Linspire Puts A Friendly Face On Linux

[yuyi]

NewsFactor Top Tech News

Linspire Puts a Friendly Face on Linux

Many people who want to jump on the Linux bandwagon have been reluctant to do so because they don't want to learn a whole new operating system with an admittedly unintuitive set of names for utilities. Reiserfs? Gaim? XOrg?

Still, there are good reasons to consider the Linux operating system for desktop computers. It is inherently stable. It is sometimes free, and when it's not, it's usually inexpensive, as are the applications that go with it.

For nongeeks wanting to give Linux a try, we strongly recommend the latest version, 5.0, of Linspire (http://www.linspire.com/), a product formerly known as Lindows. No secret handshakes here.

The applications and utilities are all intuitively labeled and the interface is simple and easy to navigate, making the product easy to learn for any refugee from Microsoft's Windows or Apple Computer's Macintosh operating systems.

Installation couldn't be easier. The user is only required to respond to a couple of easy-to-understand prompts. The entire process takes about 10 minutes.

That might not seem so incredible until you consider that it is not only an operating system that is being installed but also the KDE desktop environment, the Reiser4 file system -- though Reiserfs is provided as the default -- the OpenOffice 1.1.3 productivity suite, the Mozilla Web browser, e-mail, spell checker, an instant messaging program and dozens of other applications.

The desktop is clean and attractively designed, with a look and feel similar to Windows.

One of the smaller features Windows users will appreciate is Linspire's global spell checker. No matter what application you are using, you will find that suspected misspellings are underlined and suggested corrections are only a click away.

Another unique feature is MailMinder, a utility that allows you to set alerts to be triggered by e-mail messages. You might, for example, have the utility send you an e-mail at a specified time to remind you of an upcoming appointment.

Although most of the applications installed with Linspire are existing Linux applications, Linspire's own Lphoto and Lsongs are two well- designed applications for tracking and managing your digital photo and music collections.

And Version 5.0 offers hundreds of other new and improved features. At the top of the list is built-in 802.1Ig wireless support and virtual private network support.

Again, for nongeeks wanting to give Linux a try, we strongly recommend the latest version, 5.0, of Linspire (http://www.linspire.com/), a product formerly known as Lindows.

[francois]

hi'

as far as I know, hmm hmm I hope that the did a better job that the frst copy of corel linux

seriously ... they may have progress but offering OOo 1.1.3 is a bit late,

all other distro give 1.1.4 and the version2 is almost ready ...

imho..I know Linux enough to say try something else before to go on to linspire for a try ...

I'm a fraid that this version is not finalized as the previous one, so if you're not a geek ... good luck after the install .. drivers ... compatibility ...

please don't advert for a distro that began with copying codes

thanks

seriously, linspire is one of the last distro to come out and seriously talking,

we all have enough distro and ne need for another try ...

stick to well known and well supported distro, better

francois

ps;anyway beginning with such a name as lindows was pretty stupid.

[francois]

The desktop is clean and attractively designed, with a look and feel similar to Windows.

I missed this one ... this is one thing linux user don't want!

their box looking like any windoze and surely working nearly same

linux users are not all geeks but they all want to have the right to the difference!

francois

[francois]

hi'

you see in fact, some customers ask me about linux, my answer never vary ...

if you want to try it here is a live cd, try it booting from it, if you like I will help you for the install and for your first steps

but, if I have to do so, it's always Mandriva or Red-Hat that comes first

if they really like it after a few month then I direct them to Suse, as we all know it's the most stable and efficient one(Linus uses it).

francois

[yuyi]

hi'

you see in fact, some customers ask me about linux, my answer never vary ...

if you want to try it here is a live cd, try it booting from it, if you like I will help you for the install and for your first steps

but, if I have to do so, it's always Mandriva or Red-Hat that comes first

if they really like it after a few month then I direct them to Suse, as we all know it's the most stable and efficient one(Linus uses it).

francois

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

keep cool, Francois

I did not know that Linus is using SuSE.

Well, that is what I'm using too

[yuyi]

The desktop is clean and attractively designed, with a look and feel similar to Windows.

I missed this one ... this is one thing linux user don't want!

their box looking like any windoze and surely working nearly same

linux users are not all geeks but they all want to have the right to the difference!

francois

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, Francois, this is one thing you don't want.

And again yes, this is one thing I don't want.

And again yes, this is one thing many many Linux users don't want.

But there is also a no.

Because this is exactly the thing many windows users want and need. These Windows users, who would like to try Linux, but are scared that it might be too different, and that they get lost in the different look.

These users will have a much easier start with Linux if they can switch it on and start working right away. The differences will get obvious step by step anyway, but it will not be too much at once.

Once they are familiar with it and and feeling good with it, they can go on exploring the real Linux behind the windows facade.

However for someone who was not trained on Windows, there is no need for Linspire. Going directly to SuSE will be fine.

[yuyi]

Hi Francois,

seriously ... they may have progress but offering OOo 1.1.3 is a bit late,

all other distro give 1.1.4 and the version2 is almost ready ...

Yes, OOo 1.1.4 is available. However Linspire 5.0 was finalized when it was not ready yet, AFAIK. With a focus on stability you sometimes do not take the very latest version. And then, Updates might be available, as usual.

imho..I know Linux enough to say try something else before to go on to linspire for a try ...

I'm a fraid that this version is not finalized as the previous one, so if you're not a geek ... good luck after the install .. drivers ... compatibility ...

This previous version was not there yet, you are absolutely right.

A lot of money had been invested by Michael Robertson to address exactly this problem. I think it is much better now. Still may be not as good as SuSE, but then again only a direct comparison would show.

please don't advert for a distro that began with copying codes

thanks

I'm not aware of that.

But isn't Linux GPL and similar, and you can copy it and make your own distro, like so many are doing?

seriously, linspire is one of the last distro to come out and seriously talking,

we all have enough distro and ne need for another try ...

Well, Linspire has some unique features, such as their CNR "click and run" software delivery service. This is a concept with a great potential. I wish SuSE would have that!

Then they do make Linux real easy for windows users, and they do much much more here than the established distros (the ones for you and me) which cannot do that, all their users would run away screaming loudly.

stick to well known and well supported distro, better

"Stick to" yes, meaning there is no need for an experienced Linux user to switch from SuSE etc. to Linspire.

However Linspire is a good option for the non geek windows user who wants to change, if not the easiest option of all.

ps;anyway beginning with such a name as lindows was pretty stupid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, it was great to do some pro Linux marketing. And didn't Michael Robertson got some money from Microsoft to stop using the name Lindows, wasn't it 20 Million USD or so?

All this money plus 5 million USD of his own private Money did go into the Linspire 5.0 development. And that shows, it is a good distro now.

I think there is a good place for Linspire, and it can help a lot of Windows users daring to switch over to Linux, without a geek holding their hand.

And the CNR "click and run" software delivery service with thousands of sotware titles ready to download and run is a boon for all the ones not able to compile, or to install it using rpm. This is one of the big highlights of Linspire, and in my eyes a killer feature.

Having such an easy "click and run" software delivery service for SuSE would help me a lot in my support of some non geek and half geek Linux users ...

[Khun Jean]

I like "Ubuntu". Especially the live version.

I've tried this live disc in many systems and i only had to change the video configuration once.

Easy to use for a former windows user. And because of the live disc you can play around with it until you decide it is time to make a dual boot or make a complete transfer.

[francois]

hi'

Having such an easy "click and run" software delivery service for SuSE would help me a lot in my support of some non geek and half geek Linux users ...

hi'

windows is like this, click and run(fast ) ... to buy some aspirin

that's what Linus Torwald wants to avoid, setup a program without any idea of what is going where doing what!

one would like to improve the install of progs needs to setup rpm with all dependencies satisfied inside the rpm even if some files are already present on the hdd, overwrite, updates, or simply setup as they should be ...

we're all looking for this, make install and update of drivers easier.

that's a real big goal ... and linspire is not in the right way, emulation is not the rigth way to do with linux, do we need windows when we use Suse?

may be good job for an OS but please don't call it a a Linux distro ... RS will stop to sleep

francois

ps;RS ... Richard Stalman, GNU's Guru

Edited August 15, 2005 by francois

[yuyi]

hi'

Having such an easy "click and run" software delivery service for SuSE would help me a lot in my support of some non geek and half geek Linux users ...

hi'

windows is like this, click and run(fast) ... to buy some aspirin

that is good, very good! Francois, you made my day!!!

one would like to improve the install of progs needs to setup rpm with all dependencies satisfied inside the rpm even if some files are already present on the hdd, overwrite, updates, or simply setup as they should be ...

we're all looking for this, make install and update of drivers easier.

Exactly. I can compile an app, I can even compile a kernel, but still I like to install a new app easy and quickly. Now for me tools such as YAST or APT are good enough, especially apt is really nice, and more and more apps are available there, besides the original SuSE stuff. And with sunaptic there is a nice frontent available too.

However when I try to make that available for some non technical ex windows users, they stumble.

There is a need for improvement, and I think Linspire is addressing that. I did just read an Interview with Michael Robertson in the Linux Format magazine, they apparently have already some experience with this Click and Run (I can't help, I'm still laughing about your windows click and run above ). They seem to have done > 5 million installations with this cnr system, so apparently they got it working.

that's a real big goal ... and linspire is not in the right way, emulation is not the rigth way to do with linux, do we need windows when we use Suse?

No no no, they do not emulate windows. They do not even use wine anymore, but go the way of real Linux applications. They do just theme it to look similar to windows.

may be good job for an OS but please don't call it a a Linux distro ... RS will stop to sleep

ps;RS ... Richard Stalman, GNU's Guru

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I know what you mean. But there might be a misunderstanding, they do go the pure Linux way now. Not too bad. And there 2 highlight apps Lphoto and Lsongs are open source. They do also sponsor the new Mozilla (web page) composer, which is called NVU now. They did hire the lead Mozilla composer developer and pay him just to do that. And again, it is open source. So they do a lot which I think RS will approve

And most of all, they do not want to compete with any Linux distro. Not at all. They do clearly target the windows users, and nothing but the windows users. So they do explicitely not compete with SuSE or redhat or mepis or Ubuntu or whatever. Linspire does complement all that by dressing up Linux as a Windows clone, fully aware that that means playing dumb. The Linux desktops KDE and Gnome are in many ways superior to Windows already today, but they do give away this advantage to make it more dumb, meaning more like windows. All that in order to make the switch easy for the windows users.

They are aiming at Microsoft, and they shoot with a much cheaper OS which many Windows users can today already use and forget about windose. Under the hood is poor Linux power though. I see nothing bad with that.

So is Linspire for me or for you? Surely it is not.

But it is probably what I install for my "grandma", well, actually the next one will be my sister, because I will not be able to give her support, and she just got windose under control somewhat (and she has seen the windose "click and run to buy aspirin" problem already )

With Linspire it will be easy for her, and for me. And then we see how it develops, may be one day I give her SuSE, may be she stays with Linspire, anyway, no more money for Bill

[francois]

hi'

I was playing the devil's advocate a bit

anyway, I'll give it a try (have aspirin already )

but for sure and for long stick to Suse

it's nice to be able to talk about a distro without silly arguments

francois