Lindows announced today the company’s desktop Linux operating system, LindowsOS, is now, officially renamed Linspire. The website www.lindows.com has been replaced by www.linspire.com, which will now be the primary site for customers looking for information, who want to purchase any Lindows, Inc. products, or are looking for support for previously purchased software.
“We have partnerships with hard disk, motherboard, laptop and desktop companies that want to ship our software to their worldwide market,” Michael Robertson, CEO of Lindows, Inc., said in a statement. “By renaming our product, we are able to facilitate distribution of low-cost, easy-to-use desktop Linux.
“Last week, Lindows won in French courts when Microsoft was denied a preliminary injunction. Despite our victories in the United States and overseas, a name change is still necessary to counter Microsoft’s strategy to sue us in courts around the world. We’re hoping that this puts a halt on the international lawsuits. A Microsoft spokesperson has publicly stated that ‘We’re only asking that Lindows change their name’ which is what we have done.”
The two-year-old case between Lindows and Microsoft over the ‘Windows’ trademark will continue in the U.S. Microsoft has appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the case is pending a decision as to whether the Appeals Court will hear Microsoft’s case. The name Lindows will still be used in the U.S. in certain instances and as the corporate name.
Linspire is similar in features and capabilities to LindowsOS, but will have Linspire branding throughout. Current users of LindowsOS will not be affected and an upgrade is not required.
The www.linspire.com Website will offer visitors information about the Linspire software and process purchases, while all corporate information about Lindows, Inc. will now be available at www.lindowsinc.com.
For a more complete discussion of the name change, visit www.linspire.com/mm.
This article was compiled and edited by CIO Update staff. Please direct any
questions regarding its content to Allen Bernard, Managing Editor.
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