Advocates join to promote desktop Linux, Feb 04, 2003

Several companies have joined to launch a consortium to promote Linux for desktop computers, a significant expansion for an operating system that today fits more comfortably on servers.

Participants say the new consortium is in part a reaction to the behaviour of one company not on the consortium's membership list: Lindows. Several of the desktop Linux companies withdrew from a Lindows-organised conference, accusing Lindows chief executive Michael Robertson of using the forum too much to promote his own company's wares

In the middle of last month a US delegation to an international conference clearly signalled US policy as regards open source by de-fanging a pro open source declaration. The conference, the Asian regional meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) had been poised to "support" open source software in a closing declaration, but the US government delegation dug its heels in and had it watered down to "encourage."

Childers said schools want Linux education for both academic and financial reasons. "They believe teaching operating-systems skills is going to provide a better foundation of computing fundamentals," Childers said. Because Linux is open-source software, students can see the computer code that makes it run. Also, Childers said, schools are turning to Linux because it's less costly than licensing proprietary software such as Microsoft's.

Microsoft is warning that the success of the open-source movement could hurt its sales, potentially forcing the software giant to cut prices and sacrifice both revenue and profits.

"To the extent the open-source model gains increasing market acceptance, sales of the company's products may decline, the company may have to reduce the prices it charges for its products, and revenues and operating margins may consequently decline," Microsoft said in a filing last week with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Walmart.com will begin selling retail versions of LindowsOS software, according to Lindows.com. The company also announced that the retailer will also be adding the "LindowsOS MP3.com Edition" PC to its line-up of Microtel-based PCs that debuted last August.

 View older news this year: Sep Aug Jul Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan
 View news from other years: 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999