:NY Times: Developers of Linux Software Planning Assault on Microsoft
NY Times: Developers of Linux Software Planning Assault on Microsoft Aug 14, 2000, 18 :30 UTC (12 Talkback[s]) (10495 reads) (Other stories by JOHN MARKOFF)
"On Tuesday, a group of Linux organizations will announce the creation of the Gnome Foundation, which will have the support of I.B.M., Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems and several other major computer vendors.
The foundation plans to announce a set of initiatives, including a unified desktop user interface and a set of productivity programs intended to compete as a free alternative to Microsoft Office."
"What they're doing is extremely valuable," said Dan Dusnetzky, a computer industry analyst at the International Data Corporation, a market research firm. "However, there's a bigger issue that has not been addressed yet and that is the availability of the most popular desktop applications on Linux."
"Linux developers say that while progress until now has been limited, they are confident they can now rapidly close the gap on Microsoft.
"By the end of the year, we will have a desktop software operating system that compares favorably with Windows," said Mike Boiche, chairman of the Eazel Corporation. The company, founded by former Macintosh programmers, has been developing software called Nautilus, which is being integrated into the Gnome user interface for Linux. It is intended to make Linux as simple to use as Windows or Macintosh."
