LINUX should be in the spotlight this week. The Redhat IPO is scheduled to go off this week, and there is a big LINUX conference in San Jose, CA this week. CORL might make a move if LINUX becomes the media darling of the week. CORL has developed a suite of office products that run on LINUX (WordPerfect, etc.). CORL is in the early stages of developing a GUI interface for LINUX (similiar to Microsoft's Windows for the PC). Here's an article about CORL that came out on Friday:
Corel building Linux PC for dummies
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, ZDNet
Corel Corp. (Nasdaq:CORL - news) is building what it hopes to be the Linux desktop for everyone, not just the guys in the backroom with Slashdot t-shirts.
At LinuxWorld Expo in San Jose, Calif., next Tuesday, Corel (Nasdaq:COSFF - news) will reveal its progress to date on its "tears-free" desktop offering.
According to a company spokeswoman, "Corel's work on Linux is designed to advance adoption of Linux on the desktop, where non-technical users can enjoy its benefits." Indeed, the goal is no less than to create a desktop Linux with a "zero learning curve."
Corel Linux is being built around the Debian/GNU distribution of the Linux OS. For the user interface, Corel Linux will use the K Desktop Environment (KDE). The company also plans on significantly enhancing the graphical user interface and adding in a new installation program, officials have said.
While the setup program will be open source, Corel's team is leading the way in its development. The name of the game is to simplify the installation process down to the point where even a typical Windows 95/98 desktop user will be able to get desktop Linux up and running without breaking into a sweat.
Human resources, though, may throw a monkey wrench into Corel's plans. Corel is looking frantically for Linux developers, quality assurance engineers, and engineers. While the Corel Linux Advisory Council has almost every Linux power player on the planet signed up, Corel seems short-handed for the monumental task that they company has set for itself.
If Corel is able to pull off its ambitious plans, it might have a market. With Microsoft Corp. telling users to expect three possible desktop upgrades in 2000, namely, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows CE 3.0, and the last Windows 98 upgrade, Millennium, customers may prefer to look at another alternative: the Corel Linux one. |
