Linspire Makes Click and Run Free 158
An anonymous reader writes "After five years of charging an annual fee for their CNR (click and run) service, Linspire has dropped the annual fee, making the CNR service free. This combined with their previous announcement of open sourcing the CNR client, and the Freespire project, is all very big news. This means Freespire users can now have a free distro, using a free CNR service."
One question (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:One question (Score:5, Informative)
1. OEM installations
2. Commission from commercial software sold on CNR
Re: (Score:2)
Only the basic CNR service is free. Linspire has a Gold service level with extra entitlements (discounts on commercial software, operating system upgrades, etc.).
The Answer (Score:2)
I answered this [slashdot.org] for you! You were just too fast or I was too slow!
Re: (Score:2)
And WTF do Republicans have to do with it? Or fascists, for that matter?
Re:One question (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:One question (Score:5, Interesting)
CNR free might have clinched that.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
sorry to be rude, but if you are a real n00b to linux, are you qualified to judge lindows, er, linspire, er, freespire beyond the install and first impressions phase?
sadly, I think computer OS and apps are still polarised into two models:
1/ trivial to get started, difficult to do non-standard tasks
and
2/ hard to understand, easy to do your own thing".
As a simple example, consider the humble Palm.. trivial to use out of the box, doing anything complex with wifi or bl
Re:One question (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:One question (Score:5, Insightful)
Honestly, it's that "hard to understand" part that is a major problem to getting non-geeks, or even geeks who don't like spending a lot of time twiddling with their computer's software, to be interested in Linux. I'd say that trading #2 for #1 (in your post) is not always a bad thing, depending on your ultimate goals for the system.
Re: (Score:2)
I have always thought when I read comments here on slashdot on all the "Linux is ready for the desktop" flamewars that, it is not us geeks the ones that have to answer the question "is Linux ready for Joe Sixpack and Grandma?", it is THEY the ones that have to answer and so far they have answered NO (it is the overall answer relfexed by the Linux adoption.
I like doing the analogy with what happened to Nintendo. I believe it was Shigeru Miyamoto or the CEO of the company who put it this way
Re:One question (Score:5, Interesting)
I have been using linux for about 10 years, my main OS is gentoo, I am a Unix systems administrator, I would never consider introducing a windows user to linux through gentoo, or debian they need a gateway distribution, I don't feel fedora fits this bill well enough the same applies to SuSE, however linspire(freespire) are ideal, they get the users used to working in an environment that is similar enough to windows for them to find their way around, when these users want to move onto something more powerful they can change distributions.
As for:
Are you serious?? Linux is linux, yes there is differences between distributions, yes perhaps fedora provides a nice GUI to set up wireless networking and perhaps linspire provides a nice installation method but once the user becomes experienced enough with using Linux they are usually going to learn to bypass the pretty tools anyway and get themselves into the guts of the system, in which case the distribution itself is really just a matter of personal preference.
Once you get to an operating system that attempts to give the user the power to do advanced things in a simple way you find other difficulties and complications. There is no such thing as the perfect operating system for everybody.
Re: (Score:2)
1/ trivial to get started, difficult to do non-standard tasks and 2/ hard to understand, easy to do your own thing".
Are you serious??
I was talking in general about using computers, whether word process or the bundle of apps that people think is the operating system.
But speaking of linux, in my experience, as soon as you start to manipulate system config files directly instead of using the GUI tools, you can break the gui tools such that they can't understand your changes, and you'
Re: (Score:2)
If this is the case the GUI is broken in the first place or you haven't used valid syntax when making your changes!
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
the one certainty is that end users are never going to take more than a passing interest in the internals of an operating system.
Re:One question (Score:4, Interesting)
But thanks for being patronising. It's not that I don't use Linux because I "don't understand it". I've used it more than enough in home and business.
I don't use it because it's an utter pig to get running, an utter pig to install things and an utter pig to manage. And that goes for Debian, Mandriva, Red Hat, Suse and even Fedora. Freespire worked.
And actually I think Microsoft has had pefect success in that area. I've never had the slightest hint of a virus, security or crashing problem with XP behind a router. Of course I don't use IE.
Re: (Score:2)
And I have GOT to find a way to get KDE to give me a wide multi-line taskbar, it's got room for about a program and a half in default config.
Re: (Score:2)
lets see shall we:
Duds (100634)
speculatrix (678524)
yip - Duds has a lower id number therefore is more qualified to judge.
I love science...
Re: (Score:2)
Linspire would have ended up on the box too, if Click and Run didn't require a subscription. I would have easily shelled for a version of Linspire that allowed full a
Re: (Score:1)
Answer: (Score:1)
Re:One question (Score:5, Funny)
Duh, the same way everyone else does:
2) ???
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re:One question (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The Reason Why It can be Free (Score:5, Insightful)
Good for him, and good for us! I guess that's what happens when you become innovative and create multiple products / services!
Re:The Reason Why It can be Free (Score:4, Interesting)
Well Duh (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
True (Score:5, Insightful)
Quite cool (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I want to know how many users they actually have and how many of those users would buy commercial software via CNR. I just can't see them having that many total users, nevermind total users that will actually buy this stuff.
More important de free... (Score:4, Informative)
(from TFA)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Help save Social Security, work longer or die sooner.
Concerned taxpayer"
Working longer, dying sooner.
You've just summed up my retirement plan perfectly!
- sgage (only a boyish 51 years old!)
Well what do you know (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Great!...but too late... (Score:1, Interesting)
Here comes the targeted scripts (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd call it Lindows if that hadn't already been tried. FreeDows?
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
superuser. The very first user you add during install IS
the superuser, and he gets access via su or sudo and his
password.
If I install Ubuntu, I would just make the first user
'Admin' and then add myself as the second user.
Re: (Score:2)
FreeDows (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Read some of the comments posted in that thread. Seems like running as root is No Big Deal, almost a badge of honor. These dipshits deserve whatever they get. And they will get it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
disclaimer - debian at work, xp at home (gamez) but adequatel
Community-driven Freespire (Score:4, Informative)
Freespire is a community-driven, Linux-based operating system that combines the best that free, open source software has to offer (community driven, freely distributed, open source code, etc.), but also provides users the choice of including proprietary codecs, drivers and applications as they see fit. With Freespire, the choice is yours as to what software is installed on your computer, with no limitations or restrictions placed on that choice. How you choose to maximize the performance of your computer is entirely up to you.
What is Linspire's Value Added? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Ok, bad analogy. Ubuntu presents updates much like Windows *usually* does, if you tell it to prompt for updates.
Re: (Score:1)
I was in exactly the same situation, and here's what I did.
I installed Debian Stable, plus Firefox, and Thunderbird. I wrote a few custom scripts to handle downloading photos from her digital camera, and storing them in folders named after the photo's month. A couple of scripts do similar stuff.
I installed a RAID 1 system, figuring that she would never take the time to do backups - and remote backups through her slow ADSL connection (with limited uplink speed) would be a hassle.
Most importantly, I w
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm a Linux newb but Ubuntu Dapper tells you when there are updates and about 2 clicks later you're done. I think even a computer novice can be trained to click OK a few times. Your solution
Re:What is Linspire's Value Added? (Score:4, Interesting)
as far as maintenance/updates spire follows sorta debian stable aproach in that it takes them a long time to update software unless there is a security problem (spire is not for people who want the latest and greatest)
The major drawbacks I found with freespire/linspire
1) Its dog slow, takes a long time to bootup, apps take longer to start compared to other distros
2) doesnt setup the monitor corectly, requires setting the resolution and refresh rate in its controll panal, possible to set it outside the spects of the display (i.e 100 hz on a 75hz max monitor)
3) A lot of outdated software such as kde 3.3
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
It comes preinstalled with everything you can imagine, is KDE-based (other DE's are available) and has XGL goodness. Still very young though, so YMMV.
Eliminating a $20/year fee is BIG news? (Score:2)
Admittedly it may look different if you're actually developing software for Linspire, which I'm not, but still... I find it hard to believe $20 annuual fee is actually stopping anyone from making software available... unless it's The Principle Of The Thing.
Heck, it costs $20 to buy a spindle of CD-R's... t
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
There is very little difference between $19 and $20. There is a huge, vast, gaping chasm between something that costs $1 and something that is free.
If you can now play with a service at no cost, I think more people are likely to try it out, who wouldn't have even considered it
Perhaps (Score:1)
Soo.... (Score:2)
Wow.
(goes back to bash shell under debian.)
Re: (Score:2)
But if that scares you, Linspire, being Debian based, also includes apt-get.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I took a while, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
The only reason I post this is in the hopes that the geek I met 5 years ago will read this and realise how much of a stuck-up geek he is. I was at the bus terminal waiting for my bus to go to work. I saw this guy holding a PDA, casually glanced at it, and he just got all excited that someone was checking it out because he had Linux on it and wanted to show it off. So on the bus ride he's prattling on about how great Linux is, how you can do everything in Linux that you can in Windows, how much better Linux is over Windows. So I ask him if he's checked out this new disto, seeing as I just found it and thought it was a cool idea. Nice, easy, user friendly, had this cool utility that downloaded and installed software for you in a single click. "It's called Lindows" I said. "Looks cool enough, and would be nice for the average person that doesn't want to rebuild their kernel." His face dropped...he looked so disgusted. It was like I just killed a puppy in front of him. He could barely even talk. He asked for my email address to "talk about Linux", but I never heard from him. Dumbass stuck-up geek...THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO AREN'T GEEKS! It's so that these people bother other people to help them, or don't need help at all because the damn thing just works! It's to free up the geek's time! But he just couldn't see the potential...too disgusted that it was "like Windows"...
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I was a Gentoo man then, and I'm a Gentoo man now!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I understand the distro has come a long way though, and from what I've heard I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to newbies today. Then again, I'm not the dude with the PDA.
Does anyone actually use this? (Score:3, Insightful)
So if anyone is reading this and does use this as their main distro, I'm curious why you use it, and what you tried before it.
Because I'm just not clear on the point of this distribution. Looking at free (as in beer) Linux distributions like OpenSuSE and *buntu, I just don't understand why anyone would pay for this.
Paying for home desktop Linux just strikes me as....bizarre.
(And no, I'm not a SuSE user, but I've played with it.)
Someone step in and drop some science on this please.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Does anyone actually use this? (Score:4, Interesting)
I can only think of one valid reason to pay for Linux: support.
If a company sold Linux for a reasonable price and offered competent phone support, it would be worthwhile for people looking for a Windows alternative who don't have the time to invest in getting to know Linux well enough to be comfortable with it as their only operating system.
It's not in use at my work (except in a few dedicated roles using live CDs) because the adminstrator doesn't know Linux well enough to be comfortable with relying on it. There isn't a support structure comparable to Microsoft's; their knowledge base alone trumps any support offerings I've ever seen for Linux.
Re:Does anyone actually use this? (Score:4, Insightful)
First, I understand you exactly and agree with your point(s).
But to explain, I've seen quite a few people buy Linspire (and a couple even pay for the CNR access). I thought they were loons but after seeing this repeatedly I had to think about it.
The conclusion that I came to was "consumerist training". People are taught to think like that -- just watch TV if you don't believe me. These people have a strong "feeling" that if you pay for something it has to be better. In short, they're "Americans" with "American values".
I see the same thing all the time with Windows users. Some people actually get a certain satisfaction at buying anti-virus software and registry maintenance software and other odds-and-ends $20 or $40 utilities that are unneeded in a GNU/Linux system.
It sounds bizarre, but I'm serious -- some people do like that to a limited extent. They always say, "It's just $30 so what's the big deal?" And it gives them a certain satisfaction because in their mind they're "helping" and "optimizing" their computer.
Re: (Score:2)
Are these business models set in stone? Are these busincess models mandated by law? (FYI, there are alternative business models.)
I don't know where music or movies came in, but I do know that many musicians allow their music to be freely downloaded -- they see it not only as a good PR move to build buzz and their fan bas
People who like easy installs (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Does anyone actually use this? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Very well written and well-said. I've been using SuSE/SUSE for about two years now. I'm actually rather frustrated with the current version and the things I'm needing to do to keep it running. I wonder if it isn't time to actually try Lindows and see what it can do. My only major concern with it was the cost and the running as root. Seeing, however, that I pay
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I personally like it because it is easy to set up and use much is clear to understa
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Here's proof: http://www.perfectreign.com/?q=node/24 [perfectreign.com]
My only hope is that he tells all his first-grade friends how he kicks rear on Tux Racer and they'll want it too...
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Freespire is the first distro I've tried where it just worked, right out of the proverbial box. I've tried Ubuntu, Suse, Debian, Fedora, Knoppix, and a handful of others. My pattern would be to insta
Re: (Score:2)
The home and SOHO user is not a system builder. He is not a free or open source ideologue. Proprietary software, binary drivers, DRM. Zero marks for political correctness.
Linux is simply a plausible alternative to Windows. Nothing more.
OEM Linspire has at least a minimal presence in big box retail
Unfortunately.... (Score:1)
yeah well (Score:2)
CNR is great, but their customized apps suck! (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Uh, (Score:2)
volume (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
They are selling PowerDVD for Linux (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Barely a week after the sale ended (Score:2)
I still think I made the right choice by setting up my aunt with Ubuntu instead of Linspire, but I might have to
Re: (Score:2)
Linspire's "unique selling proposition" is the OEM system install and placement in big box retail. The plug and play home appliance users expect when thry go shopping for a Windows PC or the Mac.