Here is another review of Linspire 5 with some useful details in it.
Another Linspire 5 Review
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Here is another review of Linspire 5 with some useful details in it.
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Doesn’t bring much new info, but interesting to read.
The thing about Linspire I do not like is that you have to pay for a subscription Click N’ Run. It’s absurd as most of the software is free. If it was commercial software, I have no problem with that.
Then there’s Xandros, anyone can use their OS and install software for free over Xandros Networks. You only pay for commercial software.
See, this is where Autopackage can be useful. Software developers can provide their programs in autopackage and it’ll install in such a simple manner.
The trick isn’t that you are paying for free software, it is that you are paying Linspire to document whether or not the software works on their OS, to organize everything that does, and to make it perfectly easy to install. Heck, click and run is easier than installing stuff on Windows. Worth $50 a year? Not for the poweruser, but for someone who just switched to Linux, very much so.
This article was mediocre, not very detailed. Distribution reviews on one system shouldn’t mention hardware compatibility unless it’s a hard system to be compatible with or there was some failing point.
Click N Run is a service, your paying for a service. Use apt-get which is easily enabled and you can use all Debian has to offer. You are not forced to pay nor obligated to use CNR, only if you want to reap the benefits of it. If this is your reason not to like it then your not very informed about Linspire.
Well, I installed Linspire last night. Its good and easy to use. However after installation, with just mozilla open (only one tab on mozilla open) and with no other programs running, top shows that 21% of the CPU is used. This seems a little too much. Anybody knows why this is so? For comparison, the same thing with Yoper shows about 1.3% of the CPU being used.
Also how do I get rid of Jack and Arts. I have no need of them, so how do I get rid of them?
Any answers will be helpful.
Sounds like you have nver even went through the Linspire website.
First off you are not paying for the software you are paying for a service.
That service includes the tested software with detailed pages for most apps and screenshots. (Yes some apps fail if they have not been tested yet for the newer versions of the OS. With 2500 plus apps there I assume they test the most popular first)
E-mail tech support
CNR keeps track of all the applications that you have EVER installed. (So if your PC crashes or you need to set up another PC you can install all the apps over with 2 clicks)
And you also get the newest versions of their os. (Not just point releases but full releases also) for download the day they are released. (You have to pay for the boxes if you want them plus shipping and handling)
Now if you can get ANY of the above from Xandros networks or Apt-Get (Besides being able to install applications) Please show me. I am a Xandros user also (For my office) and I know for a fact Xandros networks doesn’t have 1/5 the working applications as CNR.
I mean shoot the OS is worth the $50 a year by it’s self with Windows XP home full version costing $200 and Mac OS X costing $129, $50 a year for the OS plus techsupport (Which you have NEVER gotten out of Apple or MS included in the price of ANY of their software) is cheep. (Xandros it’s self only has 30 days of tech support. Also Xandros only gives you 30 days to download your OS. SO if you pay for it and say after 30 days you loose the ISO or CD, it will not be in your account when you come back. You have to fight with them to get another copy, pay for another copy or spend days looking for the CD or ISO.
As long as I pay for CNR I will have access to my ISO’s and all updates (And even if I drop out of CNR I still get lifetime access to what I paid for on their servers.)
Please show me any OS company giving you that value? (Not even many free versions stack up)
Seems like Linspire is the ideal OS for you!
Have you tried:
PCLinuxOS ?
Kubuntu ?
Mepis ?
What exactly do you mean apt-get is not as easy to use as CNR? Once Synaptic is installed (and all of the above come installed with it) its as much a single click as CNR.
Also, if all the apps they package under CNR are free anyway, why charge for the service? After all, you paid for the OS, didn’t you? And they want you to use the apps with their OS, don’t they? So why hold you to $50 ransom for it? At least Xandros charges only for commercial apps like StarOffice and Crossover.
Your comment may win brownie points for you from Linspire Inc, though.
who thinks that guy got payed for the review?
What I mean by APT not being as easy is:
1. The descriptions of apps suck
2. what if the repository you want to get software from is down? Hummmm, since you are not paying for it you have to wait or maybe even hope it comes back up.
3. The applications are not tested very well. Most repositories are maintained by joe blow. LOL! Come on.
Also you as everyone else, you did not read my post because “HELLO” OS UPGRADES are included with the CNR service. So you get a free trial if you buy the Linspire OS, then if you continue the CNR service you also get the OS for ever more included in the price.
Also “HELLO” you also missed that I said you also get tech support from developers for your $50 a year! Does Xandros give you that? Nooooo, does any of the other versions you mentioned give you that? Nooooo. So if you are a novice user do you think you would really want to (A) get support from the company or (B) search f
On top of that you don’t have to pay for CNR if you don’t want to. Linspire doesn’t force you to. You can use APT. It’s debian and has the full Apt application built in. So I can get all the apps that you can get by installing Synaptic also if I want to. LOL!
Learn more about the subject before you just make things up.
(Oh and I guess Xandros gives free access to Xandros networks, but then they only have like 10 good apps in there anyway. They need to pay you to use it.)
This so-so review didn’t talk much about actually using Linspire beyond the install. His experience with the Jack audio server was interesting though. I was wondering how much Jack is getting adopted.
So long as a distro is available as a single live/install CD (for us dial-up users), compression can allow almost 2GB of content so I prefer having multiple app choices. PCLinuxOS and Mepis both have great selections and Synaptic is just as functional as CNR.
I’m tired that many Xandros & Linspire reviews often generalize that Windows switchers would only want a Linux DE with similar glitz to XP and would not want to try several distros. This view is perhaps fine for vendors of Linux pre-installed PCs, but these reviews are about DIY installs.
If a person is savvy enough to be switching from Windows, then they are likely savvy enough to explore a few choices and find one that is comfortable to stick with. IMO there are many distros that are up to par with Linspire for this kind of switcher.
“Have you tried:
PCLinuxOS ?
Kubuntu ?
Mepis ?”
I tried PCLinuxOS: unfortunately the last two releases have been a lot worse than the previous ones.
I tried Mepis: it doesn’t configure my ADSL modem and I don’t like its look and feel.
Didn’t try Kubuntu but I tried Ubuntu: tons of hype and no substance. It doesn’t configure my modem either. It is not Debian compatible. It is simply depressing. If it were the only linux available I’d go back to Windows.
Linspire configures all my hardware just fine, comes with a lot more out of the box than Ubuntu (and everything else is just a click away) and looks gorgeous.
and looks gorgeous.
Now you’re just trolling.
I agree with you. The thing Linspire is trying to sell you is the fact that every program you install through click n run will work perfectly… because they’re all tested. The thing they don’t tell you is that since it’s Debian based, most of the packages have already gone through the regular Debian QA… so they pretty much don’t have to do any testing because of the nature of how things are done in Debian… so basically they’re charging you for other peoples work… Now I understand paying for the distro itself, but paying for click n run.. no thank.
If you don’t want CNR, then don’t buy it. It seems they’re not doing to well with pretentious distro users, who’s response to any positive review of a distro is “x distro sucks, you should try y, it’s clear the superior distro”, but I’m guessing that’s not who they’re marketing it towards.
You can choose
like it: buy Linspire + CNR
don’t like it: only buy Linspire and use apt-get
You are in charge, nobody is forcing you !
What’s the problem ?
It’s not because a store offers a product you like and one you don’t (but can be replaced by a free one) the whole store is bad …
Lindows is perfect for the average Windows Joe.
If he thinks that Internet can be copied on a disk, or that Windows is just there because he has a Computer, and as we know computers have windows… then Lindows with CNR is the ticket for Linux adoption on the Desktop.
This will help Linux in the long run. Money comming to companies that use Linux for a commercial product gives them the incentive to help Linux grow by giving back. This is exactly what Linux geeks will benefit from. And I, as a computer geek in general, am happy to see this happen.
As for the geek complaints that Lindows gives too many rights by default… common… we are geeks… We can fix that in just a few keystrokes right?
Just a quick thought, I honestly don’t think this guy has used much linux at all. He mentioned he thought it was a nice touch that Linspire orders the menus in categories. This is the defacto way that pretty much all DEs do it, Gnome, KDE, Enlightenment, Fuxbox, and the list goes on.
I have more issues with this review but that is the one that is sticking out in my head like a flashing neon sign.
“Linspire orders the menus in categories” The guy is not a Linux user he is a Windows user that is making a review of Linspire.
He says ” The programs are divided into categories, Audio & MP3, Internet, Web Authoring, Games, Business & Finance, and etc. I find this very useful, I got tired of trying to find programs in the Windows start menu. I’m beginning to believe that Windows could learn something from Linspire.”
He does not compare this feature to any other version of Linux and does not say that other Desktops in Linux do not offer this.
This appears is a basic review from a Windows user who is trying Linspire.
The high CPU usage is caused by a bug in the sound system, when your sound cards don’t get configured properly the jackd server behaves poorly. You can disable the sound server in the control panel, or uninstall los-jackcontrol if you have no need of the sound system.
“This appears is a basic review from a Windows user who is trying Linspire.”
What’s wrong with that ? Anyway those people are the target of Linspire !
“That service includes the tested software with detailed pages for most apps and screenshots. (Yes some apps fail if they have not been tested yet for the newer versions of the OS. With 2500 plus apps there I assume they test the most popular first)”
The hell?! They don’t even rebuild between releases?! Every other distro does that, many have more packages, and don’t charge for them…I’ve no problem with them charging for CnR but if you’re taking people’s money the least you can do is at least *rebuild* once a release cycle and make sure the build works and the app launches!
To: Steven Branger
If you read my post I was commenting that the reviewer was a Windows user because the post I was commenting on said that the user hasn’t used many versions of Linux. I made no mention of there being a problem with the reviewer being a Windows user.
To: AdamW
If you go to the Linspire site and read about CNR you will see that not all applications are supported or maintained by Linspire. If you are a developer and join the the developers group (The group for people who want to sell or provide apps to CNR users) you can make or put up applications for CNR users. Those applications are not updated by Linspire. Only applications that the Linspire company posts are managed and those are rebuilt for each new release. (Which is a lot better then some of the other companies like Xandros do. they put up apps like Skype and Firefox when OS 3 came out and those apps didn’t work on OS 2.5 business edition which they don’t have a replacement or upgrade for yet. This has since been fixed because of people fussing. But it took a couple of months to happen. )
Also someone else on here said Xandros does not charge for free applications but yet I go to their Xandros networks tool and see that NVU and several other free apps can’t be downloaded unless you join their member program and pay $40 a year. Also the free apps are months behind the versions that are provided to paying members. (That $40 does not include OS updates OR techsupport like CNR does)
Let me clarify myself. If you read even more closely between the lines, it hints that he HAS used other distros. But to say the following
“I’m beginning to believe that Windows could learn something from Linspire.”
makes it sound to me, that he is saying that instead of learning from Linux as a whole, MS should learn that from Linspire. Just my opinion.
I love blog marketing posts. every single linspire blog on OSnews includes posts exactly like the ones above.
I don’t know maybe I am ready between the wrong lines but the reviewer mentions Windows like 11 times and other Linux OS’s once. I assume this means he is prob not the biggest Linux user out there. Sounds like he has tried a couple, had problems and went back to his Windows machine. This version of Linspire is prob his best experience with Linux which made him write this review.
What we need to find out is what prompted him to write this. Cause he likes Linspire or because he does it on a regular with other distros or OS’s