Submitted by “After suffering through version 1.0 many years ago, I thought Xandros would be the least likely of the commercial desktop GNU/Linux distributions to succeed. Each subsequent release since 1.1 has changed my mind a little bit, and now with version 4.0 of its home desktop edition, I’m at last convinced that Xandros is positioned for success. This should be the desktop operating system that you recommend to your Windows-hating friends and family.”
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=687&slide=2…
Why do they still use this 4-year old window decoration? http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/original.php?release=687&slide=30
Xandros has GPL components and therefore released its whole source code here: http://www.xandros.com/support/source_code.html
Alot of people think that making linux easy to use is the main problem for the masses.
Hardware compatibility is my main problem with linux and with alot of others.
I used Xandros and the forums were filled with people that couldn’t even boot it because of hardware problems.
For Linux to be more accepted it needs to fix these driver problems and go with the unified base system so software easily installs no matter what distro you use.
For Linux to be more accepted it needs to fix these driver problems and go with the unified base system so software easily installs no matter what distro you use.
I’d go even further. I’d say Linux Desktop products would have to be pre-installed on brand name machines where ALL the drivers are present and all hardware working out of the box.
Completely agree with the unified base system. Linux is about choice but companies are about profit. The commercial Linux distros should have a more rigorous unified base and STRICTLY follow it.
Xandros is cheaper. Xandros is average-user friendly. Xandros integrates with a Windows network very elegantly (tried in version 3 OCE). Xandros can run MS-Office, Photoshop etc.
Its good. Don’t use it (not geeky enough) but like it a lot.
>>Hardware compatibility is my main problem with linux and with alot of others. <<
I think that is the second biggest problem. The biggest problem, by a mile, is applications.
Some linux users think that if they can play mp3s and read email; then linux has everything anybody would need. They don’t understand there is a whole wide world of specialized, vertical market, 3rd parts apps, that have no linux equivilent. There is also the issue of games.
An OS that does not run the apps you want to run, is useless, no matter how well the OS runs.
Yesteday OSN posted review about Freespire. Read and sounded I found desktop alternative to MS. Spent 5 hrs and installed it by erasing my Knoppix.
I am a thirsty man wondering in desert. Every new distro seems to be oasis for me. I chase it once every two weeks. Then realize another big water lake pops on hosizon. I chase that too. I am wandering in this desert for last 10 years and vultures are roaming over my head to drop me dead.
Isn’t it wise to dring my half filled windows water bottle and save my Precious Time and move onto Life, than to chase for best desktop mirage and be dead sooner??
No
I’d say if you’re more busy flipping between distros than actually getting work done, go back to OS X or Windows, or at least give them a shot. Something about Linux obviously isn’t working for you.
Yes. And very well said.
I’ll respond to your metaphor with one of my own, but first let’s be clear: It is that you’ve tried a lot of distributions, found that they all have their strengths and weaknesses, and can’t decide which is best (i.e. the distro junkie)? Or is it that you’ve tried a lot of distributions and never found one that you liked?
If you’re a distro junkie, then you need to find a distro you can settle down and grow old with. Pick one that’s smart, sexy, dependable, and flexible (in the right ways). Pick one that cares about more than your money. And she should have a sweet package manager.
If none of them really do it for you, then I afraid you’re left with sluts, hookers, or… ahem, more time alone with your fantasies.
I found this review refreshingly honest. Alongside the things that work, the reviewer also highlighted the things that don’t “just work” out of the box – the bugs and the things that still need tweaking and hacking and fixing before you get a fully functional system. This is all useful information to have before parting with your money, especially if you are paying for this product expecting not to have to deal with such things or “get technical” in order to make things work.
I am sure that Xandros is quite a great OS, however MEPIS is free, and seems to offer the same features, and ease of use.
I installed RC3 on a longtime windows client, and they loved the system.
Try MEPIS for those who would prefer to save the money.
A problem a lot of people have is that they do not need a program that is stuffed with a lot of functions that they never use. None of the people I know have a legal MS Office copy, and two of them use MS Office and a lot of its functions the rest can easily do without it. Still they choose MS Office, why? because they think that’s the only thing that’ll ever suit them. I think that’s the main problem for the “normal” pc user, a lot of them do things that already can be done on linux, but they don’t have the skills to install an OS (any OS for that matter) so they go with the os shipped on their pc, THAT’s the main problem.
Some good points made about applications and hardware. One point I would like to make about hardware compatibility… Blame should be more focused toward the hardware manufacturer not Linux. The manufacturer is responsible for releasing a driver. They do for Windows and some do for Mac. This is improving, but there is a long way to go.
When more people start to use Linux then commercial software developers will begin to write apps for Linux. At this point there is not much $$$ in it for them.
>>Blame should be more focused toward the hardware manufacturer not Linux<<
IMO: blame has nothing to do with it. I have a portable symbol scanner that runs windows-mobile, it will not work with linux. I don’t care who’s at fault, I need an OS on my PC that will work with my scanner. I have a multi-funciton printer/fax/scanner it won’t work with linux, a dial-up win-modem, a special zebra UPS printer, a special bar-code printer – none of those things work with linux. I use special hardware that UPS provides, it won’t work with linux. My accountant insists that I use quickbooks, or he charges me about 3X as much. I also develop with codecharge, which only works on windows.
I could go on. But, you get the idea. People need something that works. It doesn’t matter who is at fault .
If I could run the same hw/sw with linux, that I can run with windows, I wouldn’t even think about running windows. Linux, IMO, is a far superior OS. But, if Linux does not run the hw/sw I need to run, what good is it?
…Linux is a server OS, not desktop !
http://www.reactos.org
😉
Yesteday OSN posted review about Freespire. Read and sounded I found desktop alternative to MS. Spent 5 hrs and installed it by erasing my Knoppix.
I take it, you weren’t happy? Also, if you do a lot of distro hopping, set aside space on your hard drive as a “play area,” while keeping a distribution that works.
I am a thirsty man wondering in desert. Every new distro seems to be oasis for me. I chase it once every two weeks. Then realize another big water lake pops on hosizon. I chase that too. I am wandering in this desert for last 10 years and vultures are roaming over my head to drop me dead.
It’s a rotten approach to life, not to mention Linux. When you try something new try the following:
1) Ask what kinds of gifts, new things, can the new distribution yield. With that attitude, Linux becomes cool, a kind of adventure. Even the OS you left can yield some surprises. To chase distros, expecting them to save your life, and remove all your problems is just silly. It’s not just a problem with Linux distributions; people chase romantic relationships the same way, expecting each new relationship to fix things.
2) There is a principle in Benedictine spirituality that applies here: Stability. Yes, even in the computer world, stability helps. It’s the notion that you stay with something long enough to get to know, appreciate, and love it. Start by asking what sorts of gifts did you receive from Linux and Windows. It may sound corny to speak of relationships with software, but it goes on all the time.
Isn’t it wise to dring my half filled windows water bottle and save my Precious Time and move onto Life, than to chase for best desktop mirage and be dead sooner??
By all means keep a Windows partition handy. I did for years. Of the five machines in the house, none dual boots now, but that’s because I know Linux, and know my way around Qemu.
Now for some other advice: I have not used Freespire or Xandros, but I have used Knoppix, and have found that I don’t find it all that good for installing to a hard drive. I find its close cousin, Kanotix, far better. Before Kanotix, I used the now defunct Libranet. Libranet, Knoppix, and Kanotix, however, all use the Debian repositories, and are easy to maintain as a result.
So, after my stability spiel, why did I change to Linux? The primary reason was copy protection. Windows crossed a line for me with the introduction of Windows XP and it’s machine specific validation. With WGA that has only gotten worse. Lots of Windows software seems to be adopting more stringent copy protection schemes; it’s not just Microsoft. The open source world doesn’t engage in such practices. Behind this lies something fundamental to any relationship, whether with an operating system, or a person: Trust.
A company that uses copy protection, ultimately doesn’t trust its customers. When copy protection involves software that “phones home,” I stop trusting the company that produced the software. It’s a slippery slope. Eventually you have reputable firms installing rootkits on their customers’ computers, and hiding that fact from them. Without trust, there can be no productive relationship.