Lindows is out in Sweden

[alx]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
I just think the name "Windows" is lousy because it is a common word. I think it should be forbidden for companies to put a copyright on common words. The same for Amiga ofcourse.

IMO "Windows" is far worse.  "Amiga" happens to mean something in Spanish, but I'm sure that some other companies have names like that.  To most people interested in the platform it isn't a common word.

"Windows" on the other hand could simply be taken to mean the most obvious feature of the system - movable Windows (which MacOS had before, and were called "Windows" before).  IIRC Lindows were arguing that the "Windows" trademark was valid due to this.

[Speelgoedmannetje]

geez, my name "Eyso" looks quite similar to the screen manufacturer "Eizo" So I can't make any product with my own name?

[voytech]

alx wrote:


"Amiga" happens to mean something in Spanish (...)/quote]

Actually Amiga in spanish means friend (girl or woman)  :-D  :-D

[Rodney]

Comon guys, are you all just jumping on the lets bash MS bandwagon. Im not saying its not fun but i think MS have a case here. As far as i can tell, and im not up on all the legal mumbo jumbo, not even in my own country, but dont these type of disputs happen when theirs a confusing name or soemthing like that being used that resembles another trade mark?

Do you honestly think people arnt going to be confused between lindows and windows? If i told my mum to go buy windows and all she could find was lindows, she'd buy it

Infact, im not sure with way to go here, i like the lindows name and i want them to keep it, but even the lindows management knew they were going to be in some hot water with this one, but they took the chance anyway. Think about it. They are delibratly trying to take something good away from MS's trade mark for themselfs, when this is something that belongs to MS and they've earnt. For example, when you hear Lindows you automaticly think Windows. Thats what they wanted. But is it moral? If Windows started calling their Operating system Winux, would you feel differently about the situation and you would think MS should not be able to use that name?

Seriously, i think MS have a case. Unfortunate for lindows, but they knew they where going to get this crap from MS but they took the chance.

[lempkee]

i sorta think this is cool, this will prevent name stealers and backwards portings (thats what they call it) to happen all over the place and especially when it comes to OS's , windows belongs on x86 etc , linux belongs on every hw there is (more or less)  , mac belongs on ppc hw...

imho this can and hopefully will show that this is illegal and will get serious problems in the future.

make everyone get annoyed with m$ and then move to amiga and stay there...good idea

[Tomas]

What will be the next thing? ban linux? and then macos?

I personally do not like Lindows, but still....
And btw, microsoft just stole a name from mozilla: http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/12/10/2226205&mode=thread&tid=109&tid=126&tid=155&tid=156&tid=187&tid=99
Not just a similar name, but exact same name!

[Effy]

Speelgoedmannetje wrote:
geez, my name "Eyso" looks quite similar to the screen manufacturer "Eizo" So I can't make any product with my own name?

Depends. If you want to bring out a new kind of chocolate biscuit then nobody will complain about the name, but if you design a new kind of monitor then you´ll be in trouble  :-)

[ple3003]

really. i don't like it. but the fact is everyone knows they "stole" the name from windows. a bit fuzzy, but they did. they want it to be a "copy" of windows, out of linux. and they chose the name lindows. you might say they are relly pushing it. alphabeticly, no it's not the same thing, but in reality everyone knows they stole the "concept". so why not?

[detz]

I hate M$, but i have to admit that they are totally in the right on this one. What if apple released macrosoft office? By the way, in winxp there is a boingball logo if you click on my pictures.

[kzin]

i sorta think this is cool, this will prevent name stealers and backwards portings (thats what they call it) to happen all over the place and especially when it comes to OS's , windows belongs on x86 etc , linux belongs on every hw there is (more or less) , mac belongs on ppc hw...

why would you think that backwards porting is a bad thing?

backwards porting as you call it, provides a valuable service to the consumer. in this case if windows was the be all and endall of OS's then why would any one want to use Lindows? But as we all know it is not. hence the market has created the need for somthing else. for windows to truly win it must show itself to be the superior product, the fact that MS prefers to pay its lawyers than its programers should be an answer in its self. but if people are using Lindows then it muist be a beter product in some way than windows, to those people.

is that a bad thing?

[Lo]

Since MS did not invent the "Windows" concept (was it Xerox?)   I don't see how anyone can feel for them.

[Waccoon]

I never used Lindows but it's just that M$ seems to be going just after anyone.

Try holding a conversation with someone, and mention Lindows.  99% of the time, you'll have to clarify which OS you mean.  You don't even have to mumble to confuse people.  These Linux boys knew damn well what they were getting into, and they wanted to start a fight.  We've got Debian, Suse, Mandrake...  nah...  let's call our Windows alternative Lindows, just to be a pain!

Regardless of your stance on whether "Windows" is a generic term or a valid trademark, they were looking for trouble, and they got it.  It's one thing to have a name that sounds like a little, unknown company, but thumbing your nose at one of the biggest software companies in the world is begging for a lawsuit.  Next, you'll have a company called EyeBM distributing PowerPC hardware.

Serves them right, and the more time they spend bitching with Microsoft about a name, they'll spend less time actually making an alternative.

Depends. If you want to bring out a new kind of chocolate biscuit then nobody will complain about the name, but if you design a new kind of monitor then you´ll be in trouble

Yup.  You can't legistate morality, which is where common sense comes in.  All it takes is a little originality and a 5-minute web search to know what you're up against.  Besides, if you're not trying to make your product distinctive, you're just hoping to ride on someone else's success.  Just look at all those Disney ripoffs.  Some of them are so blatant, they make me puke.

Originality?  What's that?

really. i don't like it. but the fact is everyone knows they "stole" the name from windows. a bit fuzzy, but they did. they want it to be a "copy" of windows, out of linux. and they chose the name lindows. you might say they are relly pushing it. alphabeticly, no it's not the same thing, but in reality everyone knows they stole the "concept". so why not?

The whole OS is stolen, so to speak.  It's Linux, running someone else's shell, an X11 server, and (I believe) the KDE desktop.  If it wasn't for click-n-run, it would just be another generic Linux distribution.

But then, the Oxford English dictionary isn't big enough for everybody...  :-)

[sir_inferno]

heh they did something similar in russia. obviously, in russia you can have the same name of a product, as long as they are completely different. so a guy had a beer company called windows, and their beer was windows 95  :-D  microsoft sued, but the russian judges went *SMACK* SHUTUP MICROSOFT, and the guy won  :-)

back to more serious matters:



the power button next to the clock looks incredibly similar to the power off button in xp...

[Tomas]

t's Linux, running someone else's shell, an X11 server, and (I believe) the KDE desktop. If it wasn't for click-n-run, it would just be another generic Linux distribution.

yeah paying for installing open source programs is indeed a nice feature  ;-)  I hate it when companies make big profits of selling programs that has been developed for free...

[Wolfe]

sir_inferno wrote:
heh they did something similar in russia. obviously, in russia you can have the same name of a product, as long as they are completely different. so a guy had a beer company called windows, and their beer was windows 95  :-D  microsoft sued, but the russian judges went *SMACK* SHUTUP MICROSOFT, and the guy won  :-)

back to more serious matters:



the power button next to the clock looks incredibly similar to the power off button in xp...

Sure looks like winblows. . . . Not !   :roflmao:

Windows never looked so good . . .  :lol: