Linspire Launches Custom Linux Build Service
"Our partners have been coming to us for years asking for customization, a different look and feel," said president and CEO Larry Kettler. "We thought, let's just get it out there so the service is now available."
Kettler says the tool set gives partners the ability to quickly produce clean Debian or Ubuntu-based desktop Linux operating systems. "It's partners asking for custom software stacks, specialized applications, the ability to alter the look and feel of the OS," he said.
Kettler compared the variations in the Linux market to the ice cream selection in a Baskin Robins. "There are so many flavors," he said. "And we'll continue to see fragments of Linux, and this build service will supply that demand of companies who want to get quickly into the market and make it available to their users quickly."
Development of the tool set took a couple of quarters to develop, said Kettler. "The reason we announced it because we've got a few [operating systems] that are going through the customization cycle right now," he said. "We're excited about the partners who are going to take advantage of it."
The service's packaging tools provide Linspire partners with automatic patch application to source packages and automatic change detection, among other features. Kettler says these features will save partners time and money while providing a reliable service based on six years of experience.
"I think the best feature we have is the experience with building custom operating systems, the tools we've been developing through the years, and the fact that we listen to our customers," he said. "The whole custom OS model is a space that's going to continue to grow, and we're going to be there to help facilitate that growth."