Linux seller Lindows.com said Tuesday that it will continue to help Californians process legal claims against Microsoft, despite a challenge by the software giant.
An attorney representing Microsoft sent Lindows a cease-and-desist letter late last week objecting to the company's MSfreePC site. The site offers to process claims on behalf of current and former California residents who qualify for proceeds from the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft. Microsoft attorney Robert Rosenfeld said claims submitted by the Lindows service won't qualify under the terms of the settlement and demanded that Lindows remove the site.
In a letter sent to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Lindows CEO Michael Robertson said the MSfreePC site performs a valuable service for consumers and will remain in operation. He challenged Microsoft's objections to the service, particularly the assertion that claims need a physical signature to be valid. "You seem to have no objections when digital signatures are used to attempt to build Microsoft's profits, such as with MSN, Expedia or .Net," Robertson wrote. "I would also point out that Microsoft uses digital signatures to bind people to their restrictive end-user licensing agreements. It is hypocritical for Microsoft to endorse digital transactions to bolster your business but resist them whenever it may negatively impact your bottom line."
News source: C|Net News.com
An attorney representing Microsoft sent Lindows a cease-and-desist letter late last week objecting to the company's MSfreePC site. The site offers to process claims on behalf of current and former California residents who qualify for proceeds from the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Microsoft. Microsoft attorney Robert Rosenfeld said claims submitted by the Lindows service won't qualify under the terms of the settlement and demanded that Lindows remove the site.
In a letter sent to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Lindows CEO Michael Robertson said the MSfreePC site performs a valuable service for consumers and will remain in operation. He challenged Microsoft's objections to the service, particularly the assertion that claims need a physical signature to be valid. "You seem to have no objections when digital signatures are used to attempt to build Microsoft's profits, such as with MSN, Expedia or .Net," Robertson wrote. "I would also point out that Microsoft uses digital signatures to bind people to their restrictive end-user licensing agreements. It is hypocritical for Microsoft to endorse digital transactions to bolster your business but resist them whenever it may negatively impact your bottom line."
News source: C|Net News.com
"We think that wireless is clearly a big deal in mobile computing with 802.11," said Dell.
"In the enterprise market we are very much believers in the scale-out technologies with clusters or grids of servers; two-way and four-way servers.
"The market for larger servers - four-way and eight-way - is going down and the projections for two-way and four-way are going up. In the overall market for servers, about 99 per cent of the volume is for two-way and four-way."
The company is also branching out into new consumer areas, adding an online music service to rival Apple's iTunes, and building flat screen televisions, although there was no indication of whether this would be globally or just for the US market.
Like many of its rivals, Dell is pushing hard into the services sector, with the launch of Dell Managed Services and Dell Professional Services.
Unisys is providing the bulk of the services for Dell, and has to date signed deals with the likes of Axa and Cable & Wireless.
It is targeting those services that are becoming commoditised, such as desktop outsourcing and managing upgrades. Dell confirmed that the company would not be touching the more difficult custom application or development services.
Jon Collins, senior analyst at Quocirca, commented: "Dell has been missing out on this market because it sells direct, so it's an opportunity to have almost a reverse channel arrangement.
"It can use the systems integrators without saying that it is changing its business model."
Using third-party suppliers to provide the services gives Dell more chance of success, added Collins, because it does not have to go through a learning curve in this sector.
That's why we have these magic things called credit cards.
Of course, if this somehow magically does bring Microsoft down, Robertson's business goes down the tubes with nothing left to clutch to. He doesn't care; he's already rich up the ass. Who gets screwed? Guess.
The only way to make real money out of linux is the way he does it, with "n00b-conversion" and aggressive marketing. Even Red Hat, although they have quite a good reputation, has a commercial touch to it, with their 2-times-a-year release schedule and their red hat network.
[Edit: Please do not attempt to get around our profanity filter again. Thanks - Cara (Global Moderator)]
Last edited by 14112 on 30 Sep 2003 - 22:16
You are entitled to your opinion.
However I am also entitled to disagree with you. I'm not going to turn this into a flame thread, as nothing annoys me more when discussions disolve into name calling and such. But simply put Linux doesn't do the job for you - age, 'maturity', or graphics packages have anything to do with it. It just doesn't do the job for you.
Linux wouldn't be used by increasingly large development studios for high end CGI processing - I believe Pixar use Linux extensively to name just one company. And do we even need to discuss the use of Linux in government and nuclear research facilities? I couldn't imagine them powering one of their clusters on Windows, assuming it could even scale that well.
I'll agree that Linux on the desktop has a long way to go - I gave up on that notion some time ago, and use Windows at home and Mac OS at work. It just doesn't do the job for you - but it does do the job for countless thousands of other people.
Oh.. and trying to get Linux 'stable' doesn't really require much effort. You just install it.
In every post I have seen you make you act like a child towards anything that isn't windows. Then you tell others to grow up? I think you need to take a good look in the mirror and stop being so closed minded. Its people like you that I laugh at so cheers for making yourself looking like a moron.
MS has a really good operating system, stable as a rock and has good products, if they charge too much, that's their choice, its THEIR software, whether people buy it or not its THEIR choice, so Michael Robertson should SHUT the F***K OFF and start doing a real OS not claiming he is doing something HE DIDN'T do or trying to get money out of something that is offered for FREE to consumers.
Come on Michael Robertson, you were not original, NOT EVEN on the name of your SH*****TY OS grow up and do something useful!
Just my two cents.
Ely
Last edited by 2344 on 30 Sep 2003 - 22:09
linux is wonderful for server enviroments... i use it for a web/mail/ftp server...
its extremely handy... windows has a good platform too...
my saying...
IF IT WORKS FOR YOU GREAT... IF NOT TRY SOMETHING ELSE
2. That MSfreePC site is just horrible. They are just encouraging people to mooch off Microsoft.
Last edited by 25569 on 30 Sep 2003 - 23:49
And they don't even make money off of .NET by selling it to consumers other than selling Visual Studio. What the hell is he smoking?
now you claim eula is fake? i rember you stating that its legal binding!!! i pointed out it was not legal. guess you switch sides when ever bill tells you.
Yes, there is an EULA, but "there is other information involved." When you buy something from Microsoft, you do sign an EULA, but you also give them your credit card information, so they know it's actually you. When you do the same thing with Lindows, you can do whatever you want. You can pretend you're an 80-year-old geezer who lives in California and acts in porn movies. And you get a copy of Lindows.
You people complain about how Microsoft "dumps" its product on the market, yet this is completely okay with you? What hypocrites.
You are free to do what you please with Linux as long as you abide by the GNU license.
It does not mean that they give it away, only the souce is given away and you can have proprietary items in a linux Distro, such as YAST
Down with Lindows. Go Windows. Go Linux distros. Real Linux distros, not some ripoff.
Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!
Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.