Submitted by Xandros Business Edition provides a desktop environment, Xandros is easy to install and maintain. As an added bonus, Xandros Business Edition includes the full edition of CrossOver Office 4.2. That means that if there is a major Windows software package that you can’t live without, chances are you will be able to install and run it on Xandros through CrossOver. Read the full review at NewsForge.
Amazing how Crossover Office is at version 4.2 with 5.0on the way but Wine is far from 1.0 – and key developers still describe 1.0 as being “years away.”
Here’s a perfect example of an app being completely “free” in the free software sense but falling down hard in the “open” open development model sense. Sure, there’s a development community, but they don’t release anything – just CVS and random, unstable snapshots.
What they’ve succeeded in doing is making Wine usable only for gearheads, particularly gearheads willing to put up with pain. Everyone else has to buy the commercial product, Crossover Office.
I have no beef with Crossover. I know they need to find a business model that works for them. I just don’t think they’ve found one that works for the community yet. Release early, release often – and most of all, release your grip.
That’s because Wine is far from 1.0. Ever tried to use it on its own?
The fact is, it’s an enormous project that may actually never get to 1.0 because they may not be able to keep up with Redmond (although .net should help in a major way if it becomes popular).
I’ve only tried one program in Wine: Kazaa lite about 2 years ago. I think I spent a good week of trying; but in the end I just couldn’t get it to go. But then again, Kazaa lite required internet explorer: Which is no easy task to get working in any form.
And their snapshots are usually quite good.
I don’t see the problem with paying $50 so you can run your old commercial software
. Isn’t that what a subscription to Norton costs these days?
That’s because Wine is far from 1.0. Ever tried to use it on its own?
The fact is, it’s an enormous project that may actually never get to 1.0 because they may not be able to keep up with Redmond (although .net should help in a major way if it becomes popular).
It’s a big, endless job. But that’s no argument for not having regular releases, stable branches, etc. – exactly what Crossover is doing for Crossover Office, which is approaching a 5.0 release. This is how a project becomes better, becomes more usable. That we are stuck in CVS-hell with snapshots for Wine for years on end is simply poor practice for an open source project.
I think Xandros is a great business desktop. Yes, I am prejudiced. I currently run Xandros 3 Deluxe at work. It’s a great OS for when you have to work in a Windows environment but need the extra functionality of Linux. I’ve had no issues connecting to network shares or printers on our AD network and OpenOffice works fine for me as a replacement for MS Office (and if it didn’t, I’ve got Crossover Office installed as well). Most days I don’t think about the fact that I run Linux, I just do my job.
Anyways, it’s a good review. Xandros is for those people who want to get their work done without worrying about all of the security headaches of Windows.
This is really the best desktop linux ever if you care about STABILITY.
Networking with windows work out of the box
All linux crab cleaned already
Only one configuration center (kcontrol)
Office 2000 emulation (codeweaver)
So even Suse, Redhat, Fedora, Mandriva could not come closer.
I implemented it on 2 desktops and one laptop so far.
Yeah, I honestly have to say that Xandros 3 Business has been the absolute most enjoyable linux experience so far for me. I am running it alonside of windows 2000 and there really isn’t anything I cannot do or have to worry about between the two.
Its ease at joining a windows domain is by far and away the best effort I’ve seen by any OS outside of windows. Point, clickety-click, and type a few keystrokes and click again, and poof – you’re done. No other distro I’ve ever encountered makes it that easy.
//Isn’t that what a subscription to Norton costs these days?//
Sure, buy why would you pay that, when AVG Antivirus and Sygate PFP are free?
How close is Xandros in terms of Debian compatibility?
How close is Xandros in terms of Debian compatibility?
Completely from my understand and someone will surely correct me if I am wrong.
Notice the lack of posts here. It is freely downloadable and the next cool things but Xandros even more than Linspire is the great linux desktop distro.
And this is coming from someone who loves his Ubuntu but this is one for those windows converts.
How close is Xandros in terms of Debian compatibility?
It’s pretty good. It will warn you that you could break your system by downloading programs not officially support by Xandros but, in the 8 months I’ve been using it, I’ve never seen it happen.
That said, Xandros is not the distribution you want if you like to constantly tinker with the OS. They have a lot of customizations that you could probably break by installing the latest KDE or something similar. I use Xandros when I want to get my work done but, when I want to tinker, I use something else.