“My point is that Lindows as been the target of a lot of criticism over the past year, include a fair amount from NewsForge and Linux.com. And most of that criticism comes from Robertson promising fantastic new breakthroughs and then not delivering. Lindows has been a victim of its own hype. So why do I feel sorry for the company? Because Robertson has been following an extremely effective practice, especially in the tech business last five years or so: over-hype, under-deliver.” Read the editorial.
Lindows: Victim of the Old, “New Economy” Way of Doing Business?
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Lindows is doing an excellent job now, but there are things they could do to improve it. For one, not run as root. That a simple thing to correct. The biggest mistakes, though, were in the past. I had utter disrespect for them when I heard about Lindows, but now I’m beginning to like them. Now they just need to get the hell out of Wal*Mart.
In the computer world, it’s not always true that a crap product + good marketing = success. Microsoft Bob. MSN. Netscape (to an extent…it was the best thing around for a short while).
The over-hype, under-deliver is a classic problem, not limited to the .bomb syndrome. The problem is OPM. Other People’s Money. When you’re not personally liable for success or failure, loss or profit….there is no real incintive to make things happen. That’s what happened with the .coms. The VC ran out before they figured out ??? -> 5. Profit!
Now they just need to get the hell out of Wal*Mart.
No, being in Wal-Mart is the best possible place for them to be, seeing as how it’s the largest retailer in the country. They oughta sell boxed copies there, too. As should RedHat and Mandrake (and whoever else wants to). Sure, Wal-Mart isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when looking for software…..but if people see it there for a reasonable price, they might pick up a copy.
crap product + good marketing = success …. hmmm, whatever happened to channels and push technology?
“but I’ll cheer for anyone who could show the millions of sheep there’s an alternative to Microsoft.”
All I have to say is … ‘bah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah’ (while giving the author the middle finger). If anybody ever has the balls to refer to me as a ‘sheep’ directly to my face, I am going to stick my foot up their ass and rip out their fscking spine.
I guess you have a point about the Wal*Mart thing. I just think that they should try to get some better deals. I’m not sure that [most] people who buy things at Wal*Mart are advanced enough to use Lindows. Sure, it’s easy, but it’s still a computer product.
Okay splitting the sheets with Codeweavers happened and Robertson had to drop some claims. Oh well. A few Win32 apps do still work in Lindows, but that’s really not important.
Click-n-Run: Free software for almost $100.00? WTF? This is just wrong. Sure there’s StarOffice, personally, I like OpenOffice(.org) better anyway and use Mozilla’s email client/news client which are more conventional than the ones in S.O. Anything else in S.O. that’s missing from OOo? I sure don’t miss it if so. Charge reasonably ($30.00?) for the C-n-R installer service and make all the apps available on CD distribution for those bandwidth challenged or who don’t want to waste the time.
Running as root: I do it all the time (all as in ALL) big deal!
Trying to stand on AOL’s shoulders by making misleading claims? What a stupid a$$hole.
Charging almost $100.00 to be an “insider” (read: beta tester). Has any “insider” NOT asked for the money back? If so, did they get it?
From the article; “(or you can just use RPM)”
No, you can’t use RPM in Lindows (I’ve tried it), maybe apt-get works, I don’t know.
Hey Robertson! Every heard of GPL? Do you know what it specifies? (not that you’ve really come up with much of interest)
Wal-Mart? Perfect demographic profile fit. Would be a great venue aside from all the other objections.
Robertson is soiling the Linux name and seems to be basically a stupid, cocky, amatuer con man. “Over-hype, under-deliver”? Baloney. Bullsh1t and non-deliver? That’s my take. This is like Microsoft Windows 1.0, unfortunately the market has only needed to wisen up ¼°F to spot this kind of hucksterism. It was a great idea but Robertson has implemented in the worst possible way, making himself look untrustworthy and ignorant and arrogant (to use polite terms).
Bah-ha-ha-ha-ha…
One of these days the community will stop trying to “over compensate” itself – I hope.
I am thinking about which easy to use Linux to load on my Athlon. Click and run just sounds real good (I have loaded up Suse before easily, but the installation of programs was not easy enough). Yeah, I don’t like the overpromising, scammy feel of lindows.com, but the product seems nice. My main question is whether someone else will put out something as good as click and run that’s cheaper. Lycoris, Xandros, the others I have read about sound good. But I am not sure they have click and run. By the way, I think a reasonable fee for something like click and run is OK.
I think click and run is something Apple should look at. They could make a ton of dough serving up commercial apps, shareware on something like click and run. With free software too, and built-in updates (like now for system software), customers would love it, it would be sweet as hell.
Ok so the other day I opened up Kazaa to get some more Grandaddy songs, and some one started downloading a really old Lindows SP1 iso file. They asked me “please oh please stay online for a while so I can get this”. I told them “Well it’s not worth it. It’s an old version. you cannot use click n run, and honestly, Red Hat 8 is MUCH better”. The user asked “Well i’m a newbie, and I heard lindows was better for newbies”. I said “Trust me, use red hat 8, or Lycoris”. The user then asks “Is it a free download???”
Just goes to show you that the average person isn’t going to think it’s odd to pay for linux.
you’re trying to charge cash money for something you can’t even freakin’ give away for free. someone should poll wallmart buyers to see how many arent just wiping lindows and installing an OS that doesnt suck
Strong words coming from a person without the balls to use his own email address.
If you don’t like something, don’t complain, just move. Simple as that.
“Strong words coming from a person without the balls to use his own email address.”
Eh, how do you knokw that’s not my email address? Have you tried sending an email there to find out ?
It is positioning itself in the PR as a cheaper altenative than Windows, and successfully did that, even though the claim is baloney. People don’t care about which is the best, but which sounds the best. People never heard of Red Carpet or IRIS, but I haven’t read one computer pullout from any newspaper that haven’t mentioned Click N Run.
And they are playing the hype machine (unlike the likes of Ximian and Xandros and a slew of other distributions that could be much better off than Lindows).
But the bad part of Lindows is the people running it stupidly step on Microsoft, AOL and possibly Apple’s toes. Not a good thing. You do realize that they could sue you until you turn bankrupt. It doesn’t matter of AOL, Microsoft or Apple is wrong in their lawsuites, what matters is they have money to sue them until they fill in the bankruptcy forms.
Michael should have played it safe by picking a better name, getting creative designers (not Apple wannabes) and avoid steping on big companies toes.
Microsoft wouldn’t care about Lindows if weren’t for their name – what could they do? After all, Lindows isn’t the first distro to claim it could run Windows apps (there was one called Voodoo Linux, IIRC, a few years back).
Xandros, IIRC, have something like CNR. Both uses Corel’s code. Wait a few months, wait for the competitors to come up with their products.
Personally, I think you should get a distro from a bigger company (better support), and install Red Carpet.
Over hyping and then under delivering is way different than over lying and getting busted.
First of all the name Lindows is wrong. It is clearly a violation of trade mark of Microsoft. It should be something more original. Still it could have somehow reminded the fact that it can open windows, but I mean if they want to be really serious on this business they would pick something more original than this.
I think the claim wasn’t that big, but still it shakes your trus to this company, so I don’t know the net effect. For me it was negative, because I know that they lied at least once.
Also abiding with the open source license is very important, but according to the article it is being solved.
Finally the AOL computer thing was not necessary and it further ruined the company’s credibility in my eyes. Obviously I will never pay them.
But I think in USA, this is the way to do business. Think about the ads after 12:00am. They all show how to be rich, and they make money, except people who buy those products of course. Lindows may be trying to get quickly rich, that’s what I am seeing.
I really don’t understand how they can get away with charging for a beta product that is supposed to be free anyway. I can buy Win XP for $90 why would I want Lindows for $99 AND I have to pay to download a bunch of other software.
I really doubt that they are a better product then Windows and since they are teaming up with Wall Mart they should learn something from them: If your product is not the best quality just sell it cheaper and people will buy it.
Sergio, Lindows is NOT clearly a violation of a trade mark of Microsoft. But I’ll tell you what. If Microsoft admits that it copied the look and feel of Mac OS with Windows 3.1 and pays them for it. Then I’ll start thinking about Lindows’ name.
In case you think I’m an Apple fanatic you’d only be partially right. I’m partially a fan. But I’m also partially a fan of OS/2, BeOS, Linux, GEOS, etc.
>>>If Microsoft admits that it copied the look and feel of Mac OS with Windows 3.1 and pays them for it.
Microsoft DID in fact paid Apple for that under the global agreement of the $150 million investment.
Lindows just announced a deal with a British PC maker – Lindows to be bundled with it. It sounds like sort of a British version of Microtel. Darn it, I can’t remember the name of the company right now.
It’s Evesham: http://www.evesham.com
Sorta like having sympathy for devil.
Bill says Sergio, Lindows is NOT clearly a violation of a trade mark of Microsoft. But I’ll tell you what. If Microsoft admits that it copied the look and feel of Mac OS with Windows 3.1 and pays them for it. Then I’ll start thinking about Lindows’ name.
This is not a matter of Microsoft admit something or not. It is a legal issue, and if they hold the trade mark for the word “Windows” in this area Lindows is a clear violation of the trade rules.
Lindows won the initial court, but I think Microsoft is appealing to that ruling.
But besides that, I could’t understand what you mean? If Windows is not a trademark of Microsoft, and Microsoft declares that they copied Apple’s OS, will you come and say “Oh yeah, Lindows is not right beceause Windows is the trademark of Microsoft” . What is this? Are you kidding or what?
In case you think I’m an Apple fanatic you’d only be partially right. I’m partially a fan. But I’m also partially a fan of OS/2, BeOS, Linux, GEOS, etc.
Well since these type of “strange” comments come from Apple “zealots”, they would be the prime suspect.
Now I am a Linux fan too. So if Microsoft admits that “Unix is better that Windows” I would let them know that I approve their trademark right to “Windows NT”.
)
Nice of you to put your title in quotation marks, hehehe
If Microsoft admits that it copied the look and feel of Mac OS with Windows 3.1 and pays them for it. Then I’ll start thinking about Lindows’ name.
Then Bill, you better start now (heck, you better start in 1998) on thinking about Lindows.com’s name. Where do you think the US$150 million came from? Where do you think IE:mac and Office:mac came from? Heaven?
Puh-leze… Besides, Apple didn’t sue MS because of the UI looking similar to Mac OS’s UI, they sued them because of questionable copryighted UI metaphors used by Microsoft. Lindows vs Microsoft case is very different.
Ask youself this question: Why the heck did they choose the name “Lindows” when there are plenty of other names out there to choose from?