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The Brick launches a dirt-cheap line of Linux-based PCs
Not many people would want to be in Michael Robertson's shoes. The tech maverick--who founded MP3.com--is being sued by Microsoft for trademark infringement over his PC operating system, Lindows. It looks like Microsoft's Windows OS--which runs 97% of desktops in Canada--but is based on Linux, a free, open-source platform.
"It used to be that you had to be an expert in technology to get Linux working," says Robertson (above). "Those days have changed." Indeed, his San Diego company, Lindows.com Inc., recently signed a deal with Canadian home appliance chain The Brick to sell a Linux-based computer.
The eTrek PC (built by BC-based McKinnon Micro Distributing) retails for roughly $490--about half the cost of a similarly featured machine running Windows XP. It doesn't include a monitor and has a slower processor than most Windows PCs, but Linux applications typically use less computing power than Windows because they have less coding. And Lindows.com offers 1,768 applications similar to those built for Windows.
The Brick isn't the first retailer to sell Linux-based PCs: Wal-Mart sells them through its US e-tail site. There's obvious appeal for big-box retailers in selling computers for less than $500, but as the home market for Linux is still unproved, you're not likely to see them in electronic superstores like Best Buy anytime soon. As for top-flight manufacturers, their success depends on keeping Microsoft happy. "I can't underestimate the power Microsoft has to influence the marketplace in the short term," says Robertson, pointing out that many companies have tried to popularize Linux and failed.
Still, he's confident Lindows will beat Microsoft both in the court and in the alley. "In the long term," he says, "Microsoft will lose the low end of the PC market to Linux because of the enormous cost advantages." Of course, we've heard that before.
PHOTO (COLOR)
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By Andy Holloway
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Copyright of Canadian Business is the property of Rogers Media, Publishing Ltd. and its content may not be copied or e-mailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder`s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or e-mail articles for individual use.
Source: Canadian Business, 4/28/2003, Vol. 76 Issue 8, p98, 1p
Item: 9625994
Not many people would want to be in Michael Robertson's shoes. The tech maverick--who founded MP3.com--is being sued by Microsoft for trademark infringement over his PC operating system, Lindows. It looks like Microsoft's Windows OS--which runs 97% of desktops in Canada--but is based on Linux, a free, open-source platform.
"It used to be that you had to be an expert in technology to get Linux working," says Robertson (above). "Those days have changed." Indeed, his San Diego company, Lindows.com Inc., recently signed a deal with Canadian home appliance chain The Brick to sell a Linux-based computer.
The eTrek PC (built by BC-based McKinnon Micro Distributing) retails for roughly $490--about half the cost of a similarly featured machine running Windows XP. It doesn't include a monitor and has a slower processor than most Windows PCs, but Linux applications typically use less computing power than Windows because they have less coding. And Lindows.com offers 1,768 applications similar to those built for Windows.
The Brick isn't the first retailer to sell Linux-based PCs: Wal-Mart sells them through its US e-tail site. There's obvious appeal for big-box retailers in selling computers for less than $500, but as the home market for Linux is still unproved, you're not likely to see them in electronic superstores like Best Buy anytime soon. As for top-flight manufacturers, their success depends on keeping Microsoft happy. "I can't underestimate the power Microsoft has to influence the marketplace in the short term," says Robertson, pointing out that many companies have tried to popularize Linux and failed.
Still, he's confident Lindows will beat Microsoft both in the court and in the alley. "In the long term," he says, "Microsoft will lose the low end of the PC market to Linux because of the enormous cost advantages." Of course, we've heard that before.
PHOTO (COLOR)
~~~~~~~~
By Andy Holloway
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright of Canadian Business is the property of Rogers Media, Publishing Ltd. and its content may not be copied or e-mailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder`s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or e-mail articles for individual use.
Source: Canadian Business, 4/28/2003, Vol. 76 Issue 8, p98, 1p
Item: 9625994