Monday, February 9 12:00 AM EST

Lindows Changing Name to RestartNow

Amsterdam - A Dutch judge ruled that the Lindows name is similar to Windows and has to be changed. He further ruled that the CEO of Lindows has to change his name as well.

Lindows CEO Gill Bates confirmed that Lindows would be now known as "RestartNow", after one of the most prominent features of the operating system it simulates. He said, “We considered many alternatives, such as BSOS, but "RestartNow" sends the right message to our customers."

Many questioned why Lindows would choose a name that would remind customers of failure and frustration.

"We tested our product on gamers and it turns out that gamers do not like gaming much. Through a selection process of several decennia, today’s gamers like the challenges of getting a game running. They do that under harsh conditions, using the newest hardware, which is always buggy, and with Beta drivers and beta patches for the game,” said Bates.

“On top of that they use an OS which has its peculiarities, to say the least. Overcoming such problems makes them feel like true heroes, while shooting their friends with a BFG leaves them feeling silly," he continued.

Kyle Branch, an avid gamer, agreed with Bates’ statement, "I feel silly blowing friends away with a BFG in the testosterone-filled rage of competition. I feel much more challenged with the testosterone-filled one-upmanship that comes with getting the game running on the latest untested hardware.”

When asked if he would use Lindows in the future, Branch replied,” Of course not. It works too well. With Linux, you can change the model of your opponent while you are shooting him. You can install a new version of the game while you are playing it. Where is the challenge in that? Lindows may simulate the occasional BSOD, or the message there is an unexpected error and you have to restart. But those are just images, and underneath Linux continues to function, and you cannot ignore that."

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