like $89?
How would I justify that extar $10 just to run something that is near windows? It doesn't make much sense to me really.
Nick
Turn s60 photos into awesome videos with mScrapbook for all S60 3rd edition phones!
I am seeing too many similarities in the concepts. take what EVERYONE else has worked on, using their IP as your own, shut off input / accessibility and then package it as your own and charge the same people money to use what they helped create. Seems "free" means until they want to turn a profit on the contributions made.
"Sure, you can contribute all you want...but it will cost if you want to USE it."
No thanks....I have a neat Lindows system...called Dual BOOT.
You keep going until you die..."Me".
Apple is expensive. People want cheap. Think cheap not diffrent.
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
Again, I call this out as VAPOR-ware! I want to hear from someone who has run this, or better yet I want to run it myself, before I give any credit to them. And then only if they didn't fork WINE.
Bah! This is garbage.
KangarooBox - We make IT simple!
How do you know the timeframe? They must have started before they announced it, as in years
If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
Click here
2000 professional per your link $239, and that does not include any of the apps that come bundled with linux.
so the benefit is that you get a linux distribution configured (unless its a scam) to look and feel like windows (considered a benefit to ppl who have only ever run windows) and also runs certain key windows programs you may HAVE to have.
this is clearly a win for linux (if not scam). the grousing about the $100 price tag is misplaced, as long as a signficant chunk of this price goes to maintain the product and give the newbies who will be most attracted to this some quality handholding.
As the poster above notes, it might not be for you, but you're not this apps target audience. If you think Tex and Metafont are preferable to StarOffice or MS Office that means you.
Furthermore, there's no reason why this can't work very well. I have a nifty little program from Codeweavers called Crossover, the 1.01 version of which allows me to run Quicktime, Shockwave, Ipix, QTVR, and a bunch of other Win32 web browser plugins under Galeon (or KDE, or Skipstone, or Moz if you like web browsers to run slowly on your Athlon). The plugins work seamlessly, and running Quicktime on its own works reasonably well (one bug with minimisation seems to be the only real sticking point).
So yeah, Codeweavers can allow me to run a selection of Windows web browser lugins under Linux.
Also, Transgaming can allow me to run Alice, Tony Hawk, Return to Castle Wolfenstein (single or Multi), Sacrifice and a much of other selected Windows games under Linux
If the above two are possible, I see no reason why Lindows won't be able to make MS Office and Quicken run under Wine either. They already work 98% functionality with Wine and a lot of patience. With a cute app to remove the need to patience, and some money into going the last mile of COM and the other missing pieces, I see no reason why Lindows won't be:
a) Able to deliver what it promises
b) Worth it. Maybe....
* When that hundred buncks was *Australian* I thought it was reasonable, but they mean $US - ouch. $40-50 US would be more like it.
* I already have a Linux distribution. I want Lindows if its good. I am not going to fucking well install another OS to run it. Make Lindows an app for God's sake.
I know I can't speak for anyone else here, but for me the attraction of using Linux is not having to worry AT ALL about licenseing issues.
Fair enough. Personally, I just want something that works. So do most people I think.
Sometimes Linux is the best tool for the job. Sometimes Windows is. This has the potential to make Linux more often the best tool for the job.
Works for me.
Well, by that reasoning: closed-source programs don't incorporate GPL'd shared libraries (like libc), they just talk to it.
For one thing, libc is Lesser GPL'd. For another, the Linux kernel is under a license similar to that of Guile: GPL with specific exceptions.
Will I retire or break 10K?
My main beef w/Linux at this point is that I can't sync my Casiopeia via USB cradle (I have to use the serial keyboard "cradle") which is slow and painful.
/etc/printcap entry w/printtool is not helping (even w/the drivers from the HP sourceforge page).
My god damn parallel printer (HP 960c) is not very well supported and making a
VMWare 3 has a lot of new abilities in terms of getting stuff like your digital camera to work, and probably your printer too. It should solve your problem.
I would love to see them make Lindows stable -- really, I would -- but I seriously doubt that they could. During their big Linux stage, Corel devoted several programmers to WINE development for about a year. The idea was to make WINE stable enough to run their Office suite. With the source at hand, and full support of the WINE opensource community, the task did not seem impossible.
It doesn't look like they were able to succeed, though. The reviews for Corel PerfectOffice for Linux put me off. Besides one glowing review, they all mentioned the buginess of the suite. As for sales, they obviously were not great enough for Corel to release an upgrade to the suite this year.
Now consider Lindows' situation:
1) Their target application list is unclear. At least Corel knew what they had to run. For Lindows to succeed, it's going to need to support a whole host of applications.
2) No access to the source of their target applications. Corel could work around unsupported API functions by rewriting the code. Lindows will have to fix the functions in WINE. For some applications, they will also need to implement undocumented functions, which can be tough.
3) No support in the WINE community. To me, it sure looks like Lindows uses WINE. They aren't too upfront about it, though. Corel had the advantage of an ongoing and friendly dialogue with the traditional WINE team. They could always, and did, fire off a message to wine-devel. The community might not be so warm with this closed-source project.
The Lindows project has several hurdles in its way that put it at a disadvantage to Corel, who certainly did not have success in sales.
At least Corel contributed their patches back to WINE, though...
Adam
Once distros becomes sufficiently complicated, and there are only a couple left, you can probably forget about free. RedHat is playing nice now with ISOs up on the site, but I suspect once the other distros have been buried, your choice will be to buy it, or use Debian.
One thing I think would be real fun to have on my network is Samba file servers and domain controllers with NT playing only specialized roles. The average user could be running a product such as Lindows for their Office apps etc... Many users on my network would be fine with RH7.2 and Sun SO6 with Ximians Evolution for Mail and calendars. I could make do with Lindows if it could run the NT Administration tools for my NT boxes. Mickey$oft can be phased out.
As far as another MS upgrade rendering it obsolete. I think once a good user base is established on the alternative office products, further development will pick up pace greatly. If all goes well in five years people will be looking at the box for MS office and seeing if it lists Lindows and Linux compatibility, then they will set it down and look at the OTHER CHOICES on the shelf.
Cheers
I hate to troll, but wine runs solitare just fine. (admitedlly (sp?) a 20 mb download for just solitare is a bit high)
Sigs are against my religion
Unlike operating systems which require a completely separate computer to install, LindowsOS has the astonishing ability to install on an existing Windows computers with just a couple mouse clicks in a way which allows them to explore LindowsOS or continue to use their Windows® operating system and switch between the two.
Tee hee! Way to exploit the bootloader and make it look like an innovation! These guys rock!
"nuff said" he said.
I thought you guys wanted linux to succeed and knock O'l Billy of his high horse? What if an app dosen't work? What is this? What if that? This type of negative thinking from so called Unix geeks will never get linux widely reconized as an OS of choice. So 1.0 only supports 10 apps. So fucking what? If Lindows can pull off support for office then we have a viable alternative for every secretary who need to type a memo under word between polishing her nails and wasting time on the phone. The greatest complaint about the mass adoption of linux isn't support or ease of use it's lack of apps. Now we have a company that claims for 100 clams support for Excel on the tried and true Linux kernal. Outstanding. So 1.0 dosen't support Photoshop. Of course Microsoft is going to break future versions of their software so it will only be windows compliant. You expect MS to back down from a threat to their marketshare? These are problems that if the product recieves enough support I feel confident can be overcome. Buy Lindows install it on Grandma's ol' p2 system that she uses for Outlook. Next time you admins out there need to set up some boxes for the sole purpose of Accounting and Word Processing why worry about software audits? We need to get it on as many pc's as possible. Then other companys will see a marketshare and new software will be developed. If Lindows makes enough money what next? To state that Lindows is currently a niche os is a fact that I'm not denying. However it's in the right niche.
>
You like the GPL for the wrong reason... chances are that if they coludn't fork wine like that they wouldn't invest the money required for their proprietary additions, so they and their product simply wouldn't exist. By definition then, a potential benefit (to those that might have a use for their product) would have been lost.
Anyway, I am sure that at some point they will release part if not all of their proprietary additions simply because maintaining a fork of such a complex software is quite expensive, and once their proprietary additions don't give them a commercial advantage (ie, when they developed some OTHER prporietary additions) it would serve them well to donate them. This scenario happened so many times in the past, ie with BSD, people should have noticed the pattern.
If Lindows even comes close to matching the expectations, it could mark a major turning point in the desktop OS segment.
Basically the DOJ has just rolled over and gone to sleep. The "penalties" are worse than a joke, they actually benefit MS. :/
I am certain that people in Redmond have already begun thumbing through their Manual of Dirty Trick (tm) rubbing their hands in anticipation about the thought of crushing another impudent startup.
Sadly the current Justice Department will probably let it happen. Hey, where are the EU's antitrust investigations? I wonder why we haven't heard anything else about them lately?
Get off my virtual lawn, you damned virtual kids!
Again, Microsoft's arrogance, aggressiveness and litigious nature proves to be counter-productive for their own purposes. Robertson wouldn't be getting nearly this much attention without the MS lawsuit. Lindows long term value itself is dubious, but for proving the concept, and prototyping the execution, ahh, folks will say, "lookee there, I had no idea you could do that." And the MS legal team is helping spread the word.
Hi, you link contains an extra space. You could have prevented this by using standard html:
e enshots.php"> screenshots </a (but then without the space..)
<a href="http://www.lindows.com/lindows_products_scr
that will look like this:
screenshots
If Micro$haft does infact take Dan and/or Robert to court over the name (Lindows), it might give more attention to the OS, and more people may begin to notice the product. There have been many such cases that a court ruling has back-fired on a company. I sure hope they don't have to go to court (and waste money), but if they do, I hope it helps Lindows.
If it's an alternative to a Microsoft product, I am willing to give it a try!
I'm fed up whith the Windows-crashing-story, anyone that has used Linux within a GUI (specially Gnome and Kde) knows how crashy Linux can get (use Netscape and start counting...). Few people like Microsoft, me neither, but truth is Explorer (NT saga) is a faster and more stable filemanager that Konqueror (Nautilus is even worse). Maybe some Linux project will take the head out of the ass and solve that problem on the desktop.
I know Linux doesn't have to take over (that's not a Linux aim) but it would be very nice to get rid of Windows for a bigger piece of the desktop OS users pie. Lindows may help a lot in that.
One thing I hate about this Lindows project is the name, I can't take seriously an OS with that name, how can they invest so much money in that? It's like releasing a Pro Os called Fixdows, come on... I wish them luck so I hope they change the name, looks like they purposely want to get into legal actions for such an stupid trademark.
Other thing I don't like is the price.
$100? I'm using a Windows WhistlerPro beta3 for FREE, no keys needed, free beer.
I bought a copy of BeOsPro5 a year ago for about $80. Yes I could have got a BeOSPro pirated copy for free also but I want to get rid of Microsoft=I'm only pirating BG, I'm only paying for good+fair software (that's about anything but MS). And BeOs was no hack, no emulations, from boot to desktop in 15 seconds.
For Lindows I'm willing to pay what I paid for a boxed Linux Mandrake, that is about $50 after trying and liking it, no more.
I would pay a bit more for the coming Xandros Linux (I expect to find more value&functionality added in that distro), that is about the $80 I gave for BeOS.
All in all, despite that awful name and the emulation thing, Lindows looks interesting as a project to help migration to Linux and make it more user friendly on the Desktop arena, or simply as a change, or simply as a choice. What I really would like to see is a BeOS6 release, but that's another alternative story.
So this is Me and Lindows OS:
$100> I'll get it free
$80> Xandros or BeOS6
$50> Maybe
From the screen shot, it looks like it will run Lotus Notes. This would be great for me ... I'm planning on purchasing a Linux notebook this year, but we use Notes at work.
thanks for the info man. I went and got CUPS and I have it working beautifully and even over Samba :)
My girlfriend will be very happy that she no longer will have to unplug it from my desktop and plug it into the laptop to print.
Thanks again.
Have you tried running Interdev under Wine? The list of Wine-compatible apps seems to grow daily. It's not at all clear how Lindows is superior to Linux with Wine -- or even if the software is different.