Microsoft Windows Software Now Available for Desktop Linux Users with Debut of CrossOver Office for Linspire

Let’s just say this… I do *NOT* plan to move to the next Microsoft operating system. Come hell or high water, I will figure out another way. I’m not mister anti-Microsoft at all costs but the last move I had to make was just downright painful – Windows XP on my new laptop coming from Windows 2000 on my last laptop. I mean, really, my laptop freak’n rocks – it’s a Sony VAIO VGN-A600P with a 17″ widescreen truebrite screen. Geeky techie techie, but some of you will salivate reading that. However, after uninstalling all the CRAP that comes preinstalled and trying to get XP configured, well, let’s just say, GRRRRRR. I still have some problems. I should just reinstall *everything* but I don’t enjoy spending a considerable chunk of my week reconfiguring my workstation and not getting any work done. I work for myself so I’m not taking any money out of “the man’s” pocket. It directly affects my bottom line.

Anyhow… Here’s a press release I was jazzed about. I’m sure they won’t mind me copying it here. It’s free press, after all. 😉

—begin free press for somebody else—

ST. PAUL, Minn., and SAN DIEGO, February 8, 2006 – CodeWeavers, Inc., the leading Windows-to-Linux software developer, and Linspire, Inc., maker of the easy-to-use desktop Linux operating system, today announced the release of CrossOver Office 5.0 for Linspire. Linspire users who purchase CrossOver Office can run dozens of Windows applications, including Microsoft Office 2003, Adobe Photoshop and Intuit’s Quicken and Quickbooks, natively from their Linspire desktop Linux operating system. For more information about CrossOver Office 5.0 for Linspire, visit www.linspire.com/crossover.

“Businesses tell us they want to switch to the desktop Linux operating system to reduce total cost of ownership or improve security, but it’s the thought of losing one or two software applications – like Quickbooks or Microsoft Project – that holds them back,” said Kevin Carmony, CEO of Linspire, Inc. “CrossOver Office is genius because it removes that hesitation from the equation. Yes, you can still use Quicken or Microsoft software on your Linspire machine, but you don’t have to overpay for a Windows operating system license to do it.”

CrossOver Office allows Linspire users to install popular Windows productivity applications and plugins in Linspire without needing a Microsoft operating system CD or license. CrossOver Office includes an easy-to-use, single-click interface, which makes installing Windows applications simple and fast. Once installed, the application will integrate directly with the Linspire environment – users just click the application icon or name to launch, exactly as they would in Windows. Any documents created using CrossOver Office applications may be opened and edited with other native Linux programs, such as OpenOffice.org or GIMP.

CrossOver Office has become the essential productivity utility for millions of Linux users around the world by supporting the seamless, dependable installation and operation of scores of top-name Windows applications natively within Linux. Microsoft Office, Outlook, Visio, and Internet Explorer, as well as Adobe’s Photoshop and Dreamweaver, Intuit’s Quicken and Quickbooks, and Lotus Notes, are just some of the many popular applications that can be used on Linux desktops via CrossOver Office.

“Linspire’s power and ease of use, combined with its easy retail availability, has puts it among the leaders in the fast growing Linux operating system category,” said Jeremy White, chief executive officer of CodeWeavers, Inc. “CrossOver Office for Linspire will make it even easier for potentially millions of Windows desktop users – enterprise and individual alike – to make the switch to Linux.”

—end free press for somebody else—

*SNIP* Okay, they don’t have to have me copy *everything*. 😉

Photoshop… Dreamweaver… Hmm… that covers the most important stuff for me.