Linspire getting swallowed by Xandros

Linspire, the Linux company started by Michael Robertson, is ready to fully assume its place as a footnote in operating system history.

As previously noted, the company is being swallowed by Xandros, another of the smaller Linux players. The deal is expected to be officially announced on Wednesday.

"The Linux business is going through some healthy and necessary consolidation, which will give resulting companies greater assets and size to deliver on larger initiatives so Linux can touch more people," Robertson said in a statement.

Linspire is best known for its Linux distribution, once known as Lindows. Robertson initially pitched Lindows as able to run some Windows software, though that feature was later put on the back burner. The company still ruffled feathers in Redmond for its name. Microsoft took Linspire (then also known as Lindows) to court, though it ended up paying $20 million to Linspire, which agreed to drop the Lindows name.

Incidentally, Linspire and Xandros are among the companies that signed patent protection deals with Microsoft.
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