Linux distribution Ylmf OS looks just like Windows XP

There is no shortage of Linux distros. For dozens, if not hundreds, of different tastes, there is a distribution made for you. And now, there is even a version of Linux that doesn't even look like Linux at all. It looks like Windows XP.

Ylmf OS -- which roughly translates into Rainforest Wind -- has been around for a while in China, and is developed by a Chinese team. This week, the first english version has been released. Humorously -- and in a move that perhaps might annoy Microsoft -- the dev team took the url www.xp.com to promote the distro. This isn't the first time someone skinned Linux to look like another OS, but this is the first distribution (that I'm aware of) with that goal as its sole purpose.

Ylmf OS is built on the popular Ubuntu flavor of Linux. It comes with a slew of open source applications, such as the great Open Office, Pidgin messenging client, Firefox, and many more. For you Linux neophytes out there: just because it looks just like XP doesn't mean you can run all (most) Windows XP applications though.

This seems one of the best ways yet to encourage folks to use this free OS over the more typical choices. One flaw with it though is that there might be some translations errors, as the Ylmf OS website is riddled with them. The kind of odd phrases that seem to often come out of translating Chinese to English, such as: "The adjustment and creation is based on the user's experience and usage. We firmly believe that Linux can do as well as Windows through our efforts and give customers more choices." But hey, this is a mostly volunteer-run project, so we aren't complaining or anything.