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Linux Business Operating Systems Software

Xandros Releases Open Circulation Edition 193

Posted by timothy from the free-as-in-beer-nuts dept.
jasonp writes "Xandros has just announced the release of an Open Circulation Edition of its famous Desktop OS. The Open Circulation Edition includes the Xandros File Manager, Opera for web browsing and email, and access to Xandros Networks. To accompany this exciting release, DesktopOS.com has published an exclusive interview (mirror) with a number of key Xandros executives." The license is a little off-putting, at least if you want to use the OS at work, but Xandros hopes people will find the OS attractive enough to pay for.
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Xandros Releases Open Circulation Edition More

Xandros Releases Open Circulation Edition

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  • Faster Loads (Score:5, Informative)

    by Mz6 ( 741941 ) * on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:50PM (#9380108) Journal
    For MUCH faster loading use the print article feature. It even includes the pictures!

    http://www.desktopos.com/printfeature.php?artid=22 [desktopos.com]

    http://www.desktopos.net/printfeature.php?artid=2 (mirror) [desktopos.net]

    Looks like its very promising... I think I might like it :)

  • Who's got a BitTorrent? (Score:5, Informative)

    by AKAImBatman ( 238306 ) <akaimbatman@gmaiBLUEl.com minus berry> on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:51PM (#9380122) Homepage Journal
    As soon as I get my hands on a copy, I'll attempt to review it [slashdot.org].

    Actually, it looks like it's available via BitTorrent [xandros.com] already. Start downloading people! I want more bandwidth. ;-)

  • Four-click install with automatic disk partitioning

    lets just hope this isn't like with some 'earlier' SuSE Linux where it overwrites the whole harddisk (yeah windows is gone ;))

  • Bleh... (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by xenostar ( 746407 )
    ...I don't see what all the whoop is about. Just someone trying to mutate linux into a windows clone and cash in on it. At least RedHat has (had?) a decent corporate strategy and a respect for the linux community. Xandros has done an impressive amount of work on their OS, but in the end, it's nothing to write home about.

    • Re:Bleh... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by arnold4president ( 785568 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:23PM (#9380510)
      Did you ever stop to consider the ramifications for companies that don't try "to cash in" on a SUCCESSFUL (meaning monetary) strategy. They become a blip on the software industry radar, and then they die. Some Slashdotters may not like Microsoft Windows, but I don't think you can argue about the success of their product, so it would only make common sense for other companies looking to grab a chunk of the market to adapt to existing markets, which would mean reaching a certain level of "Windows-ness." I mean, if they announced their compatability with RedHat or Suse networks, would you be more impressed? RedHat and Suse aren't really breaking any new ground technologically, so what's the pull with those operating systems over Xandros? After using RedHat for several years, I have grown tired with some of their short comings. Xandros addresses these issues and more, so I made the switch and I haven't looked back.

      • Re:Bleh... (Score:2, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Xandros is a great little os. I picked up a copy of their "preview release" last year a Linux world. It's nice. It's pretty solid, and it's debian based. Imagine what would happen if Lindows did everything they claim it does, and you would have something that looks and acts a lot like Xandros.

        The thing I like about the system is that they do things with their interface that few other Linux disrtos do easily. Take user switching for example. In Xandros, it's pretty simple to do. It's certainly possible in o
        • I concur.

          I've used Xandros a while now, and while I'm currently on he latest knoppix, I think I'm going back to xandros.

          Its debian::is good.

          *PLUS*

          Its damn well integrated as heck. It feels like a package, rather than a bunch of stuff whacked together.

          Its got a few anoyances ("My linux" ack!), but it works works works. The printer dialog works for everything. The sound system works for everything. Everything works. Autodetect. Work. work. work.

          Plus its mostly vanilla debian under the hood. And that fol

  • BTW... (Score:5, Informative)

    by AKAImBatman ( 238306 ) <akaimbatman@gmaiBLUEl.com minus berry> on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:54PM (#9380163) Homepage Journal
    ...in case someone has not heard of Xandros before, it's basically another Linux distro. What makes it so special is that Xandros purchased the rights to Corel Linux and repackaged it as XandrOS Linux. The desktop is designed to be easy for new users, and even has WINE integrated so that Windows programs run without much fuss.
    • How good of a distro is it? I'm a Linux newbie who's trying to decide on which distro to run. I've installed and used both SuSE and Redhat in the past as a second OS on my primary system to try things out. I just got a new PC and will be wiping the old one and installing Linux. Should I give Xandros a try?
      • This post [slashdot.org] should answer your question. In other words, I'll let everyone know as soon as I know. :-)

      • Re:BTW... (Score:2, Informative)

        by pqdave ( 470411 )
        No experience with Xandros, but years ago I installed Corel Linux. With the exception of the souncard (which gave other distributions trouble, too) it just worked. Connecting to a Windows Server network worked out of the box for a regular user, all I needed was the Windows domain, username and password. No chown, no editing fstab required.

        If I didn't have a Mandrake box working already, I'd give Xandros a shot. OTOH, since it does so much for you, you might not learn as much.

      • Re:BTW... (Score:3, Informative)

        by BigGerman ( 541312 )
        I used the Xandros for a while. It is very solid, interoperates with Windows networking very well. It did not run on my laptop, but on the desktop it was stellar.
        The only problem it does not have latest and greatest components, the kernel is 2.4.
        Look at Mandrake 10 for more general purpose distro on the 'leading edge. Just make sure to try Official, not Community.

    • Re:BTW... (Score:5, Informative)

      by benmhall ( 9092 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @09:24PM (#9383652) Homepage Journal
      Actually, they got the whole Corel Linux team. Corel more or less spun them off.

      Also, the free version doesn't have the integrated WINE (which was just a bundled CodeWeaver's CX Office/plugin.) The free version seems to just be the standard version with the CD burning crippled.

      Another key feature of Xandros is the integrated file manager that has the hands down best samba integration that I've seen in a file manager. Sharing a directory is as easy as right-clicking and selecting Share.

      Finally, their Xandros Networks app is a brilliantly executed front-end to apt. Everyone always says that Xandros is best suited to new users. Sure, new users will like it, but I think this pigeonhole's Xandros more than it ought to be.

  • Famous? (Score:5, Funny)

    by jarich ( 733129 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:55PM (#9380168) Homepage Journal
    famous Desktop OS.

    I'm glad they told me it was famous... I didn't have any idea what it is!

    • List of famous operating systems:
      • Microsoft Windows
      List of operating systems I have used:
      • MS-DOS, PC-DOS
      • Mac OS, both the older ones and X.
      • Microsoft Windows 3.x, 95, 98, NT4, XP.
      • Linux (all sorts of distributions)
      • FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD
      • Solaris
      • HP-UX
      List of operating systems whose existance I am aware of: very very long, but not including Xandos until now.

  • my friend used this on a laptop... (Score:5, Informative)

    by wooby ( 786765 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:55PM (#9380177) Journal
    ... a Compaq Presario with a P4, if I remember correctly. As a novice user, he was pleased. The Xandros interface, a modified flavor of KDE, is remarkably familiar looking from the Windows standpoint. It also uses the Plastik KDE theme as the default window decoration, which is pretty fancy. Though the interface is clean and consistent there are no breakthrough usability innovations that I can remember. I think the only hardware that gave him trouble was a PCMCIA WiFi adapter. Though wifi chipsets have consistently given Linux trouble because of closed-source drivers, it didn't help that this particular card was a Microsoft...

  • License (Score:5, Informative)

    by Grant_Watson ( 312705 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:57PM (#9380199)
    "The license is a little off-putting, at least if you want to use the OS at work..."

    I should say so.

    Section 1:

    B. Subject to the terms and conditions contained herein, Xandros hereby grants to You a non-exclusive license to use the Software Product:

    for your personal, non-commercial use;

    and for internal business purposes only and only if You are a Developer; where a "Developer" means a person who uses the Software Product in connection with the development of a software application or component.

    • Re:License (Score:3, Insightful)

      by einhverfr ( 238914 )
      Well, I agree, but I also think that it is a step in the right direction for Xandros. Their distribution is currently buggy and overpriced (IMO), but I think that this indicates that maybe their current business model is not working so well, or at least they are interested in seeing how "openness" affects their business. Of course, I do not consider it open until I have access to the source.
      • Good point, it's one thing to write things as open source and put then out in the field, but to see if the market will respond financially to it is a whole different angle; more so when the market can make those same tools and processes.

        I may be hugely mistaken but I think I have seen a few other OSS projects which did a bit of tricky licensing for larger or development environments. It will be interesting to see where Xandros' take on this will lead them.

      • Re:License (Score:2, Redundant)

        by kidlinux ( 2550 )
        The license is a little off-putting, at least if you want to use the OS at work, but Xandros hopes people will find the OS attractive enough to pay for.

        Of course, I do not consider it open until I have access to the source.

        I've got one thing to say to both of those comments - fuck that.

        What is it with everyone on /.? You think everything should be open source and free? I've got news for you - businesses are in business to make money! Of course the license is restrictive - they're not about to give
        • Fuck that.

          Software is a comodity. You can't make money from software anymore.

          Xandros may be a very user friendly distribution (it is indeed, is what I am using to write this) but they gain absolutely nothing closing the source of some of their stuff. That business model is dead.

          Services, people, services is what will save the day.
        • Correct me if i am wrong but this release is called "XANDROS OPEN CD" ... its based oiff of an Open Source Linux distro .. and it is "FREE" to download ... the Xandros market is the business market ...

          How the hell can I try it in a business environment if the license basically says I can't? If I install Xandros OpenCD and check my email with it I am in breach of contract.

          for your personal, non-commercial use; and
          for internal business purposes only and only if You are a Developer;

          According to the lic

          • Notice the little symbol in there we all like to call a semi-colon. A semi-colon denotes end of thought without ending the sentence.

            They even devided it up on the page to make it easier for dumb people to understand. But I guess it wasn't toned down enough..

            I will break it down for you.

            1) You may use this software for free if you are using it for personal, non commercial use.

            2) You may use this software for business, but only if you are a developer (ie no Billing Clerks or Secretaries.)

            You do NOT
            • In fact, I think that the license is pretty loose. "Unless you are a developer" is a pretty loose term. You could be developing kernels and applications, or you could be developing web pages. You could probably get away with "developing" spreadsheets.

              Does a shell script such as this count?

              #!/bin/sh
              cat $1 > ssh privateprintserver lpr

              It is an application running on a Linux box, is it not? If I write it am I not a developer? Therefore if I am a sysadmin, am I not a developer?

              They do further define de
        • I like open source and free software just as much as the next person, but I don't get annoyed when some business decides they want to make money and don't want to give out their source code. When it comes to software not based on GPL software, why should they release their code??

          What they do with their proprietary code is their business. As I said, Xandros is buggy and overpriced. I will probably never try this one (Gentoo, Debian, and Fedora are the distros I use most nowadays).

          I never said that Xandr

  • oh god, somebody's using the v-word again... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by bersl2 ( 689221 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:58PM (#9380216) Journal
    "We want the Open Circulation version of the Xandros desktop to replicate like a virus," said Dr. Frederick H. Berenstein, Xandros Chairman and CTO.

    I really wish that analogy would just die. It connotes too many negative ideas.

  • User of Xandros.. (Score:5, Informative)

    by StacyWebb ( 780561 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:58PM (#9380232) Homepage
    I personally have been using Xandros 2.0 on my laptop for about 6 month. All that they say is true, the 4 click install, moving the windows partition, Xandros Networks (which allows you to get the apps you want). -- the former is one of the best features - Being debian based it's ease of installation and ease of use, is usually my recomendation to new linux converts

  • I can't wait for the day... (Score:3, Funny)

    by huber ( 723453 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:59PM (#9380237)
    "Xandros Desktop OS is an intuitive graphical environment that works right out of the box and offers unrivaled compatibility with Microsoft Windows. The new Xandros Business Desktop OS adds enterprise-class Active Directory and PDC authentication to the peer-to-peer Windows networking found in the consumer editions."
    ..that microsoft starts claiming unrivialed compatiblity with linux.

  • Could someone (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jeffkjo1 ( 663413 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @01:59PM (#9380246) Homepage
    Could someone explain to me how it is that Xandros has managed to not distribute their OS for free for so long? Don't they have to adhear to the GPL? Am I missing something?

    • Yes you are missign something (Score:5, Informative)

      by Burz ( 138833 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:04PM (#9380303) Homepage Journal
      ftp://ftp2.xandros.com/src/

      • How easy would it be to actaully get the paid for version by compiling this stuff?
        • Impossible. This address only includes the free components.

          You would be missing:

          * Commercial hardware drivers (video card, etc.)

          * Xandros File Manager (Konqueror still reeks for network file sharing).

          * Acrobat, RealPlayer, Flash

          * Crossover Office

          * Enhanced SMB support including intelligent caching of passwords

          * Control panel modules for setting screen res, etc.

          * Xandros' GUI for CUPS (printing)

          * Xandros Networks software managerment (a friendly layer over APT).

          In short, you'll have Debian (which

    • Re:Could someone (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Raven42rac ( 448205 ) *
      You can sell it, there is nothing in the GPL that prohibits selling your variations of Linux, it is actually encouraged. You have to leave the source code open. It is free as in speech, not necessarily free as in beer. People have been selling distros for years. Linus dispelled this myth in his interview on Fresh Air, and in his book.
      • Also (and I think this is more to his concern), if you distribute GPL software, you're obligated to make the source code available to the recipients. Offering free ISO downloads to all comers is common in the Linux world, but it's not in any way mandatory.

    • Re:Could someone (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Penguinshit ( 591885 )

      It's the difference between "libre" and "gratis".
    • Maybe they do something like distributing various seperated bits of source that would be complicated to compile, if you ask them?

      Just a guess...

      And how do other companies (RedHat, MandrakeSoft) get away with the non free (beer) versions?
    • No your not missing anything. GPL states that you release modified source code of GPL software. Most of the Xandros cusomtizations are developped exclusevly in-house. You need to brush up on your back porch lawyerism.

    • Re:Could someone (Score:2, Informative)

      by nanter ( 613346 )
      The GPL does not preclude you from selling software licensed under the GPL.

      Check out the GNU site [gnu.org] where it explains it.

      Once the software is purchased, then it can be distributed freely (with source included).

    • Re:Could someone (Score:2, Informative)

      by pyros ( 61399 )
      Could someone explain to me how it is that Xandros has managed to not distribute their OS for free for so long? Don't they have to adhear to the GPL? Am I missing something?

      They only have to distribute the source to the people to whom they have distributed compiled binaries. Those people are then free to redistribute the binaries, and source in any GPL compatible license. If Xandros has only ever sold precompiled binaries (as opposed to offering free downloads of the ISO images, or free FTP installs, etc)

  • This looks like an attempt to cash in, betrayal of principles etc., but in the end this will probably migrate more non-geeks from windows.

  • Great distro, but... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:06PM (#9380317)
    I've been using Xandros Deluxe for a while (with CrossOver office) and it's great, but a recent change to their "Xandros Networks" system (a front-end to apt, but with "channels") means that you cannot download the latest version of a package until it has aged a bit. As an example, you can use apt-get to install gimp1.2, but gimp2 requires a "Premium Membership", which doesn't come with even the paid for versions - you must purchase this separately for nearly $40.

    I loved Xandros until this change. I don't mind paying for a distro, if it's good enough, but I don't appreciate them trying to gouge me with extra charges just to have the latest version of an open source program.

    I also am annoyed that their new Open Circulation version limits cd writing speed to the minimum. That is a stupid restriction. What is the point?

    • Re:Great distro, but... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by mrbcs ( 737902 )
      There's more bad news. They are turning into the Microsoft of Linux.

      Try installing anything from debian. Try kpackage. Used to work. Now in version two it pretty much breaks everything. You can only get software from Xandros Networks.

      They also took out the ability to join a domain between versions 1 & 2. I was all for this O/S.. now I'm jaded. The biz version which has this magically re-included is considerably more money. Their new xDMS server is confusing all the beta testers. We mistakenly thoug

    • Re:Great distro, but... (Score:4, Informative)

      by deadmongrel ( 621467 ) <karthik@poobal.net> on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:50PM (#9380854) Homepage
      the one thing that's good about XandrOS is that its debian based. So Basically you can use testing repositories to install most of the open source "premium subscription" software. I am actually running gdm and gnome on a XandrOS desktop. Just google around before you install something other than from xandros network.

  • Who would pay for this? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Nuclear Elephant ( 700938 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:08PM (#9380339) Homepage
    This looks to me like Windows '95, which is really Apple '86. Sorry, I don't mean to flame, but honestly - why would anyone want to pay for that when you can make your desktop look so much better [nuclearelephant.com] with free, GPL'd products?
    • So, instead of ripping off MS, we're supposed to rip off Apple?

      I think not. You know, the purpose of running an alt-OS is *NOT* to make it look and act and feel like the competition!

      • The purpose of running an alt-OS is to run what _you_ want, and to be able to do it with free software. Gnome is flexible enough to look however _you_ want it to...it's both attractive, and it's free.
        • ...The purpose of running an alt-OS is to run what _you_ want...

          So how does running Windows stop me from doing this? There's *far* more software available for Windows (in all its incarnations) than for linux and derivitaves.

          Sorry, you're wrong.
    • After looking at your link on my PowerBook, I'm going to have to say that it doesn't look 'so much better'. The jagged edges, kludgy dock, and the silly gnome menu bar.. no thanks. I'd rather have my laptop that works, has plenty of software AND your GPL stuff.

      OS X on my desktop, FreeBSD on my servers.
    • It's all in the packaging. They make the free software accessible for the (l)users. The market will decide if they do a good enough job.

      I'm glad someone are catering them, because they are in majority after all. Linux won't go further then the door step if it isn't made accessible to the crowd.

      Slick desktop btw.

      0.02$
    • Because there is more to a computer than looking pretty :) Xandros offers the best integrated wine support of any distro. Upgrading applications is easy in part because they are based on debian. Instalation is a snap, and hardware support is great.

      The only downside (but a big one) is that much the code they have written and include in the distro is not open source. Hence the reason that having a no-cost version is actually news, whereas it is common practice for most other distros.

      PS. That doesn't look li
  • With a new release of mozilla out, why do they quietly choose a non free of browser software? I do emergency think this is emergency a sensible choice.

  • CD burning (Score:4, Informative)

    by labratuk ( 204918 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:10PM (#9380370)
    CD burning speed in Xandros File Manager is limited to the minimum burning speed of your CD burner. To get the maximum burning speed out of your hardware you can either become a Premium subscriber to Xandros Networks or Upgrade to the Standard, Deluxe or Business editions of the Xandros Desktop OS.

    Quality.

    (Alerted to by jdub's blog)

    • Re:CD burning (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bcmm ( 768152 )
      This restrictions has got to be hackable on an open source product, surely?

      • Re:CD burning (Score:2, Informative)

        by donovangn ( 728687 )

        I would imagine you could just remove whichever cd recording package they're using and install a non-crippled version or use a different package completely.

        Is it possible to cripple the drivers for a cd-rw? If that's the case, I would imagine snagging your own drivers would circumvent this as well.

      • The CD burning is done through Xandros File Manager, which is not open-source.
      • Xandros File Manager is not open-source. I haven't tried the release yet, but I would assume that using any other app would work around the limitation (i.e. that they're not crippling the drivers, just making it so if you find burning from their file manager convenient you have an incentive to upgrade).
      • You don't need to use the cd burning facilities from the Xandros file manager (which is not hackable, and not open source, developed entirely by Xandros).

        But it's simple to install k3b and burn CDs at full speed _and_ DVDs.

  • XP dual-install seems like selling point (Score:4, Insightful)

    by crush ( 19364 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:23PM (#9380509)
    It seems that what they're pushing in this is that there's full NTFS support and so it's easy to do a dual-boot with XP without having to reformat all the windows stuff to FAT32. Other distributions (e.g. Red Hat's) refuse to include NTFS stuff because it's still unstable (especially writing), so have Xandros made some advances in this area or do they just discount the danger?

  • Shilling (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:25PM (#9380536)
    its famous Desktop OS... this exciting release... DesktopOS.com

    1. Xandros is relatively well-known in small circles but it is certainly not famous.
    2. Exciting? Xandros is exciting? What's exciting about it? It's an ugly bore, no better and far worse than other distros. It's OK, but just OK and no more.
    3. jasonp of course represents DesktopOS.com.

      I find this kind of unabashed shameless shilling totally disgusting. Slashdot should know better than to accept such submissions.
  • Last i looked they were still running REALLY old versions of major apps like KDE.

    Also it seemed that most anything you might want to install using their 'installer' thingie, required a $ subscription.

    Even for things like GIMP, which is free..

    Those 2 things turned me off.. Has this improved any?

    Yes i know its debian based, and i could update manually, but whats the point? If im going to go thru that much trouble, then the 'distro' doesnt offer me any advantages over anything else..

  • Some quotes from the Xondros's Page (Score:4, Insightful)

    by TonyMeatballs ( 621545 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @02:39PM (#9380687)
    "CD burning speed in Xandros File Manager is limited to the minimum burning speed of your CD burner. To get the maximum burning speed out of your hardware you can either become a Premium subscriber to Xandros Networks or Upgrade to the Standard, Deluxe or Business editions of the Xandros Desktop OS"

    "The Open Circulation Edition installs an ad-sponsored version of the Opera web browser and e-mail client."

    The Open Circulation Edition does not include CodeWeavers CrossOver Office or Plugin so you are not able to run any Windows compatible applications on Xandros Desktop. Upgrade to the Deluxe or Business editions if you need this functionality.

    Somehow, I don't think popup ads, crappy CD, and the lack of compatibility with windows promised (unless you upgrade) in the first place burning are going to convince people to jump over to Linux. The idea of an extremely easy to use distro that is Windows compatible is a great idea, but this doesn't seem like the best way to gain support.

    • The CD burning restriction is only if you're using their file manager to burn your disks. If you install k3b and cdrecord, you won't have said restriction.

      Also, the ad-sponsored version of Opera, is the same ad-sponsored free version of Opera you can download directly from the Opera site. The ads are displayed directly in a "toolbar" of the browser. Personally, I don't like Opera's UI, and much prefer Mozilla Firefox, though I'm not upgrading until more of the extensions I use support the newer builds.
  • Where does it say in the GPL that I'm restricted in regards to where I can use GPL'ed code? Non-commercial use only?

  • Install is a breeze (Score:3, Informative)

    by HangingChad ( 677530 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @03:47PM (#9381496) Homepage
    I've used Xandros since January and it is a breeze to install. Also very easy to install a printer and connect to a Windows network. It runs okay at a basic level but software installation can be a challenge sometimes.

    The bad: A subscription for software upgrades for paying customers is a BAD idea. I don't think getting CrossOver in paid bundle is all that big of a bonus. IE and media player don't run worth crap on CrossOver. I'd rather they dropped CrossOver and included the software subscription. Although it's great if you need to run any Office products on a Linux box.

    The license does suck. Very unfortunate they chose to handicap what would otherwise be a good distro with that EULA.

    If they don't drop the software upgrade subscription for paying useres I'm not going buy another copy. I'll find a distro with a more liberal license and broader support.

    • The subscription to software upgrades, the way I see it, should essentially cover the cost of running a massive server with all the binary packages on it, and the cost for the bandwidth associated with it. That's my opinion, anyway. I think that you could, in a way, actually offer a service in this kind of way, much like a web host offers web hosting services - a fast, subscription-based service, that ensures that your binaries will always be available to you for a reasonable cost. I realize that there are

  • Great operating system (Score:4, Informative)

    by sammy_cda ( 783295 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @05:19PM (#9382274)
    I've used Xandros 2.0 for about 4 months and love it. The install was easy although I didn't do the express/4 clicks as I wanted some control over partitions, etc. The only things that are "broke" out of the box are Real One Player (and their support site tells how to fix this with Realplayer 8) and the fact that it won't play dvds as shipped. You don't have to use opera and installing mozilla is very easy with the Xandros Networks. I highly recommend it for someone who wants a linux distro that works--vs one to be worked on.

  • xandros rocks! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Keruo ( 771880 ) on Wednesday June 09, 2004 @06:25PM (#9382734)
    I'm debian user myself, and I tried pirated version of xandros on one system just to kill boredom once and I was surprised just how easy it was to install.
    I had raw system, unpartitioned hd, sound card, tuner card, 2 network cards, realtek and some nvidia, cd-burner, matrox g450.
    I threw the install cd in and booted, 5, that's FIVE mouse clicks, reboot and I had fully installed operating system including just about everything I needed for daily use.
    Only thing missing was pre-tuned tv-channels, but that wasn't big problem.
    I tested the system for about a week, and recommended it for couple of friends who bought it and liked it.
    Myself being poor student, decided to format and go back to my vanilla debian use.

    Seriously, if you need desktop linux for office, I recommend xandros.
    It's good value for the money, and if you want the latest progs for home use, just throw in more apt sources and upgrade using unstable debian packages.
  • I would really like to try Xandros out for some purposes of replacing windows - since the codeweavers part is not included this is moot. I thought Xandros might be a good alternative for others who usually use windows.

    What they need is some time-expiring try beforfe you buy-version. I have nothing against shelling out for quality, but then I need to know that it is quality - and quality of the kind I need.

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