InformationWeek

Special Event: Lindows.com's Michael Robertson
It's no longer unusual to consider alternatives to Microsoft operating systems. What's unusual, in the case of Lindows.com, is the guy behind the company. Michael Robertson has a fresh perspective. He's a boat-rocker and he's definitely not your typical IT executive. CEOs, he says, are better off directly sharing their vision with employees to achieve maximum innovation and influence, rather than barking out mandates to be passed along.

Robertson is the founder and CEO of Lindows.com, which is preparing to take on Microsoft Windows. Previously, as the mastermind of MP3.com, Robertson established the largest collection of digital music in the world: more than a million downloadable MP3 files. Robertson also spearheaded change in corporate business music services and put the power of CD creation in the artists' hands by offering a host of support technologies and services. That's one reason Robertson was chosen as an InformationWeek Innovators & Influencer (see MP3.com Win In Hand, He Takes Aim At Windows ).

What's the LindowsOS? You can learn the details at the company's Web site, but Robertson describes it as an operating system that can run both Linux and Windows applications, or run as a second operating system on a Windows machine. The point: to offer an alternative to Windows, to eliminate the frustrations that can accompany installation and use of Linux, and to let Windows users run Linux programs without having to jettison Windows. The Lindows operating system will be sold for $99, primarily in digital format, and with flexible licensing.

This week, from Jan. 8 to 10, we're offering an opportunity for you to talk with Michael Robertson. Ask him about Lindows. Find out what attitudes have compelled him to tackle the everybody-knows assumptions not just once, with MP3.com, but again with Lindows.com. Or just ask him about the current state of bicycle racing. (InformationWeek senior editor Tony Kontzer will be the forum moderator.)

The one thing Robertson can't discuss, however, is the recent court case filed against the company by Microsoft (see Microsoft Sues 'Lindows' For Infringing on Windows ). Lawyers get nervous about that sort of stuff, so Robertson can't comment about the lawsuit. Please don't tempt him.

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