WAL-MART COMPUTERS WITHOUT WINDOWS Wal-Mart's online shopping site is now selling inexpensive computers without the Microsoft Windows operating system. Saying that it wants to offer customers more options, Wal-Mart is offering the computers with LindowsOS, based on the open-source Linux operating system. Wal-Mart says it began marketing the computers in response to customer requests for Linux systems. "We're simply offering this to a specific niche looking for this specific operating system," said spokeswoman Cynthia Lin. Last December, Microsoft sued San Diego-based Lindows on the grounds that the product is too similar to Microsoft's own Windows system. This March a federal court ruled that it would not block the small startup's software from using the name Lindows. A Microsoft spokesman indicated that the software giant intends to pursue its claim in order to protect its trademark. [SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Caryn Rousseau, Associated Press] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14676-2002Jul16.html)