It seems that a free Linspire clone has hit the ftp mirrors. DistroWatch reports: “Freespire is a new Linux distribution, a free edition of Linspire with all proprietary components and trademarks removed. The distribution comes with a free repository of over 1,500 packages available via apt-get and Synaptic. This initial release functions as a live CD only and serves as a proof of concept. It certainly looks like an interesting idea: combining the benefits of Linspire’s excellent usability and hardware auto-configuration with a free repository of Debian packages.” Review.
Shouldn’t Freespire be Debian , if not they are not following GPL.
not if they are using linspire backports
…Linspire accuse Freespire of trademark violation, forcing them to rename their project Freedows. :p
Actually, there is already a linux distro called FreeDows lol
http://www.freedows.com/
There also used to be a project called “Freedows OS” which aimed at creating a free Windows-compatible OS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedows_OS
Thank you! Finally we can point those who wan’t that nice feel that Linspire gives, but also wants the real freedom all the other distros have, to the real deal.
That’s just stupid. Why not just go with an existing distribution instead of violating Linspire’s trademark by giving your distribution a derived name?
Yes, because Linspire would NEVER choose to use a derivative name like “Lindows”, would they?
Linspire’s bigest asset and advantage is ‘Click and Run Warehouse’. Sure you could probably install it on Freespire but then you would need a subscription fron Linspire.
So what we end up with here is just another Linux distro with a preconfigured KDE that looks somewhat like another Linux distro, but without that distro’s added benefits. I fail to se the point.
I’d like to see any Linspire guy making comments on this…
I think they might get into trouble … beside the point that this distribution is somewhat pointless as somebody pointed out, they better had change their Splash screen as well for at the moment it still contains the Linspire Logo.
We finally have the free version of the nonfree OS based on a free OS. Progress gentlemen
Linspire is irrelevant in the linux space anyway. The only distros that actually matter are Novell, Redhat and Debian (ubuntu too), and to a lessr extend Mandriva. If your not contibuting to the core linux systems (fedora, novell and debian/ubuntu do a very very good job here, i assume madriva do too) you just dont matter. Any attempt to just take from the community without meaninfully contributing back cant succeed, there is just no use for it.
I disagree with the idea of only following the main rpm/deb based distros and dropping everything else.
One of the distros you mentioned is a newcommer (Ubuntu) which if people followed your sugestion wouldn’t have ever been made.
You are also forgetting about distros which are not focused towards the desktop, such as gentoo and slackware. These distros both have strong user bases.
You also fail to mention KNOPPIX which single handedly demonstrated how hardware autodetection should work on linux.
Even the derivative distros have there place. Many of these distro forks help test new ideas, some work, many don’t, but often without a demonstrator version, the idea would not be included in the major distros.
If you don’t want to use these distros don’t, but don’t criticise someone else for wanting to try an idea.
You make some good points and really Ubuntu is about the only thing that could turn me into a fulltime Linux user. However, the fact that a couple of outstanding trailblazing distros exist doesn’t justify the (million-2) others who’s existence only serves to confuse the less technically savvy/informed. I personally think it would be a Good Thing if even those people got Linux on their desktops, as a wider acceptance would only bring more innovation and ideas to the platform. But look at it from the outsiders shoes: where to start?!? which one to choose?!?
“You are also forgetting about distros which are not focused towards the desktop, such as gentoo and slackware. These distros both have strong user bases.”
Whats wrong with using gentoo or slackware on the desktop? I’ve been using them both on my dekstop computer the last half year, and I can’t see any reason at all why they can’t be usable as a desktop. As a truth, I would mention that I actually prefer distros like those on the desktop over mandriva and such (not ment to bash any other distro).
However I do agree with most of your statements, the forks have their place and forking should absolutley not get bashed. If it’s possible, contributing to the main project would be prefered, but if peaple have different roadmaps for the future of the distro, forking is often the easiest alternative.
Besides, forks as livecds is a good thing by actually helping the main distro because peaple can get a preview before having to go through the, for some peaple tiresome, install process.
Linspire had to get forked at some time, the peaple who actually like it at this time either have to:
1. hack it to use normal debian respiratories
2. pay to install free software
3. somehow get gcc, make etc. installed and compile things themselfes (something which strive against the goals of linspire)
— jaboua
“You are also forgetting about distros which are not focused towards the desktop, such as gentoo and slackware. These distros both have strong user bases.”
Whats wrong with using gentoo or slackware on the desktop?
——————
No-one said that there is anythign wrong with using Slackware on the desktop. I used it for a year or so, and thoroughly enjoyed it. What the poster said is that Slackware and Gentoo (and others) are not “focused on the desktop”, meaning that they tend to put their efforts into other areas than eye-candy, GUI controls etc.
Not that I had any trouble jumping in the deep end of slackware CLI.
>You also fail to mention KNOPPIX which single >handedly demonstrated how hardware autodetection >should work on linux.
knoppix crashed during “/sbin/ifconfig up” on my laptop, old Toshiba Sattellite 2105 CDS with 660 D-link pcmcia.
Because if you plan to charge $$ for your product, when you release the source code, some other jackass will come along, compile it, and give it away for free. This is not a good way to convince commercial vendors to open source their apps.
Because if you plan to charge $$ for your product, when you release the source code, some other jackass will come along, compile it, and give it away for free. This is not a good way to convince commercial vendors to open source their apps.
Actually this is a great validation of Linspire’s business model. They don’t just make money selling he software but selling subscriptions to a service they offer (easy to install precompiled software library).
You can copy the software, but Linspire still makes money on the service.
Actually this is a great validation of Linspire’s business model. They don’t just make money selling he software but selling subscriptions to a service they offer (easy to install precompiled software library).
You can copy the software, but Linspire still makes money on the service.
In which case they’re making money off the service, NOT the software. This means that you don’t have a service, support, or hardware to sell along with the application, you ain’t making money.
>In which case they’re making money off the service, NOT the software. This means that you don’t
>have a service, support, or hardware to sell along with the application, you ain’t making money.
Beginning to see the light, are we?
This is what nearly all major companies have realized. Linspire, Sun, Apple and many more all get the picture. It’s not about the software, it’s not about the OS. It’s all about brand recognition and having a good reputation and relationship with your clients. If you have that, you get to sell your subscription weather it is for service, support, or hardware.
The smaller projects do not aim for this. They do not have the resources for competing for those deals and are not interested. For them it is about the software and the companies know it. That’s why the model of Open Source works. Everybody benefits.
/AnonyMouse
Because if you plan to charge $$ for your product, when you release the source code, some other jackass will come along, compile it, and give it away for free. This is not a good way to convince commercial vendors to open source their apps.
Linspire didn’t have to create any of the existing OSS parts of Lindows.^ That alone elminates a huge expense that you would have to pay for if you wrote it all from scratch or had to buy all the parts.
Additionally, commercial does not mean ‘not open source’. There are a bunch of companies that either focus on OSS or use it daily that do commercial work. Just try and do a custom project these days without using Apache, Python, or any number of open source tools for example.
That said…your point is incorrect since companies already use OSS to make a profit. Some (like MySQL) do so as a mainline business, though most are not in the business of providing tools and instead use them as support of a project’s goals.
^. Linspire did create and open a couple programs…though they did not have to. Thanks Linspire!
It seems that Ubuntu has had a beneficial effect on our community with now Linspire, and SuSe becoming more open, and or free.
cheeky!
Another Linux, next to the 1.000.000 distro’s we have already. Good job guys, do the same over and over again….
You took the words out of my mouth. There is so much sideways progress and reinvention in the Linux world it isn’t funny. Imagine where it could be if people worked towards a *common goal*. Linux will never be a major player (NOT it is NOT right now, let’s not kid ourselves) because the unpaid hackers are only interested in brushing their ego’s with their own distros etc. Rather than improve on something existing they always go off and try to make their own ‘cooler’ versions.
The silence from Linspire will be deafening until they determine all of their proprietary stuff is really gone. (trust me they are looking)
I would bet there are still items floating about in the code which can’t legally be distributed.
I look for this distro to be pulled in a matter of days if not hours due to a lawsuit or a cease and desist order.
So the company that was one of the first to actively try and convert Windows users to Linux by making Linux userfriendly gets shafted. Way to go to ‘inspire’ other companie to do the same.
If anything, this will make people more (not less) interested in what Linspire offers.
the review reminds me the tactics of Linspire/dows employees pretending being “enthousiastic fans” and always defend their “beloved” distro.
Somehow, all good comments made on this distro sound
weird and fake.
Get me wrong but…
When does the tour start and may I suggest “Summer of 60” this time?
What are they smoking? The only OS that I’ve ever seen come close to “excellent usability” are the mac’s 1-9 (OS X is great and all, but it doesn’t really size up interface-wise to OS 9). Windows, and any derivitives, can hardly be said to have excellent usability, and Gnome still isn’t there, yet.
-bytecoder
It wasn’t the pricetag that made me stay away from Linspire. I kinda always saw it as an useless distribution. I guess my only comment for this is “Nice… but why?”
Why not instead of forking Linspire put the effort into another distro instead?
If you take out the propriety stuff… you take out the only really notable things about the distro.
This kind of redundancy annoys the hell out of me… kind of like CentOS. Instead of gutting these pay distros and taking out everything valuable to them, why not just team up and make a true free distro that beats them?
It hasn’t really hurt Red Hat yet, there are variations of their distribution which are pretty much the same to them as this is to Linspire, and it hasn’t lowered their income yet. Some people have even argued that having other distributions based off yours simply spreads the news about it and gradually gets you more customers as people using the free variation start looking for higher quality and go to the original product.
If this is a problem for Linspire then they’ll find some way to deal with it, and if they wanted to protect their product from cloning to begin with then they could have based something off BSD like Apple did. This clone of Linspire is unlikely to match the features of the original, Linspire has more resources and employees, right now the clone still only has a liveCD.
If this is a problem for Linspire then they’ll find some way to deal with it, and if they wanted to protect their product from cloning to begin with then they could have based something off BSD like Apple did.
Actually, you could do something like Apple with the current linux stack. If I’m not mistaken, Mach and the BSD bits are all open source in the form of Darwin. It’s just the gui and some end-user applications that are closed.
And I’m still waiting for the day that somebody with deep pockets does something like that with the linux stack.
Micheal Robertson spent his own personal money forming a company that has made Linux easier on new users. Has gotten distro’s sold in Wal-Marts and Fry’s.
I’m sorry but this is a spit in the face of Linspire Inc.
If you look hard enough you can get Linspire for free. What you pay for is documentation, dedicated apt-get servers that never suffer slowdowns and have people ensuring that they are up. People who test applications and ensure that anything you install from that repository will work without breaking everything else.
They should not be able to say this is Linspire wihout any restricted code. All it is in the end is a poorly hacked up version of Debian.
And yes they should not be using Freespire.
What pisses me off more is that this is the work of a Linsider those of us that paid hundreds of dollars in entry and membership dues to test the latest and greatest and help guide the path of Linspire. Instead of helping Linspire he is more likely legally killing Linspire.
What pisses me off more is that this is the work of a Linsider those of us that paid hundreds of dollars in entry and membership dues to test the latest and greatest and help guide the path of Linspire. Instead of helping Linspire he is more likely legally killing Linspire.
If anything, this will make more people interested in the Linspire release…not less.
For example, now I have no qualms in trying out this variation and if it looks good, suggesting the Linspire release of Linux to novices. Before, I wouldn’t have bothered with it since I have no interest (personally) in using Linspire myself.
If you disagree, just consider that we have different perspectives.
“Micheal Robertson spent his own personal money”
On advertising GNU/Linux and Open Source technology.
“forming a company that has made Linux easier on new users.”
Its GNU/Linux as Linux is a trademark for the Kernel. The software where not made by Linspire.
“Has gotten distro’s sold in Wal-Marts and Fry’s.”
So does many before him too.
“If you look hard enough you can get Linspire for free.”
At no cost , yes sometime there are small offer , as in Freedom , no.
“I’m sorry but this is a spit in the face of Linspire Inc. ”
Blame Linspire Management ( Kevin Carmony ) , for one Linspire should always be availaible as a no cost availaible download , if someone like it they can then suscribe to CNR , this free version should have been availaible from Linspire too , so that it show clearly the difference between the two.
“What you pay for is documentation”
There whas Debian documentation and GNU/Linux documentation before.
” dedicated apt-get servers that never suffer slowdowns”
apt-get server never suffer slowdowns.
“and have people ensuring that they are up.”
never seen anything take down the entire apt-get servers , even when there whas a fire at the main one back a few years.
“People who test applications and ensure that anything you install from that repository will work without breaking everything else. ”
There is more user of any other distribution then there are for Linspire …
“They should not be able to say this is Linspire wihout any restricted code.”
Linspire dont own anything.
” All it is in the end is a poorly hacked up version of Debian. ”
Actually it show that most of the work is not done by Linspire at all …
“And yes they should not be using Freespire.”
Why ? now they can say people use the as base for there distribution 😉
“What pisses me off more is that this is the work of a Linsider”
Guess he felt the need to show that Linspie whas not much after alll.
“those of us that paid hundreds of dollars in entry and membership dues to test the latest and greatest”
You really think that the code you test and claim to be the latest and greatest one from Linspire ? your delusionnal.
Why not? A 64bit version based on one of the easiest desktop distros around. And it should keep the geeks happy too.
instead of dissing it people should be backing it. Isnt diversity what its all about?
Personally I don’t feel this will hurt Linspire in any way shape or form. I am a Insider – Lifetime Member in fact (and a Mod). The Insider who has created this did so as a pet Project and is probably in shock right now that it is out there for the world to see. He has done an excellent job with it. He is checking his P’s and Q’s and checking with Linspire Staff to make sure nothing is violated. I’m sure he will continue to refine and mold the look and feel as not to violate any of Linspire’s trademarks.
Linspire is targeting a whole different user group. If anything – this will intrigue someone and if they are an advanced user, they will stick with it – if they are a newbie – they just might give Linspire 5.0 a shot. I see it as a way to make everyone happy.
It doesn’t really matter if it was a Insider who created this. ANYONE COULD have. All he is doing is using the Source. He wanted to see how Linux worked under the hood. He did not set out to start a new Distros for the world to clamor for. It was a pet project – so give the guy a break already.
It does need polishing, but heck – he only created it a week or so ago. The smp version works great on my system.
I happen to like the project. I love using my Linspire computer and CNR is an excellent tool. I just happen to not be a one Distros type of boy. Distros Monogamy is just not really my thing. That is why I use more than one distros.
Freespire has a lot of potential. I know I will be keeping my eye on it. If he decides not to continue someday – I hope someone else will carry it on.
Well, this should finally put to bed the ridiculous myth that Linspire doesn’t abide by the terms of the GPL.
where is the rest …
Freespire was made by an Insider of Linspire, I think he started only by curiosity, Linspire staff told him to try SMTP and 64 that Linspire actually doesn’t support, this is a good step to make the basis of this versions for Linspire.
There’s nothing Ilegal (yet), and even on Linspire forums Freespire is discussed.
Really Good job of this guy.
Up to now this versions only run Live from the CD.
“you could do something like Apple with the current linux stack.”
No , the GPL is not a traitor license , Apple did not took BSD for there software , they choose it for there license. Which can be made closed source and single proprietary.
“Mach and the BSD bits are all open source in the form of Darwin. ”
No , a good chunk of it is , but the majority is made by apple and not released back.
“it’s just the gui and some end-user applications that are closed.”
No , most of them are and are kernel module , driver and library which where made by Apple.
“And I’m still waiting for the day that somebody with deep pockets does something like that with the linux stack.”
Red Hat got money for it but turned to corporation only , SUSE never whas close , but got the most corporate support , the only one who have stucked with it over the years is Mandriva but theynever get the funding and support they deserve from the OEM and brand name , and with Ubuntu kicking Debian into gear and PcLinuxOS , the futur is bright.
>Micheal Robertson spent his own personal money forming >a company that has made Linux easier on new users. Has >gotten distro’s sold in Wal-Marts and Fry’s.
AND????
>I’m sorry but this is a spit in the face of Linspire >Inc.
no comment….. ignorant comment
>dedicated apt-get servers that never suffer slowdowns >and have people ensuring that they are up. People who >test applications and ensure that anything you install >from that repository will work without breaking >everything else.
CNR is NOT apt. CNR is probably less reliable if you stick to stable debian but if you really need CNR then it is the way to go…
>They should not be able to say this is Linspire wihout >any restricted code.
Why? That is EXACTLY what it is, get a clue!
>All it is in the end is a poorly hacked up version of >Debian.
Are you talking about Lin-pire or freespire?
>What pisses me off more is that this is the work of a >Linsider those of us that paid hundreds of dollars in >entry and membership dues to test the latest and >greatest and help guide the path of Linspire.
What he did was well within his rights, all of our rights! How can it be a bad thing? I PERSONALLY do not understand the project but that isn’t anything new
>Instead of helping Linspire he is more likely legally >killing Linspire.
You just stated what made Lin-pire special, and if that is true then frespire shouldnt be killing it since they dont offer that.
>Well, this should finally put to bed the ridiculous myth >that Linspire doesn’t abide by the terms of the GPL.
WHY? HOW? HUH?
“What pisses me off more is that this is the work of a Linsider those of us that paid hundreds of dollars in entry and membership dues to test the latest and greatest and help guide the path of Linspire. ”
what pisses me off is that people would actually PAY to beta test….now THAT is funny, glad he got something out of it!
Why bother with any spinoffs from Linspire? There are plenty of other (better) distos based on Debian.
It’s nice to see people seperating themselves from Linspires’ Click N Run (lot of people call it Click And Pay) though.
The whole point and marketing strategy of Linspire is to bring OS choice (Linux) to the masses. Yes CNR is for the timid, but if it moves people to linux, then it’s working.
Madonna taught you all publicity is good publicity. It makes no difference why this guy did this–you are talking about it, along with a growing portion of the linux world.
“The whole point and marketing strategy of Linspire is to bring OS choice (Linux) to the masses.”
Your kidding right??
Linspire are out to make a buck, simple as that and in the process they will sucker newbies into thinking they are the best.
C’mon people get real, Linspire are money grabbers and not even very good at it!!!