Linspire (ex Lindows) playing dirty?

[linuxfreak]

Look what I discovered...

In interviews they say:
"Our competition is not the other Linux companies, it's Microsoft."

"Q. Who do you consider to be your main competitors? (Other Linux companies or Microsoft?)

A. I'd rank our competition in this order: Microsoft, Microsoft, and then Microsoft. No one else has enough market share to matter. It's all about winning Microsoft Windows users over enough that they give Linux a try. Our fellow Linux companies help in that regard, so we're glad they're out there educating the marketplace as well. Desktop Linux needs to be a wave upon which Lindows.com rides. We can't create that wave alone."

http://www.desktopos.com/sections.php?op=viewarticle&artid=1


But Linspire are paying system builders extra money for NOT selling other linux distros!

From their revenue share program:
"Builders must agree to sell the Linspire as an exclusive Linux operating system in order to be eligible."

http://www.linspire.com/builder/builder_overview.php

I find this a remarkable move from a company whose slogan is "Bringing Choice to Your Computer!".

Not much money can be made from selling CD box sets, it's in selling Linux preinstalled. How can other smaller distributions survive this?

What do you think?

[ July 21, 2004: Message edited by: linuxfreak ]

[Refalm]

Welcome linuxfreak  

There is only one shop known to deliver Linspire only. I think they're shooting themselves in the foot here, vuilders want to have a choice, and not a lock-in like Microsoft gives them for so many years.

[linuxfreak]

quote: Welcome linuxfreak

Thanks.

 

quote: There is only one shop known to deliver Linspire only.

Do you mean sub500.com , the linux only store in Canada? According to their homepage they claim that they will sell other distros too in the future. We'll see about that.

 

quote: I think they're shooting themselves in the foot here, vuilders want to have a choice, and not a lock-in like Microsoft gives them for so many years.

So, you still have faith in mankind?    

But what about this situation. A store is selling windows and OSX computers. Now they are interested in offering a linux alternative as well, targeted at user average joe.

They can choose to offer linux distro A, B and C (and pay a cost for every computer, unless those are free as in beer distros), or they can join linspire's revenue share program and make linspire their exclusive linux distro.

Then they only have to pay a fix amount no matter how many computers they install linspire on and they even get paid 20% commissions AFTER the sale of the computer for every user that buy subscriptions to linspire's click'n'run warehouse and other services.

Don't you think then that linspire could be pretty tempting?

I can clearly see how the revenue share program is a very clever tactic by linspire against microsoft. Now all of a sudden, builders can get paid to distribute linux instead of having to pay for those expensive windows licenses! But the problem with linspire's marketing department is that sometimes they are a bit to clever for their own good, just like you said, they shoot themselves in the foot. (Talking about shooting, have you seen http://www.linuxshootout.com/shootout.php , where they reveal all the "correct" answers    ).

I don't think that the terms of the gold builders program are fair when they forbid other linux distros. How can that bring CHOICE to the desktop?

And I'm also concerned that builder's greed to make easy money will win. The big majority of computer users sadly don't have a clue, some even don't know what OS their computer is running. And then they might get linspire pushed onto them instead of having a real choice.

[ July 21, 2004: Message edited by: linuxfreak ]

[hm_murdock]

GenSTEP will crush Lindows... er, I mean Linspire

[flap]

quote:They can choose to offer linux distro A, B and C (and pay a cost for every computer, unless those are free as in beer distros)

Which distros aren't free as in beer? There would be issues with Suse (due to yast), but all the other major distributions could be preinstalled on as many machines as they want.

[ July 21, 2004: Message edited by: flap ]

[linuxfreak]

quote: Which distros aren't free as in beer? There would be issues with Suse (due to yast), but all the other major distributions could be preinstalled on as many machines as they want.

Xandros maybe? If I remember right they have a free version but it has limitations, only x1 cd-burning     .

[ July 21, 2004: Message edited by: linuxfreak ]

[Aloone_Jonez]

The Linux shoot out          to Linspire!

But there again I'm not a BRAINLESS FUCKHEAD! I feel a lot more retarded and misinformed for reading this shit!

Is there anywhere independent that I can go to compare Linux features? (including more important features such as stability and configurebility)

When I first heard about Linux, I did think about buying Lindows, but I had heard people here saying that it sucked scum, and this has only confirmed my suspicions.

Now I wouldn't even pirate this shit!

To me this looks like a shoot out between Linspire, Mandrake and Fedora, with Linspire
firing a grenade launcher standing just 3ft away form a concrete wall and the others standing well back and laughing!

Don't you think that this is so kule?  

[ July 22, 2004: Message edited by: Aloone ]

[Commander]

like people said, lindows is the microsoft in the world of linux.  i guess it's more true now than ever.