MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-03-21 |
| FROM | Bruce Perens
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [hangout] Lindows CEO attacks Intel's Centrino Linux lockout
|
I also pulled out of the Lindows desktop summit. The reason was that the
summit was not representative of the free software developer community,
and only communicated the Lindows.com viewpoint. Many other companies
pulled out, as well.
Regarding the Centrino, Microsoft has Intel over a barrel. Intel feels
that the IA64 chip will be a failure without Microsoft's _enthusiastic_
cooperation. Not just cooperation, they need to be enthusiastic.
Remember what happened with the Alpha chip.
There is also a rumor that MS has a patent that would block the Pentium.
Thanks
Bruce
On Fri, Mar 21, 2003 at 11:14:15AM -0500, rc wrote:
>
> Where's the Stanco "fair play" morality here?
>
> This is why we protested. Microsoft is INVITED to an OSS advocacy event;
> Lindows is barred from an Intel roadshow and suffers a pullout of Intel
> speakers at a Lindows Desktop Summit.
>
> See how nice they play Tony???
>
> On Thursday 20 March 2003 06:34 pm, Inker, Evan wrote:
> > Lindows CEO attacks Intel's Centrino Linux lockout
> > By John Lettice
> > Posted: 20/03/2003 at 11:00 GMT
> >
> > Intel is going through a major internal struggle over desktop Linux,
> > and the pro-Microsoft marketing droids are currently winning,
> > according to Lindows.com CEO Michael Robertson. As evidence,
> > Robertson puts forward the lack of Linux support for Centrino, the
> > mysterious blocking of his company's request to participate in an
> > Intel roadshow, and the last minute pullout of Intel speakers at his
> > Desktop Linux Summit earlier this year.
> >
> > "Many inside Intel want to fully back consumer Linux products," says
> > Robertson in one of his racier 'Michael's Minute' bulletins. "Intel
> > engineers are active contributors to Linux software development and
> > do an excellent job of ensuring that the latest chips and
> > motherboards have solid Linux support. They've sent many products to
> > our certification labs as part of that process and we're grateful for
> > their support. However, when it comes to packaging those components
> > into complete computers and announcing their availability, strong
> > resistance emerges. It's a classic 'engineering vs. marketing'
> > business struggle. The technology-minded folks see a growing trend
> > that is imperative for them to support in order to stay fully
> > relevent in all areas of the PC business. While the marketing-minded
> > individuals are more worried about the risk of upsetting Microsoft."
> >
> > This process perhaps explains the roadshow incident. Lindows.com
> > asked to participate in an upcoming show, and according to Robertson
> > the initial reaction was, 'Great. We'd love to have you participate
> > because we're getting increasing interest in Linux desktop machines.'
> > But once it hit marketing, "we are told we cannot participate even
> > though we are willing to pay the required fees and they have told us
> > there is room. Perhaps it is because Microsoft is also a major
> > sponsor of this event".
> >
> > Well indeed, given that Microsoft and Lindows.com are currently in
> > litigation there might be a certain amount of friction, but they're
> > grown-ups, so they should be able to behave. Or are they? Can they?
> >
> > In the case of the Intel speakers' pullout of the Desktop Linux
> > Summit, Robertson says that marketing blocked their participation,
> > citing "branding restrictions". He says he doesn't know what they
> > meant by that, and nor indeed do we. However, it does seem to hint
> > either at restrictive agreements with certain other companies, or
> > some form of internal Intel market segmentation that rules out Linux
> > on the desktop.
> >
> > Robertson says he's most concerned about the lack of Linux support
> > for Centrino. "Intel says that 300 million dollars will go into
> > advertising this new product for mobile computing, but Intel isn't
> > making the small investment to provide Linux drivers. When you see
> > that 'Centrino' sticker on the computer, you can substitute
> > 'Microsoft Windows XP'."
> >
> > You can see why this gets to him. Centrino is essentially a marketing
> > gambit, a packaging of the Pentium M and Intel's Pro/wireless 2100
> > mini-PCI Wi-Fi card. There's nothing wildy clever about this, and
> > from the customer's point of view it's really a trade-off between the
> > convenience of getting it all in one package and being restricted to
> > the Intel Wi-Fi card. From Intel's point of view it's a matter of
> > marketing it for all its worth and thus leveraging itself into a
> > dominant position in the notebook Wi-Fi market. Hence the $300
> > million.
> >
> > Lindows.com is the company with the highest profile in preinstalled
> > desktop Linux systems, and recently announced a cheap LindowsOS
> > notebook. And here, we think, is where Michael's antennae start
> > twitching. At the moment Lindows.com has made a fair bit of the
> > running with non-Intel systems. You can get preinstalled Intel
> > LindowsOS machines, but you're probably more likely to end up with
> > AMD, or in the small footprint and portable areas, Via.
> >
> > To progress in the general OEM market Robertson needs to be able to
> > strike deals with Intel; not to be treated equally with, say, Dell or
> > HP yet, but to be taken seriously. In the notebook and tablet
> > markets, the need for a relationship is surely much greater.
> > Breakthrough into the portable markets has mysteriously eluded
> > Intel's rivals, with Transmeta's near-disappearance, despite early
> > support in the tablet arena from Microsoft, being particularly worth
> > noting. Robertson, as we keep saying, is not stupid, he knows a lot
> > of the money is going to come via portable machines, he also knows
> > how determined Intel is, to own the portable market, and how
> > successful it's been so far.
> >
> > So while other people might think they'd prefer to buy a Pentium M
> > system and a separate Wi-Fi card, no problem, that $300 million on
> > Centrino marketing hurts Michael deeply. And long term, he's right.
> > For as long as there is no rival that is treated as seriously by
> > Intel in the desktop sector as Microsoft is, then the rivals will
> > find it hard going - they will not be serious rivals. Whether or not
> > the first serious rival should be Michael is an entirely different
> > matter, but credit where credit's due, he's taking a shot at it - who
> > else is? (r)
> >
> >
> >
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