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SAN DIEGO -- Kicking off the Desktop Linux Summit here at MP3.com's headquarters, Lindows.com's chief executive highlighted the latest developments on the desktop Linux front.

The keynote speaker was Michael Robertson, founder and CEO of conference host Lindows.com. The vendor of budget Linux-based systems is clashing with Microsoft both on store shelves and in the courtroom.

Friendly Audience

Robertson asked attendees how many of them had used Linux before, and over half of the hundred or so people present at the keynote raised a hand. What Robertson hopes to achieve with this conference, the first of its type, is to foster a wider adoption of Linux on the desktop, rather than to let it grow organically.

The best way to spread Linux adoption on the desktop, according to Robertson, is education. "It's the fish-in-ocean concept. Fish can't think of a different world, they can't see the water--that's where we are [with Linux on the desktop]," he said. "If you give people demonstrable value, they'll switch; there's a huge cost savings."

He then moved on to discuss Lindows' own offerings, which include a new laptop--a $799, 2.9-pound mobile PC running Lindows OS, with a 933-MHz VIA processor, 256MB RAM, USB 2.0, FireWire, ethernet, and a 12.1-inch display--that will ship next week.

Robertson also showed off Lindows 4, which he says will offer plug-and-play support for peripherals such as USB thumb-size drives. To prove his point, he plugged in such a drive and browsed files. "[It's] not a big deal if you're from Windows XP-land," said Robertson, "but a big deal if you're from Linuxland."

He then browsed to an MP3 file on the USB drive, played a song from hip-hop artist Qtip, and made a plug for the MP3.com site (of which he is CEO and chair). Finally, he mentioned developments in the family-focused area of Lindows, which features filtering software Surf Safe with built-in security that checks URLs and keeps kids from accessing inappropriate material. He claimed that this version works better than MSN's filtering software.

Controversy Dogs Summit

The first Desktop Linux Summit begins amid controversy stemming from a last-minute swap of keynote speakers, namely Lindows chair Robertson for the original speaker, Bruce Perens, an open-source advocate.

As a result of the change, DesktopLinux.com dropped out, saying the conference was failing to adhere to the promise of vendor neutrality by shifting its focus onto Lindows and away from the vendor-agnostic program that it had promised. Lycoris, another big player in the desktop Linux market, and Hewlett-Packard pulled out as well.

Despite the controversy, the exhibitor list includes big names in the industry, among them ATI, Epson (both coming in right before the deadline), Bitstream, Earthlink, Speakeasy, SuSE, TransGaming Technologies, and Via.

The conference will also offer sessions to help attendees understand and deploy Linux at work or home. Sessions include "10 Reasons Why You Can Use Linux As Your Desktop," "Desktop Linux: Crossing the Chasm," and "Where Is Desktop Linux Going? What Can We Expect to See in 2003?"

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