The world of the Web can give rise to rather bizarre situations. It is a "script" that we have seen on several occasions: someone publishes a project online for "ironic" purposes or in any case without too many pretensions and then the latter becomes viral, also putting the creators in a situation that is not exactly the best.
Recently the news of the creation of Windows 12 Lite, an operating system that "promises" to be three times faster than Windows 10, has gone around the world. But where did it all start and what is it really about?
Let's find out together, analyzing this story from the beginning, which is particularly interesting to understand what word of mouth can generate in the Internet age and why you should stay away from those who make a certain type of promises.
A single photo
It all started on February 9, 2020, when the hexsayeed user posted a photo on Reddit, adding the description: "I saw it at a local electronics fair and I couldn't stop laughing". The image involved is clearly the one that has traveled around the world, in which some can be seen Installation DVD of a phantom Windows 12 Lite operating system. An image showing the official Windows 10 wallpaper, a QR CODE and the URL to access the instructions for installing the OS are also shown on the disks. Attached to the DVDs, there is also a description sheet: "No updates when you want to work. […] No viruses or ransomware. Windows 12 is immune […]. Three times faster than Windows 10. It starts in about 15 seconds. […] Ideal for gamers, Steam in the NVIDIA menu and drivers (or rather, the sheet says 'Nvidea', editor's note). No license, no activation key, you own it and you can put it on any machine you want […]".
As you have probably already guessed, we are therefore talking about a project that it has nothing to do with Microsoft and that according to some simply wanted to "joke" on Windows 10. The publication of the aforementioned photo by the user of Reddit, however, attracted the attention of users of the famous platform, so as to end the news also on portals of the likes of TechRadar , MSPowerUser, Liliputing and Softpedia, just to name a few. In short, this operating system has generated a fuss.
It is good to point out that no reliable source has managed to really test this elusive Windows 12 Lite. In fact, you should know that it is not even possible to download the Windows 12 ISO directly online, but there is a store that promises to sell DVDs at prices ranging from £ 15 to £ 17 and a £ 18 USB stick. As written by HindustanTimes, "you shouldn't use it", since it's not an official Microsoft project.
In short, the news has gone viral because of its "ironic" side, but the reality is that it is material that is not related to the Redmond company and that is also making Linux fans discuss it.
But what do we know in detail about Windows 12 Lite? Until recently, visiting the portal of the project, we came to a page made in a very Spartan way, which even stated that it is a "operating system far superior to anything Microsoft has ever produced"There were also some screenshots and, according to the latter, it seems that it is a Linux distribution with a graphic interface in some ways similar to that of the Microsoft OS. The official wallpaper of Windows 10 and revised icons for the occasion.
Going into more detail, everything suggests that it is a modified version of Linux Lite 4.8 LTS. In fact, some particularly curious users claim to have found references to this distribution on a page of a site linked to the developers. For more details on the aforementioned distribution, which has only been used as a "base" and has nothing to do with the project, we advise you to consult the official Linux Lite website.
The creators also claimed that the OS requires only 1GB of free space, which consumes much less than Windows 10, that it is possible to use it in dual boot, that some programs have been pre-installed to ensure a user experience as close as possible to the one to which many users are used to it (for example, LibreOffice to "replace" Microsoft Office and Gimp instead of Photoshop) and that even in the installation guide there is a 5-minute "lesson" to learn how to use the desktop and its extra features . A support forum is also reported, but the link to the forum has never been provided.
In short, we are talking about a particularly "smoky" project. The story of Windows 12 Lite does not end here, however, since recently the YouTuber quidsup has published a video on its channel from which even stranger details emerge.
In fact, in some sites dedicated to the project, reference was made to Brexit and to topics not related to Windows 12. Furthermore, apparently, for a certain period someone has tried to "promote" this operating system. In fact, in the Linux Lite forum there was a discussion between the creator of the distribution, Jerry Bezencon, and the man who would be behind Windows 12, in which Jerry totally dissociates himself from the project.
Obviously, the debate has already started among fans of Linux Lite, in which we try to understand if it is only a "joke" not exactly in good taste or if it is something more, since in any case it seems that the operating system is been on sale for some time.
The Linux Lite team itself explained on its official Facebook page that it is not their operating system. Do you want to know the final "plot twist"? Just as of this writing, the project website has been updated by essentially removing all references to Windows and Microsoft and the OS has been renamed "X Lite".
