What Is Lindows, Anyway?
Source: OS Opinion
Lindows is a Linux-based operating system that promises to make using Linux as easy as Windows. Indeed, its name suggests a combination of Linux and Windows -- but what exactly is this distribution that has found its way onto Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) shelves? Is it the next big thing or just good marketing?
In the beginning, Lindows' goal was to let users run Windows applications on Linux. The company still provides Wine (a Windows compatibility layer for Unix) with its software, but it has retreated from its original plan to make a fully Windows-compatible Linux. Instead, it is focusing on delivering applications that provide the same features as users' favorite Windows apps.
Therefore, the main selling point for Lindows, besides ease of use, is its "Click-N-Run Warehouse." Linux apps have long been as easy to use as their Windows counterparts, but installing them has not been. Most Windows users balk at the idea of using command-line tools or compiling their own apps. Lindows provides a wide variety of applications -- 1,685 of them, according to the Lindows Web site -- that users can install by clicking a single green button.
Most Lindows software is freely available, though Lindows does offer some commercial applications, such as StarOffice and TuxRacer Deluxe.
