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Renegade software start-up Lindows.com released version 2 of its Linux-based operating system this week, offering users features such as tabbed browsing, pop-up ad blocking capabilities, and boosted networking support.

The release is Lindows.com's most significant product announcement so far, the software maker says, although version 2 is available only to users who have purchased LindowsOS computers.

The company plunged into the retail market last June, striking a deal with Walmart.com to sell low-priced computers. Those systems are ranging in price from $199 to $599, and feature the preloaded Lindows operating system.

Users of the LindowsOS computers can download version 2 free of charge from the company's site. A general release of the software, LindowsOS 3, is due out later this year.

New Features, Looks

Lindows.com--whose OS allows users to run applications designed for Microsoft's Windows as well as programs for the open-source operating system Linux--has been staking out its own market, saying that it wants to offer a lower-priced OS alternative.

LindowsOS 2 features a new graphical user interface, improvements to the e-mail and browser offerings, and bolstered operational features such as laptop power management and battery controls. Also, the company's "Click-N-Run" technology, which loads software programs onto LindowsOS machines, has been optimized to perform better over both broadband and dial-up connections, the company says.

Furthermore, the new OS has added support for over 800 printers and allows users to configure wireless-Internet cards.

Splashy Start

Lindows.com has grabbed more headlines recently for its court battle with software mammoth Microsoft, which sued the start-up over the similarities between the Windows and Lindows names. A judge ruled in May that Lindows could continue to use the name for now, and noted that Microsoft's use of "Windows" might itself be considered generic. The case is scheduled to go to trial in April 2003.

Lindows.com was founded last year by former MP3.com Chief Executive Officer Michael Robertson. The company hopes to ride the wave of growing support for Linux systems while still offering users the ability to run seemingly ubiquitous Windows applications.

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