Lindows OS

e-mail - Michael's Minutes: The Desk Theory ^ | 4/3/2002 | Michael Robertson

[reformed_democrat]

I found a Lindows article here on FR a few months ago and visited their web site. At that time, they had won in court against MicroSoft, who claimed Lindows was a trademark infringement. The court decided that no one confused "Lindows" with "Windows."

I thought anyone with enough nerve to go up against Microsoft without DOJ financing had to have either a very good product or rocks in their head. Maybe both.

I haven't tried Lindows yet, but it will probably get the better of me by the end of the week, and I'll have to go get it and install it.

Just wanted to see what the rest of the techies here think of this.

[isthisnickcool]

Oh no! Another MS vs Linux thread:)

[altair]

There isn't a whole lot of technical information there. Also, doing what they've promised (reverse engineering the interface) is against the law in some countries. At best, it's difficult to do against a moving target.

I wish them the best of luck. This has been tried before without success.

[Eala]

I wish them the best of luck.

Me too. The policies built into XP are bad enough that the employer doesn't want any such machines onsite. Whether it's Lindows or Lycoris (formerly Redmond Linux -- too bad they gave up the nice provocative name) or someone else, I'd like to see a Linux that was easy for the _average_ user to install.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Then we'll see PCs appearing in every room of every house

Why would I want a PC in every room in my house? I don't need a TV, guitar, microwave, or sock drawer in every room.

Anyway, pretty soon we will all be wearing computer implants. I'll blink my eyes or snap my fingers in order to surf the web.

[Paleo Conservative]

I'll blink my eyes or snap my fingers in order to surf the web.

That's a bit old fashioned. You ought to just be able to think about something and have the computer respond.

[altair]

too bad they gave up the nice provocative name

I think they did pretty good with the name they chose. Most of their website details the court battle between them and Microsoft. Whoever was working in the trademark office the day they granted Microsoft a trademark on a generic, widely used term like "Windows" was taking way too many drugs ...

[ak47fred]

Lindows is standard Linux, with a custom-engineered WINE (Wine is not an Emulator) server included. Wine is a longstanding project from the open-source community that mirrors the Windows API against equivilent X Windows function calls.

Currently shipping is Codeweaver's Crossover Office, another custom Wine server that currently runs MS Office ('97 & 2000, not XP) and Lotus Notes.

I've been running CXOffice with MS Office '97 for about a week, under RH Linux 7.2. It's not perfect, but it's quite functional.

Codeweavers

[potlatch]

Just today, I read of a price increase on most all computers! They said the 'componants' for memory have taken a leap in price and they have to pass it on!!

[general_re]

Also, doing what they've promised (reverse engineering the interface) is against the law in some countries.

What? Where?

[shadowman99]

Also, doing what they've promised (reverse engineering the interface) is against the law in some countries.

Fortunately, X-Free86 is not a reverse-engineer of the Windows GUI. Gnome and KDE are both very nice Window Managers, and Lindows appears to be running KDE in the screenshots. An API compatability layer (WINE) is also a complete clean-room codebase, so M$ can't say anything about it.

[Lael]

Whoever was working in the trademark office the day they granted Microsoft a trademark on a generic, widely used term like "Windows" was taking way too many drugs ...

The term "Windows" and "Windowing" date back to at least 1973, before the sainted "Altair" that so torqued Gates' imagination. Burroughs (now Unisys) introduced a smart Video terminal in a client/server setup with the then midrange B3500-B3700 computer. The terminal featured "Windows" capability...Separately addressable zones or "Windows" for Graphical interface capability. At least one notorious New York Bank used the setup in its Trust Division for securities processing.

Typical App involved typing client info and Security CUSIP Number into the top Window. The Response was a Window customized for the Security (Over 700 types, including several for Antiques, perhaps including said Bank's own boxed set of very antique dueling pistols). The bottom Window ustally told the Data Entry person status info, prompts, etc., etc., etc.

Believe me, "Windows" was in common use among cutting (and Bleeding) edge Man-Machine Interface designers for GUI based products long before Mr Gates even entered, let alone dropped out of...Harvard!

[RedBloodedAmerican]

He complains about Microsoft and proprietorship and then names his product "Lindos"? BWAHAHAHA.

Idiot.

[altair]

Fortunately, X-Free86 is not a reverse-engineer of the Windows GUI.

The X11 (can't call it by its original name "X Windows") code base predates MS Windows by a considerable margin. Sun Windows and DEC Windows both lost their names too.

Gnome and KDE are both very nice

I like KDE. The defaults are all wrong, but it is very customizable.

[altair]

the sainted "Altair"

Heh. I never saw one of those, just a bit before my time. If I'd known its history, I would have chosen a different alias.

Believe me, "Windows" was in common use among cutting (and Bleeding) edge Man-Machine Interface designers for GUI based products

Yup. As I pointed out in another post, there were at least three "Something Windows" -- X, Sun and DEC before there was a Microsoft Windows.

[altair]

Definitely Norway. Remember the kid who wrote the DVD access program? Reverse engineering DVD encryption was the charge he was indicted with. It will be illegal in the United States if this latest copyright bill passes.

[Nick Danger]

I hope this succeeds. Intel's processors have gotten better/faster/cheaper much more quickly since AMD became a pain in their sides. Microsoft needs its own "AMD" for the same reason.

In fact if I were these guys, I would ditch the play on the Windows name even though they won a court case to keep it. I'd play off AMD's position. Call the offering "Athlos" or something like that. People who buy AMD processors are already mavericks; they might be the perfect segment to target.

[Nick Danger]

there were at least three "Something Windows" -- X, Sun and DEC before there was a Microsoft Windows.

Back when Windows was still "mouthware," there was another piece of mouthware out there called "Visi-on" from the then-spreadsheet-leader Visicalc. At the time Visicalc might have even been the bigger company... I'm not sure. In any event, they never really made Visi-on work, so they lost.

[dalereed]

"People who buy AMD processors are already mavericks;"

I won't buy anything but Athlon processors (Intel can go stuff it!) and I don't consider myself a maverick.

[general_re]

Ah, I was confused by your terminology. Reverse-engineering security or encryption software with the intent of bypassing said security is already illegal in this country, thanks to the DMCA, and presumably there is a parallel offense in Norway as well. But what Lindows is doing is (so far) still legal in all countries that I am aware of - if you create an OS, as Microsoft has done, it is perfectly legal for me to create my own implementation of your API in order to emulate your OS for myself. Sun tried it some years ago with WABI, IIRC, although that one didn't go anywhere.

The only catch is that I can't just disassemble your OS to do it - it has to be a "clean" black-box implementation of the API.