Redhat Unveils Desktop Linux

[Endo]

IN A SIGN that demand is growing for alternatives to Microsoft Windows software, Red Hat will release a version of the Linux operating system and other programs tailored for desktop computers.

Red Hat Desktop, announced in London, will be targeted at organisations that are looking to upgrade their PCs but don\'t want or need all the features that ship with the latest version of Windows, Red Hat chief executive Matthew Szulik said.
\"These organisations now, for the very first time, have an alternative to the historical Microsoft-desktop paradigm,\" he said.

Red Hat Desktop includes the Linux operating system, a web browser and office productivity tools. It\'s entirely open-source software, meaning the underlying code is developed, freely distributed and improved upon by a worldwide network of programmers.

Szulik said Red Hat Desktop is less expensive to administer and more secure than Microsoft\'s offerings. It will cost on average about $US5 ($6.85) a month per machine, with additional support services available, he said.

\"What we wanted to was make sure that we were able to build a product that solved economic problems for customers,\" he said.

Linux today is much more widely used as a server operating system than a desktop OS, but observers expect it to start gaining momentum on the PC. Novell SuSE Linux distribution and Sun Microsystems\' Java Desktop System also target desktop computers.

Mr Szulik said Red Hat Desktop will not be targeted at consumers.

Originally posted on Killanet by exile on 09/06/04