This is extremely wishful thinking: an engineer from Penguin
Computing argues that AOL Time Warner -- the same outfit that is
scaling back its commitment to the Netscape browser and open-source
software -- should pay Linux-Mandrake to create a customized
distribution that would promote access to AOL as well as provide
other desktop applications. Yes, and we wish there was a
chocolate-milkshake dispenser on every corner, too.
From the article:
"AOL, working in partnership with Linux-Mandrake, could produce
a scaled-down version of the OS branded specifically for AOL, but
with an interface redesigned to be similar to AOL 6. With so many
excellent open-source applications available and pre-installed on
Mandrake, AOLinux would have a range of functionally that people
come to expect on a Windows machine."
"By reducing the number of redundant applications, -- as in
Abiword, Gnumeric, Koffice and Star Office -- AOL can make this
even easier. Also, due to their open-source nature, these
applications could be branded as well, i.e. Kword would be
AOL-Word, etc."
"Here would be a computer that comes with hundreds of stable,
fantastic applications, games and tools, all with the AOL name.
Moreover, AOL could have the shell locked down so hard, that only a
certain keystroke during a few seconds of pause (at LILO) would
allow you to boot the machine as root, putting you in
Mandrake’s Runlevel 1."
