Linspire (formerly known as LindowsOS) has consistently made an attractive, easy-to-install and easy-to-use GNU/Linux distribution. Read the review at NewsForge.
Distro review: The four-1-1 on Linspire Five-0
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=293&slide=3…
Am I the only osnews reader that has Linspire-review fatigue?
I like Linspire and I am TIRED of hearing about it. LOL!
There are some problems with this story though. The Xandros info is not right.
They claim to have 12,000 applications but in reality the Xandros networks tool only has maybe 100 supported applications in it (If that) The rest come from Debian sources using straight APT.
Linspire is debian also and I can actually use the same sources Xandros uses if I want to and install the same 12,000 apps.
Also Xandros does not give all their apps for free. If you read their site you will see that if you don’t not join their click and run style membership program that you will not get timely updates to apps and some apps like: NVU, GIMP 2, Audacity, Kino, Quanta, All game demos (Damn demos not the full versions) and more you have to be a member of their club. I am at a lost as to how they pick and choose which are free and which are not?
I was only vaguely interested in Linspire but now after so many reviews i may check it out. What they have done with this linux distro sounds quite intriguing. However the name still makes me nauseous everytime i say it or think it. It just doesnt roll off the tongue. Then again Lindows didnt either.
Actually what would be nice is if either this distro or xandros had a developers copy. Its great and wonderful that they are making these eaiser to use for the average user but what about users that want to do a bit more with them but like the idea of the ease of use?
I’m not sure we can take another Linspire review…
“Linspire is bad because they charge for CNR”
“Linspire is bad because I’m not a newbie and I don’t need to have my hand held”
“Linspire is bad because it forces you to run as root”
“Linspire is bad because they rename all the apps”
(Did I forget anything?)
Ok, now that all the standard trolls have been made. Can we have a thread about Linspire that doesn’t degenerate into endless discussions of the above statements?
Am I the only osnews reader that has Linspire-review fatigue?
I’m Ubuntu-review fatigue.
sorry – I couldnt resist
what a cheesy title 
I agree, let’s have some reviews of UTUTO GNU/Linux!
money money money… if you think your are paying and getting something for your money then by all means use linspire, you obviously have way too much money….
whats that old saying, something about a fool and his money?
Most everyone has a nice desktop and so forth now and software install is pretty much painless so CNR is not that great of a feature. Yes I hear everone typing away about CNR and the ‘service’ and the ‘ease’, okay then, fair enough so CNR never breaks stuff? CNR never fails? CNR never crashes? Yea I didnt think so! So pay to get something that breaks as often as the free software installers…. um no thanks!
Hardware support….whew where to begin… older sound card – forget it! older modem- probably forget it older wireless card – probably forget it! Of course if you do have sound then the JACK server seems to be about a second behind on sound should make for a interesting movie! So you did manage to get online! Excellent, but with the messed up dynamic resolver you still arent surfing anywhere, geez I hope you remember or have a list of the ip addresses of all your favorite sites! Hope you have a killer cpu because byt he time virus safe starts spinning and the CNR guy gets spinning and jack starts tripping out, you arent doing anything for a while!
oh and Want a dvd player, enjoy looking at the christmas splash screen!
>>money money money… if you think your are paying and getting something for your money then by all means use linspire, you obviously have way too much money….
I think saying you get nothign for you money, or that someone who has 50 bucks a year to spend on their computer has too much money, is ridiculous. You get an easy way to install software that you KNOW will work on Linspire, and I put much more than 50 a year into computer software on Windows, and I don’t think I’m wasting it, nor do I think that as a jobless highschool student who gets no money from his parents that I have too much money. I’ve worked hard for what money I have, and I find your thoughtless insults as ill-founded and downright ignorant. Getting angry at people who buy something you do not like because you demand that everything in life be completely free even if that means that only experienced users can use it is just dumb. If you don’t like Linspire, don’t buy it. Period. But don’t waste your and my time with stupid posts about how little you think it does even though you haven’t used it. Linspire wasn’t built for people like you, and by knocking the fact that Linspire isn’t perfect for you, you are missing the point of OSS, which is that it can be comstomized to different users’ needs. If my dad were to switch to Linux, Linspire would be perfect. It is all there, if he needs something he can find exactly what he needs, click on it and wait for it to download and install itself, and he’ll never have to worry about it again, and he won’t have to call his son in to fix it for him. So shut up about stuff you don’t like because it wasn’t made for someone like you, and leave some thoughtful comments, not drivel.
Enough Linspire reviews. Wait for really good ones!
I did find the RMS quote funny though.
Boy don’t take things so serious. After all it is a forum and people ‘ARE’ allowed to express their feelings just like you have.
The guy above your post simply made comments he feels are true. So what!…. People Mature enough don’t take posts in forums seriously. Just remember freedom of speach is what “makes” a democratic world. The guy above you is entitled to say what he likes just like you have. Just don’t take it too serious
The lack of functionality, Yes we know it’s linux but it’s so watered down it may as well be windows 98. By that I mean there is entirely to much hand holding! Give me a real distro SUSE 9.2
They do have a developers copy. You have to join the developers program to get it. I think it’s $99 USD for a lifetime membership and that gives you all the development versions of the os for software testing, helping with bug fixes and also they are a little more loose for hackers to play with.
OH boy, I can see it now, someone starting yet another distro “Reviewed Linux”.
Linspire is a great distro. Maybe we should just nic-name it.
Let’s get this over with astroturfing …
– Linspire is not for Geek , Geek are ( insert favorite insult here ).
– Linspire is the best distribution it as less software by design because people are idiot , they dont whant gimp.
– Linspire as CNR it cost 2000 USD to get all the software you whant but it works !
– Linspire is better then Xandros because they ( Linspire )dont have apt-get.
– 50 buck for Linspire is nothing , money grow on tree
– Linspire is blazing fast it take 8 mins to install , the 50 apps they have , the others take 30 mins to install there DVD ( 7 cd ).
– Linspire is good it as DVD out of the Box , what the crap its not in the box anymore , ho well it let me buy the codec for 15$ thats a bargain.
– Linspire dont have the servers the other include because Linspire is for desktop , no one give a crap about a 250k value. Nobody like apache anyway …
– Linspire dont have the programming software because its a desktop , there free but there not included because Linspire make only the desktop.
– Linspire dont have to respect GNU/Linux or the GPL , there Linspire , its not there business anyway , they are making entirely by themself Linspire , no its not a rebranded Debian …
Ok, now that all the standard astroturfing have been made. Can we have a thread about Linspire that doesn’t degenerate into endless discussions of the above statements from Linspire employee?