A reporter came by the Lindows.com offices last Friday. He told me that he wanted to try and use LindowsOS to write a story, but he didn't think it was possible because his office used Microsoft Word .doc files. I asked him to have a seat and watch.

I turned on the Walmart.com computer and then clicked on the running man which took me to the Click-N-Run Warehouse where I installed OpenOffice using Click-N-Run. I then clicked the "Run It" button which opened the word processor OpenOffice Writer. I then typed "Linux is ready for the desktop and consumers can save hundreds using LindowsOS." I selected "Save as Microsoft Word."

The reporter was not only surprised, he was amazed. Like many reporters, he was under the impression that Linux was only for servers. The simple word processor demonstration went a long way to show him otherwise. For Linux to become a driving force in desktop computing it will have to overcome a couple of myths.

The first myth is that Linux is too hard to install and configure. That may have been true in the past, but we’ve annihilated this myth with the latest version of LindowsOS --which installs on most machines in under 5 minutes. It's point- and-shoot easy - easier than any other operating system (Microsoft products included). See for yourself at www.tryoutlinux.com.

The other myth is that Linux is just for the server and none of the graphical programs --which desktop users have come to rely on-- exist. Not only have many of the Linux software programs made quantum leaps over the last couple of years, but they've gotten quite good at reading and writing Microsoft formats. The easiest way to experience these products is via the Click-N-Run Warehouse.

Here's a quick list of some of the quality programs available today in the Warehouse all downloaded and installed with a single click:

- This one installation will equip a computer with an impressive collection of productivity programs each of which will open the corresponding Microsoft file format and allow you to edit files and swap them with Microsoft counterparts. www.lindows.com/openoffice Programs included are:

OpenOffice Writer - Word processor (reads Microsoft Word docs)

OpenOffice Calc - Spreadsheet (reads Microsoft Excel)

OpenOffice Impress- Presentation package (reads Microsoft PowerPoint)

OpenOffice Draw - A vector based drawing program Click here for a great tutorial on getting to know OpenOffice.

GIMP (www.lindows.com/gimp) If you are familiar with Adobe's Photoshop, you'll want to Click-N-Run GIMP. It's a powerful image editor.


Evolution (www.lindows.com/evolution) For those used to Microsoft's Outlook email program Evolution will make them feel right at home. Check out how easy it is to use.

Flowchart Pro, which is similar to Microsoft’s Visio, is a rich charting program that makes it possible to create flow charts and organizational charts, plus more. See how easy it for yourself, visit Flowchart Pro at www.lindows.com/flowchartpro

This is just a handful of the quality programs available in the Warehouse (www.lindows.com/warehouse) that make Linux a practical choice for the desktop today. And if you're still not convinced, then do the math.


For a total cost of $499, including all software, computer users save more than $800 for a complete system.

With such major price differentials between the two similarly equipped systems, any business, school or home will find their computing dollars stretched much further running LindowsOS.

Michael Robertson

mm19 The Michael's Minute Meter

44%  22%  33%  AGREE  DISAGREE  MIXED

Do YOU generally agree or disagree with Michael in this week's Minute shown above?   I generally AGREE with Michael this week I generally DISAGREE with Michael this week I am MIXED or don't have an opinion either way