DesktopLinux interviews Xandros president Michael Bego and Dr. Frederick Berenstein, co-chairman of Linux Global Partners (the financial backer of Xandros), regarding the current state of Xandros as a company and on their plans to roll out the first release of Xandros Linux this Fall. Bego gives details about the distribution that includes “a spectacular office suite” and discusses Xandros’ corporate goal “to be among the first crop of profitable Linux companies”.
Xandros Nears First Release – Set to Announce at LinuxWorld
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“But we’re talking about shipping the most user-friendly desktop alternative complete with a spectacular office suite that takes up only 20-30MB.”
Yeah, and a customized (read: bastardized) version of an outdated desktop enviroment. So please, sign me right up.
“Unlike Mandrake, Bego thinks UnitedLinux is probably a good idea.”
Odd sentiment coming from a Debian-based distro-maker. Xandros’ goals seem good, (although I am about suspicious about the Lindows association) but the non-UL distros are still the 800 pound gorillas (Mandrake on the desktop, and RedHat on the Server). To me, this statement seems to be a bit of an odd duck. UL ought to standardize on apt and dpkg, have Debian be the actual UL distro, and take on Mandrake and RedHat from there.
I am, however, intrigued on the discussion of a functional, lightweight distro. I have a machine that may be a perfect guinea pig….may grab a copy and see what it’s about.
Product Offering
Xandros is developing a customized Debian-based Linux distribution that is derived from version 3.0 of the award winning Corel LINUX OS. It will support both the KDE and Gnome desktop environments. In addition to the features that Linux users expect, Xandros will be distributing significant additions and enhancements. Furthermore, Xandros is creating a server and enterprise management solution that will significantly reduce the total cost of ownership of computing environments. The overall solution is complete “off the shelf”, but Xandros Professional Services can customize and integrate the products as well as provide enhancements to legacy systems as needed. Finally, all Xandros offerings will be backed by world-class support.
It looks like they’ve got…
a simpler installer…
some fancy but soulless vc-funded graphics…
a name that belongs in a cheesy b-movie
expensive professional services needs
a co-founder who used to support the russian secret police…
Before moving to Canada in 1994, Mr. Noskov was cofounder and CTO of a successful software company that developed FaceManager, a database and photo identification system that is still used in police departments all over the former U.S.S.R.
what do they not have?
a clear, identified and segmented market…
a way of differentiating xandros vs. other linux distros…
a summary of compelling benefits…
a defined strategy…
a product
a way to compete with Red Hat’s upcoming desktop distro
X A N D R O S —> Y A P O S
Yet Another Pointless Operating System
Their investor could have put $10M into OBOS and got a lot better return than funding another dumb-f*ck Linux distro.
#m
Only if it doesn’t bring a total Windows clone to the table. Yes, i understand there is people believing in that concept, but aren’t there tonnes of companies out there attempting to do the same? Lycoris, ELX, maybe Lindows once they finished “writing support for the hardware out there”. One of the things Corel that turned me off is that it tried to layer the Windows file hiearchy on Linux/ KFM. I’m the official Support Line for my extended family, and it is clear to me that almost everyone, especially those younger than 13 and older than 40 and never bothered to use computers before and confused with Windows’ file hiearchy. And it does seem that Microsoft knows about such a problem, check out Me and XP, both tried to block the old DOS file system.
Plus, even if it does manage to help Windows users move to Corel, the layer is flawed. For example, /home/user becomes C: when its proper one is My Documents. Windows’ C: drive in the first place should instead become C:. But putting the home directory as the C:, new users would be confuse that on the user1 account, the C: is than while on the user2 account.
Anyway, I think Xandros and Lindows relationship is mainly financial. Xandros wanted money, Lindows wanted something good to begin with. But little that Xandros expected that Lindows would back away from its Windows apps-compatiblity model and push Click N Run, which from the article, does hint that it did came from Xandros. I don’t know, I’m waiting for what Bego has to say.
About UL, I can say Bego is either targeting the enterprise with apps like Oracle and don’t wish to clone Red Hat or just plain stupid. UL is for the enterprise. Xandros is for the desktop. They are better off just supporting the LSB.
Yeah, and a customized (read: bastardized) version of an outdated desktop enviroment. So please, sign me right up.
Hmmm, what’s so outdated about the desktop enviroment?
I am, however, intrigued on the discussion of a functional, lightweight distro. I have a machine that may be a perfect guinea pig….may grab a copy and see what it’s about.
Xandros is not lightweigh. It is smart, unlike many other distros, they don’t bundle every other app out there, they let the user pick what app they like. You could pretty much install a Mandrake system with nothing but KDE, but then again, it isn’t easy for normal users to do so,
.
So I’m commending Xandros on this. However, from the screenshots, it left a hint or two that it is running KDE 3.0. Make sure you have at least 64mb of RAM to do basic stuff, 128mb if you are thinking of OpenOffice.org and 256mb to elimate the use of swap on basic usage. :-).
Besides, that 20-30mb office suite sounds like KOffice to me. What do you think?
a way of differentiating xandros vs. other linux distros…
They haven’t even set the release date and you want them to go on some kind of campaign differenciating them from Linux?
a summary of compelling benefits…
Read the article, they would only list them when they are ready to ship it.
a defined strategy…
Does Microsoft ever tell their business strategy pre-release of an product? Nope, probably that’s why they normally succeed. Cause the competitors aren’t as ready as they could with “a defined strategy…”.
a product
You know making a product isn’t “Hey, it compiles, let’s ship it”.
a way to compete with Red Hat’s upcoming desktop distro
Limbo is very interesting, but all it offers is integration between GNOME and Red Hat, nothing else. From the beta, it is clear they aren’t targeting the desktop anytime soon. Sure, it is easy to use, but nontheless confusing. On Xandros, you don’t even need to know what’s KDE, but not the same way on Red Hat.
But come to think of it, I just remembered that Xandros would bundle GNOME. Maybe it is just optional. I don’t know.
Their investor could have put $10M into OBOS and got a lot better return than funding another dumb-f*ck Linux distro.
Back then, Be OS was still alive, and OBOS isn’t even close to exisiting. Plus, LGP is a group investing in Linux-related companies, like Ximian, and Xandros (notice both start with X)
–>a way to compete with Red Hat’s upcoming desktop distro
If RedHats upcoming desktop is as $#!+ as the desktop install for 7.3, it is impossible *not* to be competitive.
I don’t believe that RH can produce a compelling desktop alternative – GNOME2 isn’t mature enough yet and RedHat don’t seem to understand the desktop usabiliy issues .
In fact, all that RedHat desktop has got going for it is the Microsoft effect – ie everyone will install it because it’s RedHat and RedHat can do no wrong, just like Microsoft, right?
No one ever got fired for buying RedHat….
Version 1.0 is expected in May, the company said at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in New York. Xandros will select 200 beta testers to try out the product, which is based on the Debian version of Linux and includes the KDE graphical user interface.
So, we’re a bit late. But only a week and a half more and we get to see the final product. Right?
It’s strange that there are no banners on their site saying they’ll be at Linux World. Or discount coupons for admission. In fact they are not even on the show’s list of exhibitors.
From what the beta testers said, it seems the hardware detect routines are good, the installer is solid, and software update works (from the Debian tree). And they may have their own file manager and a few other nice tools.
I am beginning to see that Linux has a big problem. There are way too many distros. It is ISV hell. That is why Red Hat is winning. Because it is simpler to support one OS than 100 remixes of the same damn thing.
Xandros may even be violating the GPL as the source code to their Linux is not available.
#m
“Xandros may even be violating the GPL as the source code to their Linux is not available.”
I don’t think the binaries are available, either, so there is no problem. They can hack on GPL stuff all they want without making anything available as long as it still an internal project. The requirement to provide source doesn’t kick in until modified binaries leave the company, and only those who get the binary code are required to be given access to the source code.
Yep, you’re right about the GPL.
I wonder if any of the beta testers have gotten source code.
And the rest of us… well, we have a while to wait until Xandros ships. If they ship. They don’t even list Linux World 2002 as an upcoming event. The website looks neglected.
#m
http://www.xandros.com/about.html
“Xandros acquired the award-winning Corel LINUX OS division from Corel Corporation late in August 2001.”
I guess it’s not _entirely_ a duplicated effort.
I don’t believe that RH can produce a compelling desktop alternative – GNOME2 isn’t mature enough yet and RedHat don’t seem to understand the desktop usabiliy issues .
GNOME 2.0 is matured enough to compete with Windows XP, if the distributor does wonders to it. Like having DVD playback support, CD writing capablities on Nautilus blah blah blah. If Red Hat does to GNOME what Lycoris did to KDE 2.2 (except for cloning the looks of XP please), as well as having a version for the desktop with little, yet important software (instead of everything Red Hat could get its hands on at freshmeat.net), which means they would pick the best and integrate it into the distribution. And there you go, a easy GNOME distribution. Progeny back then beat any alive KDE-based distros in ease of use, I think Red Hat could do it.
But the question is, whether Red Hat would do so? Also, would making something splendidly easy to use enough to get some market share from Windows? I know the answer for the second question: No!
No one ever got fired for buying RedHat….
Though at where my aunt worked, a lot of the Windows admins were fired when they moved to Linux for the back end. They got fired for choosing Microsoft. So maybe there are people that got fired for choosing Red Hat….
There are way too many distros. It is ISV hell.
Red Hat had announce plans of releasing an LSB-compatible distro by end of next year. As long they program to run on any LSB machines, and not Red Hat specifix, there shouldn’t be a problem.
Xandros may even be violating the GPL as the source code to their Linux is not available.
They aren’t entitled to give the source code until they have started selling the end product.
I wonder if any of the beta testers have gotten source code.
They are considered internal testers. They have to sign NDAs, contracts, blah blah blah. Stuff they wouldn’t make their customers do.
And the rest of us… well, we have a while to wait until Xandros ships. If they ship. They don’t even list Linux World 2002 as an upcoming event. The website looks neglected.
They fired 20% of their staff. What did you except from overworked staff? Besides, when Apple is slow to update their Mexican site: http://www.apple.com/mx/software/macosx/server/screenshots.html (I guess the Mexican market isn’t important to Apple…)
Damn, that was a funny comparison. I can’t imagine how in tarnation you pulled up an old Apple of Mexico site. And those are some old warez on the Apple site! Layoffs again? 😉
As for overworked staff, well, I’d expect the important things like announcing they have something to show, like registering for Linux World, like showing up, like doing everything it takes so that all that R&D work doesn’t go down the drain (again). It’s not like Linux users actually use the web… errr….
It is ISV hell. How is the LSB supposed to fix all those RPM dependency problems we’ve talked about on OSN? Will LSB make Gentoo fully stable? Somehow I don’t think so. Anyhow, LSB is a step in the right direction.
#m
First the release of Xandros1.0 was announced for March-Easter, then for July-August, now it is September-October. I bet it will come out in November, or December, or January…
Delayed releases are obviously good when large improvements are happening in the background. In Xandros case it is all background, not a single screenshot of the Xandros OS (besides that miniature desktop at xandros.com), well I got one large black screen of Xandros booting, from a canadian linuxfest. No accurate details of the OS.
I make all these critics because of my interest in the Xandros release since the 29th of August 2001 announcement. When are they going to start marketing?, where is that beautifully tweaked KDE?, 5 months out of schedule and no previews?, what are the details of that wonderful office suite? is that NDA so terrible that +200 beta testers can’t say anything else than how much they like it?
Come on guys, show us Xandros Linux, this is fortunately not LongHorn, isn’t it?
> In fact, all that RedHat desktop has got
> going for it is the Microsoft effect
> – ie everyone will install it
> because it’s RedHat
You should seriously try the new Limbo beta. From what I see, that version might well set a new standard on the linux desktop when its finished.
“what are the details of that wonderful office suite?”
Hmmm.. I mentioned above that Xandros bought Corel Linux, I could probably take a shot in the dark and guess that the Office Suit is very simmilar to Corel Word Perfect. My guess the OS is also very simmilar to a modified Corel
http://distrowatch.com/corel.php (that uses DEB packaging). Not full details, but should give you an idea of what to expect.
Elx is not good enough to be used on desktop machines?
I see the details on their site, and i really think about downloading teir softs.
i was wondering elx desktop IS the best alternative to M$, or am i wrong?
WordPerfect8 or WP2000? The 2000 one was much bigger than 20-30Mb, and WINE driven (bad). Is it really WordPerfect? Mistery time.
http://www.xandros.com/faq.html
Quote
Where can I get Corel WordPerfect or CorelDRAW for Linux?
Xandros has acquired rights to the Corel LINUX OS but unfortunately, we do not have the rights to develop or distribute WordPerfect or any of the Corel graphics applications. Corel has now discontinued distribution of their applications for Linux.
End Quote
I’m still in darkness.
You surely are joking about the Corel distro to have an idea of what to expect in Xandros, I installed that distro more than a year ago, it’s way too much old by all Linux standards (just install it youself and take a look at the KDE it uses).
http://www.distrowatch.com/
Can’t you tell… making distros is some sort of whacked crack habit?
If all the effort that went into making 100+ distros even happen at all (however broken they are)… if this effort went into making 10 stellar distros instead… Linux would be far better off.
Okay, about Xandros —
http://www.distrowatch.com/xandros.php
It looks like Xandros shipped their Beta 2 in June ’02 with some ancient warez on it.
It will be interesting to see how Limbo and the upcoming 8.0 compare to Xandros. My money is on Red Hat to come up with something better than Xandros.
#m
Their investor could have put $10M into OBOS and got a lot better return than funding another dumb-f*ck Linux distro.
Even better, They could have gotten together 1 more million and bought BeOS and kicked everybody’s ass. He He
Michael, I was positively impressed by Limbo also, though I have weird and simple problems like choosing the list view in some directories (Home) >>>> that makes Nautilus crash.
As I see it, this RH and Xandros bet, it is going to be best GNOME vs best KDE. I’d like to bet for Xandros but they secretness makes betting rather difficult.
“Michael, I was positively impressed by Limbo also, though I have weird and simple problems like choosing the list view in some directories (Home) >>>> that makes Nautilus crash.”
Yeah, that was a nasty Nautilus bug for a short time but immidiatly fixed (in 2.0.2).
It is absolutely to expect that Limbo beta is and will be very unstable. The switch to GCC 3.x (still very rough) and GNOME 2 (strong bleeding edge) will certainly show and I bet that they will betatest this release like nothing else before.
Hmmm, I ordred ELX to add to my Joe User Lindows/Lycoris experiment (should get a free T shirt too!). So far, Lycoris is far in the lead. Got to make more room on the Microtel PC though. And even more in Xandros comes out.
“If the theme of easy updates sounds familiar, it should come as little surprise that Xandros Linux is the basis of the controversial and secretive LindowsOS”
—-
Cool, but I still think that LSB needs an /apps directory
is that NDA so terrible that +200 beta testers can’t say anything else than how much they like it?
I searched on the net and found some screenshots that one of the beta testers posted. It looked very similar, if not exactly, like KDE. I don’t know how you can judge the value of a product by its screenshots though.
I have heard some negative comments about Xandros too, but they were bug reports and will probably get fixed.
You should seriously try the new Limbo beta. From what I see, that version might well set a new standard on the linux desktop when its finished.
I sure hope so. I used to really like RedHat, but it has been quite disappointing since the 6.0 release. I don’t have time to try Limbo right now, but look forward to doing so since I’ve heard several positive things about it.
Their investor could have put $10M into OBOS and got a lot better return than funding another dumb-f*ck Linux distro.
Even better, They could have gotten together 1 more million and bought BeOS and kicked everybody’s ass. He He
Ha ha ha… That’s great!
BeOS couldn’t even overtake a geriatric snail while it was alive and controlled by Be, but we are to believe that if somebody would just invest a lot of money into it then all would be well? I don’t buy it.
BeOS was a very nice OS, but that’s all it was. There were no compelling desktop or server applications for it and so nobody cared.
I’m sure that at some point, OBOS will be released and BeOS fans will install it; including myself. However, when I need to get something real done, I’ll have to dual boot into an environment, such a Linux, that actually has some applications. Since that is the case, is it really a wonder that no investers want to throw their money at a BeOS related project?
>>>
I don’t know how you can judge the value of a product by its screenshots though.
>>>
Camel, I’ve never said I would do such a thing. I’m sure you are acquainted with advertising and product previews, they usually provide detailed explanations and some screenshots. Those screenshots are not necessarily ‘fundamental’ for making a choice, but when one of the strong points of that product is a superior, enhanced, graphical user interface (a tweaked KDE with Xandros File Manager), certain visual clarity would help a lot = Screenshots, some. None.
I want to be positive about Xandros, I’ve been counting the months since past August 29, for that distro to come out, I’ve emailed ’em like six or seven times asking several things and giving them non-requested feedback about handling antialiased fonts. To date, all I’ve found in Xandros is delayed release dates and secretness. I can understand delays, but why are they so ‘opaque’? Show us the OS a bit.
There are way too many distros.</>
<sarcasm> There sure are, way too many automobile manufacturers too, too many kinds of breakfast cereal and too many brands of beer as well. I sure wish there were only two or three kinds of anything. </sarcasm> Oh please, if you have competition and creative ideas from more sources, they each try to be better than one another in some way. Plus, because of the way open source software works distros can benefit from the work of others anyway.
[i]Their investor could have put $10M into OBOS and got a lot better return than funding another dumb-f*ck Linux distro.</>
Exactly how would an investor get any return on a $10 million dollar investment in OBOS? I have nothing against OBOS, I’ll probably check it out when more of it is complete, but I really don’t think it has a chance to be a money maker.
When I installed Corel Linux the first time, I saw some hope that I would see a day when I could start installing something better on luser’s desktops. I was quite disappointed when Microsoft killed it by “hiring” Corel to write .Net software to Linux.. whoops, make that FreeBSD. This made them a “shared source” licensee which has certain stipulations. Anyone wonder why you can’t buy WordPerfect Suite for Linux or CorelDraw for Linux from Corel anymore? Anyway, hope again from Xandros.
1) I do want it to be a Windows 95 desktop GUI clone so I don’t have to tell lusers they are using something different than they did before.
2)I don’t want lusers to entertain themselves by customizing their desktop, playing Whack-a-mole or installing Bonzi Buddy, Comet Cursor or other dumb crap.
3)The lusers can’t currently comprehend “//server9/vol1/” so, despite my despise of stupid drive letters, I want them to think they have a “C:” drive an “F:” drive, and so on.
4)I do want a single OS that will install on every model of desktop Compuqe in the company.
These four points are business considerations. That means they are related to the function of a business. They are decisions made because someone is considering the use of Linux in a business instead of Windows. Think about it. Okay, I know it’s hard, just give it a small try.
[i]”cofounder and CTO of a successful software company that developed FaceManager, a database and photo identification system that is still used in police departments all over the former U.S.S.R.”
‘co-founder who used to support the russian secret police’
cofounder and CTO of a software company that developed a database and photo identification system that is used in police departments all over the former U.S.S.R.
Hmm, I tried to paraphrase that too but I guess I just couldn’t see the the words that mean “support”, “russian” or “secret” in the original.
Does Microsoft ever tell their business strategy pre-release of an product?
Except when it’s a vaporware product that they want people to think they are going release, in order to prevent them from buying a real product that is being developed by another company.
The GO Corporation, for example. Can you say “one degree of separation”?
http://videl.ics.hawaii.edu/pipermail/luau/2002-June/008665.html
Unfortunately, I tend to agree.
While we care a lot about “security”, “permissions”, and what-have-you., those who don’t give it a damn seem to attract the overwhelmingly largest number of users. Win98 has no security, whatsoever. Even with Win2000 and XP, the default installation is to give every user the administrator (root) priviledge. So much for the Microsoft-advertised security of Windows XP!
As Warren mentioned, Lindows licenses its OS from Xandros, which is based on Corel Linux 3.0 (which was never released by Corel) with an “exclusive use license” for 18 months. When the license expires, we don’t know whether Lindows will go to Xandros or Corel for renewal.
Corel also owns 10% (or 15%) of Xandros, which received an initial funding of $15M from LGP (Linux Group Partners).
Lindows will charge $90 a year for unlimited downloading of Linux software. Downloading software from Lindows is extremely easy, because Lindows basically operates as a Debian mirror. WalMart will not do anything in a small scale, and we should expect WalMart to sell at least
one million Lindows PCs a year (as a starter). If half of WalMart customers purchase the Lindows service contract, Lindows will become the first Linux company to make big bucks.
And all those business ideas of Lindows come from running a Debian mirror. Something we living on the isles really should think about. 🙂
Xandros may indeed have something worth offering. Why it is taking so long is very interesting.
However, what really jumps out is that if $15M had been put into BeOS or AmigaOS, a Walmart type deal could have been put together and AmigaOS or BeOS would be off to the races.
Certainly Linux enjoys many more apps and better PC compatibility, but a multimedia Amiga or BeOS machine could be quite the spectacular demoware at Walmart 😉
A Saturday afternoon daydream, no doubt.
#m
Hello. I don’t think Walmart is selling Lindows computers to businesses. Is that why Lindows needs the fancy game compatibility?
For consumers, a high-performance stable multimedia machine that runs a browser, flash, basic officeware, and a lot of games at a cheap price would be a good purchase.
I think this is the same Lindows premise, so it should apply to BeOS as well.
Yes, BeOS would need to put together a packaging system, an easy to use installer, an apps depot, etc.
With a good standard working GUI, though, BeOS is way ahead of Linux in an important area. So interesting GUI apps could make it to users right away.
And there are really fun apps on BeOS that are not available on Linux. Consumers would have compelling applications .
All in all, it would be a fun adventure and the possible upside of getting a real multimedia OS off the ground is much more interesting than further fragmentation/specialization of the Linux marketplace.
Besides, it sounds like Red Hat is serious about doing a desktop OS. If so, Xandros doesn’t stand a chance.
#m
“Besides, it sounds like Red Hat is serious about doing a desktop OS. If so, Xandros doesn’t stand a chance.”
They are for sure. It seems that they will be targeting mainly the area of company networks, where a system administrator is available.
With GNOME2 beeing easy to use for employees (at the time Red Hat ships the final this could be true) and Red Hat beeing easy to setup and administrate for system administrators, this could work very well. There is also Ximian with their excellent corporate desktop offerings, mainly for GNOME and Red Hat.
I don’t think they are looking for the “home non-geek desktop computer users” yet. Maybe that’s Red Hat 9.
That said, Red Hat 8 will of course be a hell of a lot easier to setup for private users than Red Hat 7. But I doubt that it will be “one-click-easy” just yet.
Michael Bego said.
“Lycoris is heading in a great direction, but they’re primarily packaging Open Source components. Between Xandros and Corel, we’ve invested $32 million above and beyond that, and it shows.”
Between Xandros, Lycoris, Lindows, ELX, and the existing distros, it’s possible that Linux may gain some actual desktop market share between now and 2005. I am hoping some other outlets like CompUSA, Staples etc. also start selling white boxes pre-loaded with mandrake, or that they will be enough success on walmart.com to carry them in local Wal-Mart stores. Linux could make huge advancements on a fraction of Microsoft’s market share.
I am glad to see Linux getting closer to the desktop each day. There is no pain of having too many distributions. The end result is, you pick which one you like and works best for you. So far, I haven’t tried any of the true Desktop distributions such as Lycoris, Elx, Xandros but I have tried Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSe etc. What can I say, Red Hat is my favorite and it always works for me. I’ve never had any trouble configuring stuff. I am currently using Red Hat 7.3 and I just installed the latest freetype font lib, and the Xft front hack and I was amazed to see how good looking the fonts are on KDE. Simply amazing
Job well done
I will most likely give these new desktop Linux distributions a try.
Actually I tried Limbo as well Redhat 7.3, (I haven’t used redhat in years) I am incredibly impressed installation couldn’t be any easier without losing configurability, and was very fast. All the new “desktop” distros are neat but the only one that impressed me was Lycoris. ELX was nice but wasn’t stable, and Lindows blows. None can really match Redhaat, let alone Mandrake. I have the newest Mandrake cooker waaiting for an install, they are usually a step ahead of Redhat for desktop use and probly make the best choice for casual users.
For consumers, a high-performance stable multimedia machine that runs a browser, flash, basic officeware, and a lot of games at a cheap price would be a good purchase.
Don’t get me wrong. I like BeOS and I think some of the technical merits of it are amazing. However, while there are some apps for BeOS, there are no compelling apps for it.
There are issues with BeOS (such as hardware support and an arguably ugly interface) that are of much higher importance to people than the availability of an mp3 recorder, which they can get under better supported OSes like Windows, Linux and *BSD.
Yes, BeOS would need to put together a packaging system, an easy to use installer, an apps depot, etc.
There is a centralized location to find BeOS apps, BeBits. But you are right, BeOS needs work in this area.
With a good standard working GUI, though, BeOS is way ahead of Linux in an important area. So interesting GUI apps could make it to users right away.
I think BeOS’s GUI looks too FisherPrice (downright ugly really) and it’s not very flexible. ONX has a very Be-looking GUI as well, but I like it better than BeOS’s.
A lot of people whine about X, and while it does have some problems, it is a very nice environment for those of us who like to customize our desktops to suit our needs and accomodate our personal preferences asthetically. BeOS doesn’t offer this flexibility. Whenever I say this, somebody always brings up the XF86Config file. Well, buy a distro like SuSE, Caldera, Lycoris, etc, which sets this up for you during install if you’re afraid of the command line.
For example, SuSE’s YaST2 provides a mouse driven interface to change these monitor setting (contrary to the reports of a “commandline nightmare” that always find there way into the spotlight).
And there are really fun apps on BeOS that are not available on Linux. Consumers would have compelling applications.
Are you talking about that spining teapot? No, I’m kidding. I thought there were interesting attempts on BeOS, but I never found anything I would call fun (well, exept for playing two songs off the same CD at the same time). If you would like to recommend something, I’d be happy to try it out. If you’re just talking about games, Linux has a ton of them, and I can also run games like Warcraft III under Linux now using WINE.
All in all, it would be a fun adventure and the possible upside of getting a real multimedia OS off the ground is much more interesting than further fragmentation/specialization of the Linux marketplace.
I don’t think you can compare the two. Linux as a platform fulfulls an entirely different need from where BeOS was trying to go. Also, the specialization of different Linux distros fulfills a need and is a good thing. Those that don’t do it well fall by the wayside. Since it’s no skin off my teeth, more power to them.
A lot of people who post on this site complain about Linux’s percieved lack of “joe user friendliness”. However, when any distro tries to be more user friendly (like Lycoris, Lindows, Xandros, etc.) those same people bitch and moan about there being another new distro; or pick insignificant details about the new distro apart.
While the naysayers are whining away, someone is going to install those new distros and perhaps find the thing they’ve been looking for all along in an OS. Since each distros focus is unique in some way, users can choose a pre-configured Linux that is to their liking instead of being forced into one mold; or building their own system from scratch. I see that as a good thing.
Besides, it sounds like Red Hat is serious about doing a desktop OS. If so, Xandros doesn’t stand a chance.
That may be, but I’ll wait to make that judgement until both are actually released. RedHat has been a major disappointment many times in the past.
I wonder if Corel products that were bought will be modern enough. The office suite (download edition) was one of the oldest on Linux.
A lot of people whine about X, and while it does have some problems, it is a very nice environment for those of us who like to customize our desktops to suit our needs and accomodate our personal preferences asthetically. BeOS doesn’t offer this flexibility
If it became more popular, yes, Be OS could. But unlike the current state of X right now, with apps written for GNOME, for KDE, for CDE, some even for GNUstep – there is so much inconsistency between apps.
If you’re just talking about games..
I don’t think he is talking about games. My favourites on Be OS is SoundPlay (nothing beats it… yet).
I think BeOS’s GUI looks too FisherPrice (downright ugly really) and it’s not very flexible. ONX has a very Be-looking GUI as well, but I like it better than BeOS’s.
This is downright personal preferences. Personally, between Windows XP, Photon, KDE’s default, Keramik, Aqua and GNOME’s default, I prefer BeOS’s, except that the button text is a little too small. (If it isn’t true, I wonder why many on Windows XP and KDE are trying to clone the user interface).
Anyway, I suggest trying to compare BeOS’s interface with stuff released at the same time, you would notice that Be OS looks quite nice (especially against Mac OS). Be OS 6 (Dano) suppose to come out with a much much better user interface (I have seen the screenies).
What is it… what is the one “feature” that I liked about BeOS the most…? I believe it was the low latency of the overall system, from mouse to windows to disk.
It’s like the difference between a 56k modem and a 56k frame relay link. Each is rated at the same “top speed” but the difference in usability and enjoyability is immense.
I have to install some patches on Linux to test this hypotheses.
#m