DesktopLinux.com, the leading destination on the
web for Desktop Linux news and information, today
proclaimed July 4th, 2002 to be the first annual
wIndependence Day. Coinciding with the US
Independence Day holiday, wIndependence Day
celebrates the burgeoning use of Linux on business,
government, educational institution, and personal
end-user computer desktops as an alternative to
dependence on Microsoft’s Windows operating system and
associated products.
web for Desktop Linux news and information, today
proclaimed July 4th, 2002 to be the first annual
wIndependence Day. Coinciding with the US
Independence Day holiday, wIndependence Day
celebrates the burgeoning use of Linux on business,
government, educational institution, and personal
end-user computer desktops as an alternative to
dependence on Microsoft’s Windows operating system and
associated products.
Thousands of dollars worth of prizes for the celebration's essay contest are being donated by CodeWeavers, ELX, Lindows.com, Lycoris, MandrakeSoft, Opera, Sun Microsystems, SuSE, theKompany, and Ximian, providers of the leading desktop-oriented Linux distributions and productivity tools. To turbocharge this year's wIndependence Day celebration, DesktopLinux.com is inviting readers to send in their 500-1000 word accounts of how they have 'kicked the Windows habit' or implemented Linux as a Windows-alternative in their company or organization. Twenty-five of the best essays submitted by midnight July 3rd will be selected for publication at DesktopLinux.com beginning on July 4th, and their authors will be awarded prizes from among the following: CodeWeavers: CD version of CrossOver Office; CD version of Crossover Plugin ELX: ELX Platinum version; ELX tee shirt Lindows.com: a Microtel LindowsOS-powered computer system Lycoris: Desktop/LX Update 2 Beta CD hot off the press; Lycoris tee shirt Mandrake: Standard Edition Boxed edition; Powerpack Boxed edition; ProSuite Boxed edition; Mandrake tee shirt Opera: Opera for Linux (license) Sun Microsystems: StarOffice 6.0 boxed set SuSE: SuSE linux Professional with Pro-Office theKompany: Kivio mp, a powerful flowchart and diagram tool Ximian: Ximian Desktop Professional Edition; Red Carpet Express account Further details on the contest, prizes, and rules of entry are available here. Linux is increasingly the OS of choice for businesses, organizations, and consumers wanting to break free of Microsoft's desktop computer software monopoly, while saving money and improving system security and reliability. Recently, the move to Linux has been spurred in part as a reaction to Microsoft's new, more aggressive, licensing policy. Various governmental agencies and educational institutions worldwide have recently begun implementing legislation or programs geared to the adoption of Linux and other open source software as an alternative to Microsoft's Windows and Office products. * * * * * * Here are quotes from the leading providers of software for Linux on the desktop, who are supporting this event by donating prizes: "This is going to be the breakout year for Linux on the Desktop. When we launched CrossOver Office earlier this year, we were completely overwhelmed by the number of people who were planning to move to Linux. With the great strides made in Linux in the areas of installation and usability, our elimination of the Windows compatibility problem has removed the last major barrier to wide spread Linux adoption," said Jeremy White, Founder and CEO of CodeWeavers. "Such policies of Microsoft are, in fact, helping Linux to find its way rapidly into the desktops of even giant organizations. Microsoft itself is shaking them up from the deep hypnotic slumber. Many of them are rising to the dawn of Linux which heralds an era of freedom of choice, reliability, and now unprecedented ease of use as well," commented Abhi Datt, Chief Software Architect and founder of Project ELX. "Lindows.com is all about providing a choice on the desktop," said Michael Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of Lindows.com, Inc. "wIndependence Day demonstrates the growing segment of people who want viable, affordable and stable choices in technology." "We are proud to be part of the Desktop Linux community. We've made the extra effort to create a feeling of inclusiveness at the Lycoris Community Website, lycoris.org, and by visiting local Linux User Groups and being part of Install Fests," commented Jason Spisak, Marketing Director, Lycoris. "Offering an easy to use operating system based on Linux, like Desktop/LX, has to be coupled with both consumer friendliness and respect for Open Source -- otherwise it's just smoke and mirrors. We're glad to have the opportunity to participate in this exciting new annual Desktop Linux community event." "The rapid maturity of Linux has propelled it from a viable alternative to a must-consider option for the desktop. MandrakeSoft proudly supports this wIndependence Day celebration and the continued development of open source technology," said Daniel Morales, VP Americas. "Linux is maturing into a real competitor to Windows on desktops around the world," says Pal A. Hvistendahl, communications director, Opera Software ASA. "That the OS is gaining strides in popularity as well is obvious to all of us at Opera Software. So far we've had over one million downloads and installations of our Opera for Linux version, with thousands of new users looking for a better Internet experience adopting Opera every day. By continuing the focus of bringing cutting-edge technology to Linux users, Opera is proud to be part of the movement that is making Linux a user-friendly desktop alternative for users of all skill levels." "More and more enterprises today are doing business on multiple platforms, including Linux" said Cheryln Chin, vice president, business development, Software Systems Group at Sun Microsystems. "With the help of StarOffice 6.0, many Linux users will now have a full-featured office productivity suite - compatible with major platforms -- to conduct everyday business." "The Linux Desktop is here today!," proclaimed Holger Dyroff, SuSE Director of North American Sales. "SuSE is proud to have contributed significant resources and development efforts to making the Linux Desktop a reality. By sponsoring numerous Open Source projects such as KDE, ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture), Reiser Journaling file, system, XFREE86 and the Linux Kernel itself, SuSE has been committed to Linux since 1992. "We think this idea from DesktopLinux is a fantastic one. We've been trying to do our share of making the transition from Windows to Linux easier by having many of our applications available on both platforms for one price. This helps to reduce the risk and financial impact of transition, when you already have applications you are familiar with. We'll conquer the desktop together, one user at a time if need be," enthused Shawn Gordon, President of theKompany. "As a company, Ximian is focused on driving Linux desktop adoption by providing the desktop usability, productivity applications, interoperability and software management that end users and corporate customers need, especially in mixed Windows environments," said David Patrick, president and CEO of Ximian, Inc.. "Our products, including Ximian GNOME, Ximian Evolution, Red Carpet and Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange help make that possible. DesktopLinux.com provides an invaluable resource for users making the move to Linux desktops, with the wIndependence Day program being only the latest example." * * * * * * About DesktopLinux.com DesktopLinux.com is the premier destination on the web for Desktop Linux content. A unique web portal exclusively devoted to the use of Linux as a desktop operating system for personal and business purposes, DesktopLinux.com features news, opinions, HOWTOs, FAQs, product previews/reviews, product listings, a discussion forum, and links to other web resources, all focused on using -- or learning to use -- Linux as a desktop operating system. DesktopLinux.com is the sister site of the popular embedded Linux portal, LinuxDevices.com, which has become the most prominent website for the Embedded Linux market and won Linux Magazine's coveted 'Website of the Year' in the 2001 Editors Choice awards. Decision makers have consistently relied on DeviceForge websites, for news, information, and trends about the emerging Linux market since 1999. About CodeWeavers CodeWeavers provides products and services that help our customers to make the transition from the Windows software world to the Linux software world. Our CrossOver Office product makes it possible to run popular productivity applications such as Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes. Our CrossOver Plugin product makes it possible to use popular Windows centric web content, such as Windows Media Player, Quicktime, and Shockwave. About ELX ELX has been designed and developed for those technology savvy organizations and individuals who want ease, reliability, productivity and technical superiority, all at the same time. To know why ELX is the best ever Linux Experience, visit: www.elxlinux.com/misc/compare.php About Lindows.com Lindows.com, Inc. is a consumer company that brings choice to computer users. Lindows.com, Inc. uses the latest technology to create affordable, stable, user-friendly products. Lindows.com, Inc. was started by Michael Robertson, founder and former CEO of MP3.com. At the core of Lindows.com is a new operating system called LindowsOS, a modern, affordable, easy-to-use operating system with Click-N-Run, a feature that allows users to download high-quality software with one-click of their mouse. About Lycoris Lycoris, located in Redmond, Washington, was founded in 2000 with a vision of making Linux simple enough for anyone to use. Lycoris packages Open Source applications for the consumer market and integrates them into Desktop/LX, a simple, robust desktop operating system. Lycoris has enjoyed amazingly positive press coverage while rocketing into the spotlight as the provider of Desktop/LX, and continues to create easy to use products, like the upcoming Iris, Internet Rapid Installer for Software, which makes software installation from the web a breeze. About MandrakeSoft MandrakeSoft provides a trusted interface between users of information technology and open source developers. The company offers its enterprise, government and educational customers a set of GNU Linux and Open-Source software and related services, and user-friendly and highly competitive information technologies. In addition, MandrakeSoft offers technologists committed to open software and courseware a trusted channel to offer their services. The company has technologists in over 20 countries, and is traded on Paris Euronext Marché Libre and the US OTC market. "Born on the Internet" in late 1998, MandrakeSoft established headquarters in the U.S.A., Montreal, and France. Please visit www.mandrakesoft.com for more information. About Opera Software Opera Software ASA is an industry leader in the development of Web browsers for the desktop and embedded markets, partnering with companies such as IBM, AMD, Symbian, Canal+ Technologies, Ericsson, Sharp and Lineo. The Opera browser has received international recognition from end users and the industry press for being faster, smaller and more standards-compliant than other browsers. Opera is available on Windows, Mac, Linux/Solaris, Symbian OS and QNX. Opera Software ASA is a privately held company headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Learn more about Opera at www.opera.com. About Sun Microsystems Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com. Sun's StarOffice 6.0 software offers a full-featured, multi-platform office suite with word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, Web-publishing, charting, formula-editing and database applications that offer everyone from large organizations, to governments, to small business, to individuals, a cost effective multi-platform alternative to proprietary office suites. StarOffice supports Linux, Solaris and Windows platforms. StarOffice 6.0 software is available in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Japanese (kanji) and Korean, in addition to the major Western languages. About SuSE SuSE Linux AG, Nuremberg/Germany, is one of the world's leading providers of complete solutions based on the Open Source operating system Linux. In addition to operating systems and application software for private customers, SuSE Linux AG offers software solutions and complete systems for the deployment of Linux in companies. SuSE supports its enterprise customers with a comprehensive range of qualified consulting, training, and support services. The company, which hosts the world's largest development team for Open Source solutions, has made its unique project and support know-how accessible via the Internet in the largest existing Linux knowledge database. About theKompany theKompany.com is a California-based corporation founded in 1999 with developer teams in North America and Europe. theKompany.com fills a need in the Linux community for mass-marketed, quality Linux software by producing developer tools and desktop applications. Recently theKompany has branched out into the embedded space on the new Sharp Zaurus and has recently won contests and awards for those applications. theKompany.com's products are marketed both online and through B&M channels such as Microcenter and Fry's Electronics. Visit www.thekompany.com or email info@thekompany.com for more information. About Ximian Ximian is the established leader in providing open source desktop technology, applications, support and services for the Linux and UNIX marketplaces. Ximian products, in use by over 1,000,000 people worldwide, are providing the ease of use, productivity and interoperability needed to propel the adoption of the Linux desktop in corporate computing environments. Its Ximian Desktop software starts with Ximian GNOME, a productized end-user desktop based on the GNOME project, to provide a complete graphical desktop environment and productivity application suite for Linux and UNIX systems. Ximian Red Carpet and Ximian Evolution deliver software and personal information management solutions for both end users and corporate customers. Comprised of many of the original architects of the GNOME system, Ximian is a founding member of the GNOME Foundation and sits on the advisory board. The company has secured funding from leading venture firms Charles River Ventures and Battery Ventures and can be reached at www.ximian.com.