Michael’s minutes: The desk theory (Lindows)

“SP2 will be released next week. With a speedy five-minute installation
process either alongside an existing Microsoft Windows 98, or as the only
operating system on a computer, consumers can experience an affordable
computing solution.”

Subject:      Michael's Minutes: The Desk Theory
Date:         Wed, 3 Apr 2002 17:12:20 -0800
From:         "Michael Robertson" 
To:           "Lindows.com Friends" 




Remember when every house had just one television? Today, it's not uncommon
for families to have multiple televisions. The personal computer is poised
to experience the same phenomenon. The tipping point will be when a personal
computer is cheaper than the desk it sits on. Then we'll see PCs appearing
in every room of every house and employees will have more than one computer
on their desk.

As prices fall, PCs are moving from one per person (or per family)
big-ticket items to common appliances. They're becoming commodities that can
be dedicated to a task or a location. Tomorrow's teenager will be asking for
a "chat computer" to do instant messaging in their bedroom, just as the
generation before them pled for a telephone. Every major electronic
manufacturer sells a capable $500 computer and there's no indication that
the low-end price will stop there. This downward price trend will trigger an
explosion of computer ownership and ultimately close the digital divide.

Artificially high-prices for software is the one obstacle preventing this
trend from truly exploding. While Microsoft contends that no consumers (or
companies for that matter) have been hurt by their illegal practices over
the last decade, that's simply not true. With no competitors keeping
Microsoft's prices in check, they have consistently raised prices of their
software and instituted onerous licensing terms. Billions of dollars are
being transferred from consumer's wallets to Microsoft's coffers. More
importantly, these tactics have prevented computing from reaching the
digitally disadvantaged as well as slowed the growth of the multi-computer
family and business.

Fortunately, LindowsOS addresses this issue by offering an affordable
product, which is well-suited for a cost-conscious business environment or a
13-year-old's bedroom. We've spent a considerable amount of time with our
upcoming version of LindowsOS making sure that it will handle many of the
computing tasks and file types that people have grown accustomed to using.
Users of our Sneak Preview 2 (SP2) will be greeted with a pleasing interface
which will handle browsing and email. More impressively, it will handle
common file formats - even those proprietary to Microsoft. It's now
commonplace for Microsoft Word ".doc" files, Microsoft Excel ".xls" and
Microsoft PowerPoint ".ppt" files to be sent as attachments or posted on
public web sites. LindowsOS users can view and print these files without
buying any additional software. On the web, Macromedia Flash, Adobe PDF
files, graphics and audio formats, like MP3s, are now common-fare and
accordingly, LindowsOS opens or plays them all with a single mouse click.
You can test a list of file formats LindowsOS handles by visiting:
http://www.lindows.com/filetypes .

This level of seamless compatibility with common computing formats has never
been achieved before with any out-of-the box non-Microsoft installation. We
think it's an essential step in the process to bring more people to the
possibility of an affordable choice.

SP2 will be released next week. With a speedy five-minute installation
process either alongside an existing Microsoft Windows 98, or as the only
operating system on a computer, consumers can experience an affordable
computing solution.

Microsoft has waged a war against all computer manufacturers who ship
computers with Linux or no operating system in an attempt to keep prices
high. The day has come when consumers should stand up and demand an
alternative and OEMs should stop kowtowing to Microsoft pressure. Next week,
Lindows.com takes a big step towards offering a viable alternative. It's not
the finished product, but with the help of our Insiders
(www.lindows.com/signup), we'll meet our goal of a final product later this
year.


Michael Robertson
CEO of Lindows.com
michaelr@lindows.com

Bringing choice to your computer!

Lindows.com has released a Sneak Preview of LindowsOS to a select group of
Insiders. The Sneak Preview is not a fully completed product but showcases
many of the unique features such as a "Friendly-Install" alongside an
existing Microsoft Windows operating system, a streamlined installation
process which requires no computer knowledge and the ability to run popular
Windows-based programs. This will be followed by Version 1.0 which will go
on sale later this year. For more information see www.lindows.com/products

Become a Lindows.com Insider

To read previous Michael's Minutes, click here.

LindowsOS and Lindows.com are trademarks of Lindows.com, Inc. Linux is a
registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Microsoft Windows operating system
is a registered trademark or service mark of the Microsoft Corporation.

MM8