Linked by Michael Valentine on Mon 28th Mar 2005 19:49 UTC
I decided to write this review to provide a quick inside to the new Linspire 5.0 released on March 15th, 2005. The review will determine the use of Linspire 5.0 in a SOHO (Small Office Home Office) Environment. The download was free for me since I'm a current CNR subscriber. UPDATE: Another Linspire review, and the Linspire 5.0 Live CD is now available for free download.
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I would suggest that statement that "Most SOHOs don't need those programs" is very true, particularly when you look at their target audience of people who have a computer to surf websites, chat to online friends, collect and send email, listen to mp3s, store digital photographs... I know many people whose use for a computer is just that.
I used to be gainfully employed using AutoCAD.
Like Michael I am also a Linspire Insider and I go back to Lindows Ver 2.0 which I bought on CD because in those days I used dialup.
I'm not biassed, though. I have looked for many years at how to get away from Microsoft domination, although there is little wrong in using any version of MS Windows if you (a) use all Microsoft products and (b) don't connect to the internet nor swap floppies and CDs with anyone else.
No, I'm not being humourous, I think I'm being accurate.
I enjoyed OS/2 Warp in its day, and would have liked to use eCs, its successor, but had hardware/drivers problems when I tried.
QNX is a brilliant OS but it lacks native applications, a bigger problem than Linux.
Linux distros, well I love ubuntu - actually Kubuntu, the blue themed version that has KDE!
I like both Lycoris and Xandros but do feel they have been currently outclassed by Linspire 5.0 - and even in Linspire 4.0 and 4.5 days that distro was simpler to use, which again is what the target market is.
As the author of the revue pointed out, if you are a guru, a nerd, or someone who loves tinkering, it's not the distro for you, and he listed several more suitable names.
However that type of user seems to frequently "rubbish" a product they would not personally use, and often uses their "status" as an expert to dissuade others.
So sad. Linux is a matter of choice. My choice is different from yours. So be it.
You see, my choice is not to spend time tinkering, but to switch it on and use it for the purpose for which it is designed. I believe the engineers in San Diego have done a superb job there.
As I admitted earlier, I have a personal interest in Linspire, but have always been open minded. If you had read any of the somewhat scathing comments I and my fellow insiders wrote during the beta phase about particular things that didn't work, you would accept that lol
Maybe the report the Mad Penguin wrote is worth reading too.