China’s Latest Knockoff: Ubuntu in XP Clothing

Chinese-language consumers unwilling or unable to pay the cost of a legitimate copy of Microsoft’s Windows XP now have a new alternative: a clone of the operating system that’s based on Ubuntu.

Dubbed “Ylmf OS,” the software is available from Rain Forest Wind Guangdong Computer Technology as a free download on a dedicated Web site. The system is based on Ubuntu 9.10 and integrates Wine, according to the page. Also included are OpenOffice 3.1, CompizConfig Effects Settings Manager, Firefox and Pidgin for instant messaging.