Answers given by Kevin Carmony, President, Lindows.com, Inc.
http://lindows.com/leadership
Hello,
Here are the Interview Questions for Lindows.com
Q. Please explain the Lindows.com mission statement? (What are your goals and what do you hope to achieve?)
A. I think our slogo says it best, “The Affordable Choice.” Our mission has been the same since we started, to provide the masses (homes, schools and businesses) an affordable alternative to Microsoft Windows. Linux has always been affordable, stable and secure, it just needed to be made a lot easier to use for it to be a viable choice on the desktop/laptop. Because we focus exclusively on the desktop, we have a sensitivity to ease of use that goes beyond where Linux traditionally has gone. So, that remains our mission, to make Linux so easy to use, that it becomes an affordable option for everyone's desktop or laptop.
Q. What are the long term plans for Lindows.com in the Linux Desktop space? Where do you see the company in 12 months time from now?
A. I think the technology is starting to catch up to where it needs to be. We certainly keep working hard on making the product better,particularly in the area of application availability, but I think the next 12 months will actually be more about marketing and educating people about considering Linux as a choice on their desktop. I read recently that Linus Torvalds thinks it will be 10 years before Linux is ready for the masses on the desktop. It's clear to me that even he isn't aware of how far it's come, so yes, there needs to be a lot of education about the Linux option in the coming year. If this happens, more people will start using Linux on their desktop, spurring development, the applications will come, and the technology will get to where it needs to be.
Q. Lindows.com has an amazingly well thought out corporate identity, especially in regards to its image, logo, and graphics. How do you see this progressing into the future?
A. As I said, education is the key right now, so that means we need to market Linux in a way that will make the masses feel comfortable about taking a look at it. We're fortunate to not only have top engineers at Lindows.com, but to also have a top-notch marketing team as well, starting with our CEO, Michael Robertson. Expect to see us continue working hard to educate people about Linux.
Q. Who do you consider to be your main competitors? (Other Linux companies or Microsoft?)
A. I'd rank our competition in this order: Microsoft, Microsoft, and then Microsoft. No one else has enough market share to matter. It's all about winning Microsoft Windows users over enough that they give Linux a try. Our fellow Linux companies help in that regard, so we're glad they're out there educating the marketplace as well. Desktop Linux needs to be a wave upon which Lindows.com rides. We can't create that wave alone.
Q. Can you tell us the size of your company, and are there plans to hire more developers in the near future?
A. We are currently at 65 employees. We're always on the look out for great talent and are hiring all the time. I think you can expect to see us grow to around 100 employees in the coming year. Obviously, without the benefit of the open source movement, it wouldn't be possible to do what we do with such a small group, so we try to sponsor and support a lot of open source projects. (http://lindows.com/opensource).
Q. Can you tell us about the next version of LindowsOS? What improvements will it have over the current LindowsOS 4.5 release?
A. We try not to talk about products before they're released, so I'll just say our next version will be out later this year and that it is amazing and certainly our most ambitious release to date. Gee, now I sound like the guy from the TV show The Bachelor, “Up next, our most shocking rose ceremony ever!”
Q. Who is the LindowsOS target customer? Who are you trying to sell your products to?
A. Anyone looking for an affordable desktop/laptop environment that is secure, stable, and easy to use. This means home users, schools and businesses. We don't offer a server product, so we eat, sleep and drink the desktop and laptop. I hope our exclusive focus on the desktop/laptop shows in our product. I think it does.
Q. What do you consider to be the greatest assets for Lindows.com as a company?
A. That's easy...our people. We have 65 superstars working here. We have some of the top Linux engineers to be found anywhere. We have graphics designers like Everaldo and Ingo who are known throughout the Linux community. We have a top-notch management team with the talents of not only Michael Robertson, but four former CEOs of very successful companies, all thrilled to be here working together, taking on this big challenge. I've been involved with some amazing companies over the years, but I have never seen a team more talented or hard working than this group. If you can't tell already, I'm extremely proud of our team.
Please keep in mind that I also consider all of the LindowsOS community part of our team. Our Insiders have been amazing, many of them putting in almost as many hours as our full time staff. I would encourage anyone to visit our strong community at http://lindows.com/forum and see for yourself. Go to our guest forum, ask a question, and watch how quickly our community will welcome you in.
Q. What do you consider do be your biggest challenge?
A. Educating people about the Linux choice for their desktop/laptop. Getting people to try something new takes a lot of work, time and energy. The only hope Microsoft has, is that the monopoly they have had extends to the minds of the consumer. If we can get people to be open minded enough to give Linux a try, we know many will never go back.
I didn't know what Linux was a couple of years ago when Michael Robertson asked me to be part of his vision for desktop Linux. I now run it full time and would never go back, even if I didn't work here. That's the sort of educational change we need to take to the masses.
Q. What would you consider to be your biggest success?
A. From a business stand point, I'd say our ability to get into the distribution channels with hundreds of thousands of computers now being sold pre-installed with LindowsOS. Almost every week we announce another big vendor pre-installing Linux. We now have thousands of people EVERY DAY buying LindowsOS computers and being exposed to Linux for the first time. Most people have never installed an OS in their life, nor do they want to, they just use the OS that comes pre-installed when they buy a computer. So, if we can't get Linux pre-installed on computers, we won't get the masses to try it.
From a technical stand point, I'd have to say our biggest success is CNR (click-n-run). We have dozens of our employees who work on nothing but CNR, making sure it works flawlessly, keeping the servers up and fast, keeping our CNR Warehouse fresh with the latest software, and so on. CNR trumps anything Microsoft Windows has, so we're very proud of it.
Q. What do you consider to be your biggest failing? (there must be something)
We've always had a wonderful flow of communication with our users, as anyone can see if they visit our forums, but in the past we haven't done as good of a job of communicating with non-LindowsOS users. This created a lot of misunderstandings about Lindows.com outside of our user base. I think in the early days of Lindows.com, we were so busy in building our product, that we didn't take the time to talk much with the outside world. It wasn't that we were avoiding those discussions, we just felt it wasn't time to talk about products that were still being built. I'm happy to say, that in the last few months, now that we feel our product is finally ready for everyone, we've done a much better job of communicating with non-LindowsOS users too. This interview is a good example. We wouldn't have taken the time to do this a year ago, we were so focused on building LindowsOS. In hindsight, I wish we would have communicated a little more, so as to have minimized any misconceptions, but I think we've rectified that moving forward.
Here are some of the myths we find ourselves still having to dispel:
LindowsOS runs MS Windows software. (We changed our efforts away from this almost two years ago to focus on helping create better native Linux software. Our users knew about this, but non-users still seem to think this. http://lindows.com/mswindows)
LindowsOS makes you run as root. (This was only the case in our very first “Sneak Preview” two years ago. Ever since that time, during install, the user is given the chance set up Admin AND User accounts. This is also the case when a user starts a new LindowsOS computer for the first time.)
Lindows.com renames everything to “Lindowsthis” and “Lindowsthat.”
(What we do is rename things to terms people understand, like MP3 Player, Calculator, Instant Messenger. We leave XMMS, GAIM, etc. there too.)
Lindows.com doesn't contribute to Open Source (We've contributed over one million dollars in code, money, sponsorships, etc. http://lindows.com/opensource)
Lindows.com is always doing something that upsets Microsoft. (OK, so maybe this one isn't a myth )
To make up for these lapses on our part, we'd like offer penitence
by giving your readers a free digital copy of LindowsOS so they can try it out for themselves and see first hand what it's like. Hopefully this will help dispel any myths they may have heard. To get a free copy, simply go to http://lindows.com/buyit and select the digital copy of LindowsOS. When you check out, use the coupon code "IReadDesktopOS" and you'll get it for free. This coupon code will only be good for a day or two, so that we don't go completely broke as this coupon code gets passed around. I apologize in advance if you missed it. =) (You're also welcome to choose the packaged version, but you'll have to pay the extra $10 for the packaging as well as shipping and handling.
If you get the free digital version, you download an .iso and burn your own CD.)
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A. Just to say thank you for taking the time to ask us these questions and sharing our answers with your readers. Also, thank you for the good work you do at DesktopOS.com in helping educate people about the Linux choice. If there is anything we can ever do to help, let us know.
Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed
http://lindows.com/leadership
Hello,
Here are the Interview Questions for Lindows.com
Q. Please explain the Lindows.com mission statement? (What are your goals and what do you hope to achieve?)
A. I think our slogo says it best, “The Affordable Choice.” Our mission has been the same since we started, to provide the masses (homes, schools and businesses) an affordable alternative to Microsoft Windows. Linux has always been affordable, stable and secure, it just needed to be made a lot easier to use for it to be a viable choice on the desktop/laptop. Because we focus exclusively on the desktop, we have a sensitivity to ease of use that goes beyond where Linux traditionally has gone. So, that remains our mission, to make Linux so easy to use, that it becomes an affordable option for everyone's desktop or laptop.Q. What are the long term plans for Lindows.com in the Linux Desktop space? Where do you see the company in 12 months time from now?
A. I think the technology is starting to catch up to where it needs to be. We certainly keep working hard on making the product better,particularly in the area of application availability, but I think the next 12 months will actually be more about marketing and educating people about considering Linux as a choice on their desktop. I read recently that Linus Torvalds thinks it will be 10 years before Linux is ready for the masses on the desktop. It's clear to me that even he isn't aware of how far it's come, so yes, there needs to be a lot of education about the Linux option in the coming year. If this happens, more people will start using Linux on their desktop, spurring development, the applications will come, and the technology will get to where it needs to be.
Q. Lindows.com has an amazingly well thought out corporate identity, especially in regards to its image, logo, and graphics. How do you see this progressing into the future?
A. As I said, education is the key right now, so that means we need to market Linux in a way that will make the masses feel comfortable about taking a look at it. We're fortunate to not only have top engineers at Lindows.com, but to also have a top-notch marketing team as well, starting with our CEO, Michael Robertson. Expect to see us continue working hard to educate people about Linux.
Q. Who do you consider to be your main competitors? (Other Linux companies or Microsoft?)
A. I'd rank our competition in this order: Microsoft, Microsoft, and then Microsoft. No one else has enough market share to matter. It's all about winning Microsoft Windows users over enough that they give Linux a try. Our fellow Linux companies help in that regard, so we're glad they're out there educating the marketplace as well. Desktop Linux needs to be a wave upon which Lindows.com rides. We can't create that wave alone.
Q. Can you tell us the size of your company, and are there plans to hire more developers in the near future?
A. We are currently at 65 employees. We're always on the look out for great talent and are hiring all the time. I think you can expect to see us grow to around 100 employees in the coming year. Obviously, without the benefit of the open source movement, it wouldn't be possible to do what we do with such a small group, so we try to sponsor and support a lot of open source projects. (http://lindows.com/opensource).
Q. Can you tell us about the next version of LindowsOS? What improvements will it have over the current LindowsOS 4.5 release?
A. We try not to talk about products before they're released, so I'll just say our next version will be out later this year and that it is amazing and certainly our most ambitious release to date. Gee, now I sound like the guy from the TV show The Bachelor, “Up next, our most shocking rose ceremony ever!”
Q. Who is the LindowsOS target customer? Who are you trying to sell your products to?
A. Anyone looking for an affordable desktop/laptop environment that is secure, stable, and easy to use. This means home users, schools and businesses. We don't offer a server product, so we eat, sleep and drink the desktop and laptop. I hope our exclusive focus on the desktop/laptop shows in our product. I think it does.
Q. What do you consider to be the greatest assets for Lindows.com as a company?
A. That's easy...our people. We have 65 superstars working here. We have some of the top Linux engineers to be found anywhere. We have graphics designers like Everaldo and Ingo who are known throughout the Linux community. We have a top-notch management team with the talents of not only Michael Robertson, but four former CEOs of very successful companies, all thrilled to be here working together, taking on this big challenge. I've been involved with some amazing companies over the years, but I have never seen a team more talented or hard working than this group. If you can't tell already, I'm extremely proud of our team.
Please keep in mind that I also consider all of the LindowsOS community part of our team. Our Insiders have been amazing, many of them putting in almost as many hours as our full time staff. I would encourage anyone to visit our strong community at http://lindows.com/forum and see for yourself. Go to our guest forum, ask a question, and watch how quickly our community will welcome you in.
Q. What do you consider do be your biggest challenge?
A. Educating people about the Linux choice for their desktop/laptop. Getting people to try something new takes a lot of work, time and energy. The only hope Microsoft has, is that the monopoly they have had extends to the minds of the consumer. If we can get people to be open minded enough to give Linux a try, we know many will never go back.
I didn't know what Linux was a couple of years ago when Michael Robertson asked me to be part of his vision for desktop Linux. I now run it full time and would never go back, even if I didn't work here. That's the sort of educational change we need to take to the masses.
Q. What would you consider to be your biggest success?
A. From a business stand point, I'd say our ability to get into the distribution channels with hundreds of thousands of computers now being sold pre-installed with LindowsOS. Almost every week we announce another big vendor pre-installing Linux. We now have thousands of people EVERY DAY buying LindowsOS computers and being exposed to Linux for the first time. Most people have never installed an OS in their life, nor do they want to, they just use the OS that comes pre-installed when they buy a computer. So, if we can't get Linux pre-installed on computers, we won't get the masses to try it.
From a technical stand point, I'd have to say our biggest success is CNR (click-n-run). We have dozens of our employees who work on nothing but CNR, making sure it works flawlessly, keeping the servers up and fast, keeping our CNR Warehouse fresh with the latest software, and so on. CNR trumps anything Microsoft Windows has, so we're very proud of it.
Q. What do you consider to be your biggest failing? (there must be something)
We've always had a wonderful flow of communication with our users, as anyone can see if they visit our forums, but in the past we haven't done as good of a job of communicating with non-LindowsOS users. This created a lot of misunderstandings about Lindows.com outside of our user base. I think in the early days of Lindows.com, we were so busy in building our product, that we didn't take the time to talk much with the outside world. It wasn't that we were avoiding those discussions, we just felt it wasn't time to talk about products that were still being built. I'm happy to say, that in the last few months, now that we feel our product is finally ready for everyone, we've done a much better job of communicating with non-LindowsOS users too. This interview is a good example. We wouldn't have taken the time to do this a year ago, we were so focused on building LindowsOS. In hindsight, I wish we would have communicated a little more, so as to have minimized any misconceptions, but I think we've rectified that moving forward.
Here are some of the myths we find ourselves still having to dispel:
LindowsOS runs MS Windows software. (We changed our efforts away from this almost two years ago to focus on helping create better native Linux software. Our users knew about this, but non-users still seem to think this. http://lindows.com/mswindows)
LindowsOS makes you run as root. (This was only the case in our very first “Sneak Preview” two years ago. Ever since that time, during install, the user is given the chance set up Admin AND User accounts. This is also the case when a user starts a new LindowsOS computer for the first time.)
Lindows.com renames everything to “Lindowsthis” and “Lindowsthat.”
(What we do is rename things to terms people understand, like MP3 Player, Calculator, Instant Messenger. We leave XMMS, GAIM, etc. there too.)
Lindows.com doesn't contribute to Open Source (We've contributed over one million dollars in code, money, sponsorships, etc. http://lindows.com/opensource)
Lindows.com is always doing something that upsets Microsoft. (OK, so maybe this one isn't a myth )
To make up for these lapses on our part, we'd like offer penitence
by giving your readers a free digital copy of LindowsOS so they can try it out for themselves and see first hand what it's like. Hopefully this will help dispel any myths they may have heard. To get a free copy, simply go to http://lindows.com/buyit and select the digital copy of LindowsOS. When you check out, use the coupon code "IReadDesktopOS" and you'll get it for free. This coupon code will only be good for a day or two, so that we don't go completely broke as this coupon code gets passed around. I apologize in advance if you missed it. =) (You're also welcome to choose the packaged version, but you'll have to pay the extra $10 for the packaging as well as shipping and handling.
If you get the free digital version, you download an .iso and burn your own CD.)
Q. Is there anything else you would like to add?
A. Just to say thank you for taking the time to ask us these questions and sharing our answers with your readers. Also, thank you for the good work you do at DesktopOS.com in helping educate people about the Linux choice. If there is anything we can ever do to help, let us know.
Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed
| Comments |
|
Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.20
3.20 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
