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Xandros nears first release: set to announce at LinuxWorld
by Malcolm Dean (August 2, 2002)

DesktopLinux.com contributing editor Malcolm Dean interviews Xandros president Michael Bego and Dr. Frederick Berenstein, co-chairman of Linux Global Partners (the financial backer of Xandros), regarding the current state of Xandros as a company and on their plans to roll out the first release of Xandros Linux this Fall. Bego gives details about the distribution that includes "a spectacular office suite" and discusses Xandros' corporate goal "to be among the first crop of profitable Linux companies" . . .


Xandros Nears First Release: Set to announce at LinuxWorld
Malcolm Dean

Surrounded by rumors of large layoffs and financial problems, Ottawa-based Xandros will release its desktop distribution in late September or early October, Xandros President Michael Bego told DesktopLinux.com today. Bego confirmed that Xandros will announce at LinuxWorld a complete desktop solution including "a spectacular office suite" and other applications aimed at low-powered PCs, making Xandros a practical solution for machines which have no hope of running resource-hungry Microsoft products.

"We did lay off about 20% of our staff a month ago, not the rumored 60%, but that will not affect our launch plan," Bego said. "Beta 3 will come out in August, and Xandros 1.0 will appear in late September or early October. Our beta users say Beta 2 was one of the best solutions out there. We currently have about 25 developers on the team. We're avoiding some of Eazel's mistakes. We expect to be among the first crop of profitable Linux companies."

Dr. Frederick Berenstein, Co-Chairman of Linux Global Partners, the financial power behind the Xandros throne, refuted rumors that LGP had been locked out of its offices at one point for failing to pay rent. Sources also claimed, but were unable to substantiate, that Corel investment in Xandros was halted because LGP could not raise its portion of the deal. Corel currently owns 5% of Xandros.

"When we first started to explore Linux in 1998," Berenstein said, "many people thought it was risky. But it was equally clear that Linux's inherent stability and security were becoming a major force in the server market. According to InformationWeek, more than half of small companies use Linux as an Operating System for desktop PCs. Nearly 70% of small companies and over 60% of large ones say they decided to use Linux as an alternative to Windows."

"There's a reason why 24 countries have chosen Linux for their education systems. Worldwide, 80% of personal computers even meet the demands of Windows 95. But we're talking about shipping the most user-friendly desktop alternative complete with a spectacular office suite that takes up only 20-30MB. Sure it's risky, and we've had to live through some difficult financial times, but the wave is about to crest. In the next six months, there will be an explosion of the Linux desktop."

Bego believes that emphasis on easy updates and remote administration will appeal to businesses concerned with the technical difficulty of maintaining Linux. "We'll provide this service to business customers, and we're looking at terminal services and a server release in 2003."

If the theme of easy updates sounds familiar, it should come as little surprise that Xandros Linux is the basis of the controversial and secretive LindowsOS. Bego said Xandros will soon make an announcement regarding their relationship.

Xandros expects Corel to assist with strategy and distribution. "We're still heavily KDE- and Debian-based. We've streamlined the desktop, made it very straightforward for the normal user. GNOME is a great interface, but we feel that KDE is more familiar, and approaching a critical mass in the marketplace."

Unlike Mandrake, Bego thinks UnitedLinux is probably a good idea. "The great thing about standards," he said, "is that there are so many of them. That's not a good thing. We're looking for a broadly shared standard. And we're considering whether to join."

While Mandrake touts itself as the dominant desktop distribution, Bego believes Xandros is substantially more user-friendly. "We certainly allow tweaking by savvy users," he said, "but Mandrake is more oriented toward hobbyist users. Our emphasis is on one-button control, and the creation of a quality Linux product that corporations won't have difficulty introducing into their environment. Lycoris is heading in a great direction, but they're primarily packaging Open Source components. Between Xandros and Corel, we've invested $32 million above and beyond that, and it shows."

Copyright © 2002 by Malcolm Dean. Reproduced by DesktopLinux.com with permission.

About the author: Contributing Editor Malcolm Dean is a writer and IT strategist based in Los Angeles.


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