Tim Finnegan is the founder and CEO of Workstation 2000. His company is also a sponsor of Linux Online. Tim's company sells Linux servers, workstations and laptops. He was a pioneer in the business of selling machines with Linux pre-installed. A lot of people followed his lead and he continues to be an innovator to watch in the OEM field. We talked to Tim about how he got started in this, his contributions to the Linux community and philosophy on the increasing acceptance of Linux in the mainstream computing world.

Linux Online: You've been in business since 1993. Have you been installing Linux on your computers since then? When did your pre-installed Linux business start?

Tim Finnegan: W2000 was founded in 1993 as an outgrowth of NeXT Computer's foray into the Intel-PC marketplace. NeXT announced it was abandoning its proprietary hardware and was becoming a software-only vendor. A lot of customers that had standardized on this Unix-based operating-system platform were left "in the lurch", so to speak. So I founded W2000 to provide them with pre-loaded NeXTStep systems in order to make the transition to standard hardware as transparent as possible.

I saw a similar sort of thin happening in '96. This Linux thing was being bantered about in some of our accounts. NeXT was fading away, could this be the NeXT big thing? Sorry for the pun, I had to. As it turned out, the nerds in basements everywhere were secretly loading Linux onto old Windows PC's. An occasional memo would float upstairs about this or that successful implementation of a Linux PC as a net server or firewall, but management was extremely resistant to using an unsupported operating system.

I'm not sure exactly what caused the folks upstairs to change their paradigm, perhaps they began to be replaced by folks from the basement, but I perceived their comfort level with Linux would be increased if they could buy systems that were guaranteed to work right out of the box. Some of the big-guys like Dell and IBM have seen this and jumped on the bandwagon as well.

So, it was mid-1996 that we began to ship our first systems with Linux pre-installed. And ever since then, we have seen its acceptance grow by leaps and bounds.

Linux Online: You loaned some computers to Linux Journal so they could do some testing. How long have you been lending your computing power and your expertise to projects in the Linux community?

Tim Finnegan: Getting started wasn't easy, and we have had to prove our ability to configure, ship, and deliver to get Linux and our systems in the door at large accounts. We have loaned units to Linux Journal and gotten some great press. Other areas too. We have some units at a major Electronic Design Automation firm to convince management that our Dual Xeon systems running Red Hat 7.2 will do the job better, faster, and cheaper than Sun Sparc.

Linux Online: I've always thought that the key to getting Linux on the desktop is the freedom for OEMs, like yourself, to choose the best OS. That is to say, it is generally assumed that the customer wants Windows. That may not really be the case because most OEMs as we have seen are pretty much forced to install Windows. What are your thoughts on this?

Tim Finnegan: We don't feel forced to install Windows. Not one bit. We feel that the Windows market is saturated with every Tom, Dick, and Harry selling Windows-based PC's. Offering Linux-based systems gives us an opportunity to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace. To add some unique value by building systems that are based on components specially selected for Linux compatibility. It used to be that those little driver disks that come with, say, graphics cards, included only Windows drivers. That's changing. Not only do many now include the latest Linux drivers, but with Adaptec RAID cards for example, the bootable hardware configuration CD-Rom is a Linux operating system. Its a wonderful irony that Windows customers have to run a Linux utility in order to set up the RAID arrays for Windows.

Linux Online: And with greater scrutiny now on Microsoft's relationship with OEMs do you expect to see much more demand for pre-installed Linux machines - and are you seeing this already?

Tim Finnegan: All I know is that IBM had not one but TWO big booths at last month's Linux World Expo in New York. That says a lot to me about Redmond's "hold" on large OEM's

Linux Online: Now that Windows XP is out, what gives you more headaches to pre-install, Bill Gates' new offering or Red Hat, for example?

Tim Finnegan: I hate to say this, because the tougher it is the more our customers need us, but Red Hat 7.2 is far easier to install than XP. Red Hat allows the OEM or end-user more control over his own system. It doesn't treat you like a child ... is one way of putting it.

Linux Online: Some tech consulting firms have pointed out that Linux, though a low cost OS and free of licensing restrictions, might be a "penny wise, pound foolish" decision for a business. The overhead might come later with support problems. Do you think this is just 'FUD' or is there some truth to this?

Tim Finnegan: It seems that the absolute reverse is true. Microsoft's goal is to increase your dependence on them. Look at how it's all laid out and how the Media Player, for example, goads you into buying the " upgrade " . Its a bit insulting.

Linux Online: Speaking of XP, have you seen an increased interest in Linux as a result of the licensing changes surrounding Microsoft's new OS?

Tim Finnegan: More money for more unneeded services vs an environment that you can control is how I would sum-up the situation.

Linux Online: Your business operates on three continents, North America, Europe and Asia. Where do you see more interest in Linux or is it about the same?

Tim Finnegan: We have deployed Linux systems all over the planet, though US sales lead by a mile. Europe seems to take the same conservative position that was prevalent here in '98 on Linux. I see some cracks in the ice overseas. One UK customer of ours, for example, is leaning towards converting all 200+ Workstation 2000 systems over to Linux. We'll see.

Linux Online: What are your plans for Workstation 2000 for this coming year? Have you got any interesting projects in the works or new product lines you're going to launch?

Tim Finnegan: New stuff? Promise not to tell? Well, I see notebooks as a real growth area and we are continuing to enhance the successful 9100- series. We are launching a refurbishing service to give new life to all the rackmounts from all the dot-com's on the auction block, being sold by gross-weight. Unfortunately, we have even some of our own that we originally sold in '00 up for resale. I'm just glad they paid their invoices before the end came. I see enhancements in our servers product line as our primary focus. With the new 2+ ghz chips from Intel migrating into the Xeon-line. You may know that the new Xeon is based on the Pentium 4, and it gives you the dual-processor capability and the advantages of the 400mhz bus speed -- so important in I/O-intensive applications.

Linux Online: Do you plan on pre-installing 'Lindows' on any of your machines in 2002? (that is if it continues to be called Lindows)

Tim Finnegan: You have to have a sense of humor in this business... Because the Pre-emanate Power of Promiscuous Penguins Properly Propagates Primarily through Productive Prim Donna Programmers. So there!

Linux Online: I guess that means 'no Lindows'. Well, thanks Tim. Good luck with your business in 2002. I really enjoyed chatting with you.

You can check out Tim Finnegan and his wares at Workstation 2000's website. http://www.w2000.com. If you're in the market for a new laptop, workstation or server, Tim's the man to talk to. And he's completely Linux-friendly, as you can see!