“Lindows 2.0 looks cool, I have to admit. The company has stopped aping KDE and gotten a desktop look that is more its own. Lindows has made scant concessions to the knowledgeable, allowing for a somewhat more advanced setup configuration. I’m still concerned for the newbies, though.” Read the review at NewsForge.
Lindows 2.0 has Beautiful Skin, Iffy Personality
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
This looks like every other kde screen i’ve seen, RH’s null beta looks better than this.
Well the only thing that Lindows has going for it is the Click N Run and even that isn’t really a great thing. Sure it’s a great technology and I wish that we had a community project that was like click n run, but the problem is that once you get Lindows AND Click N Run you’ve spent about as much as it would cost to get WinME.
My question is, has lindows released the source code yet? I’m getting tired of people violating the GPL. Yes I know that they have an exucuse that (It’s an internal beta, so we don’t have to release it) but come on.. they are on to Lindows 2.0. So since I haven’t heard any thing on it.. does any one know if they have finally released their source code?
Click N Run might be completely their app. They will need to provide source code for the GPL stuff they are distributing but there is no reason to believe that Click N Run is GPLed.
As for the internal beta excuse for the rest. If reporters have it then they are distributing and they must provide source end of story.
I like it… Some of the icons could be better, but I like the overall look better than, say, of WindowsXP. It’s not MacOSX, but nice nonetheless.
Considering that they want to be taken as a serious Windows alternative, however, they should probably remove the KDE bar and use a more StartBar-like equivalent. I like their bar, but ex-Windows user might just get confused by the fact that it looks too different from the Windows Start bar.
I don’t see what so amazing about it.. In RedHat Null admittably it requires more clicks (not alot more than 6 clicks, including navigating to the Package manager), but it’s pretty much just as easy, if not easier.
I did a quick scan and didn’t see anything about the supposed improvements with sharing files with Windows users. Anyone know how well this works?
Is there any distro out there that doesn’t require manually hacking smb.conf out of the box?
The reviewer says:
“So, trying to think like a Windows user, I simply re-booted. Now I was presented with a splash screen and a few lines of text telling me that Lindows was booting the kernel and detecting hardware. Cool fade to black, and then a screen offering me options: wipe the hard drive and boot into Lindows only, or wipe the D: partition (and all its valuable data) and dual boot, or re-boot into Windows and run a “friendly” installation of Lindows. Which I couldn’t do because it only recognized the C partition. By now, if I was a Windows person, I’d be calling Lindows to get my money back.”
Excuse me, but a computer literate Windows user would be able to figure out what to do next and Lindows tells you exactly what happens if you continue.
The reviewer shoud be fair in the review, not only to Lindows.com, but to Windows users also.
That is by far one of the nicest looking linux desktops I have seen so far(though some of the Gnome 2 sceenshots are very very nice). It looks like something someone would want to look at all day. It’s nice to see things going towards the concept of round edges and title bars that don’t look 20 years old.
But still there is the dang clock. Why oh Why must every X based desktop have a hidious clock, look at windows, nice simple clock in type, it’s small, clean, easy to read. Why can’t anyone get this right. The clock does not need to look like a “real” clock, it does not need to take up so much space it needs it’s own zip code! The lindows desktop looks very consistant then there is the clock standing like a priest in the adult movie isle. ok time to breath
Oh I understand that Click N RUN is theirs and isn’t necessarily GPLed. I just meant for the rest of it.
The reason that Click N Run is good for the user is that the apps in the database actually are tested for use in Lindows and are easy to install.
I am running Red Hat NULL and love it! Still.. there needs to be a common installer in linux.. but I wont go into that again.. as i’ve talked about it enough this week on OS news
I haven’t tried Lindows (it’s ugly windoz-like with some bueh-sweet mac like icons) but i looked at some screenshots. It’s real linux problem (or xfree?): antialisaing must be made into application by coder (at least it looks like so).
It really looks crappy when “shell” is smoothly antialiased and nice, and than You run application with crappy fonts.
I installed RedHat NULL (it’s really nice, although still slower than BeOS
and it has the same problem. All looks so nice until i run mozilla. or other application.
Someone should make hard decision and implement antialiasing into the core responsible for drawing text to screen, otherwise linux (ok, ok, distros) will forever look incomplete.
This new version of Lindows is really nice looking. I got a Microtel from Wal-Mart with Lindows, to see what it was like and to have a PC I could try other Linux distros on. I wish I had more trust in the Lindows people. They were just about to live down their original claims about running Windows apps when they came out with this $299 to become an “Insider” later on. That is way, way, way, too much.
Antialiasing is enabled by the toolkit, every modern toolkit and application has antialiased text. Mozilla has antialiased text in development (although I think it looks ugly) and it’s just a matter of time until it’s stable.
Can somebody succinctly explain why all you geeks are hating on Lindows?
This looks like every other kde screen i’ve seen, RH’s null beta looks better than this.
Null looks like what it is – a pile of fscking shite.
That (Lindows GUI) looks horrible to me.
Can you change the theme ?
Lindows is for idiots … (sorry !). Running as root is stupid and even in Windows XP Professional and W2k it is possible to create users without administrator rights. It is an involutiov to mimic Winblows 9x !
Click and run can be obtained also using Ximian Carpet, Synaptic, etc.
Agreed. I have compiled, with alot of modifications to the make script, on Redhat 7.3 with GNOME 2.0.2, and personally, I don’t know why distros try to make their OS look like a fisher-price, kiddies like colour scheme.
I want my desktop as boring and conservative as humanly possible, not covered in unnecessary crap.
Shard: It really looks crappy when “shell” is smoothly antialiased and nice, and than You run application with crappy fonts.
Well, I have seen a lot of Windows programs that don’t have AA, even on XP….
Question Mon: Can somebody succinctly explain why all you geeks are hating on Lindows?
Let’s see
– Lack of compliance with the GPL.
– Expensive, for something you can get cheaper from Ximian, and perhaps one day, Lycoris.
– A lot of security problems with the problem, among which is forcing the user to run as root (IIRC, in Lindows 1, it didn’t have a GUI to make a new user).
Question Mon: Null looks like what it is – a pile of fscking shite.
That is either a plain outright troll or a case of personal perferences. I have met more people that like Null’s new UI (Bluecurve) and people you hate it (which is mostly KDE developers). Just a question: have you used it in the first place?
—-
Personally, I think Lindows looks better than default KDE. But nontheless, ugly. The titlebar for example took out the most beatiful thing about Keramik, and placed in some Aqua rounded shit.
It seems Lindows’ designers really like Aqua and Apple’s look. Check out http://www.lindows.com and http://www.apple.com and notice the similarities with the links bar.
Hope they one day decide to make something that really looks professional, consistent and nice, like choosing plain Keramik, or making their own (like Red Hat).
I think Lindows is doing a good job, but I hate the way they take GPL software adn sell it and without even releasing their source. Their excuse is pitiful, something like “We,ll release when we hit the official version”.
What they should really do is just never reach the official version or whatever they call it. I mean they ship on Microtel alreasy through WalMart. Do you think they told WalMart they hadn’t reached their official version.
I agree with you about liking apple. Actually it pretty much a straight rip-off. They should be embarrassed!
I thought you only fancied Windows clones….
Anyway, I don’t really think there is a stable release coming out…
No, Actually I would like something different. I don’t really like the idea of Lindows or Xandros. Too much modification.
Of the Linux distros I tried, my favourite is the new Redhat Beta, then SuSE. Mandrake 9 betas have been a big disapointment for me.
For now I’ll stick with SuSE until Rehat 9 comes out.
Well, I have seen a lot of Windows programs that don’t have AA, even on XP….
AA or even cleartype is systemwide in XP, you can toggle it on or off. most programs listen to it, some run their own listviews…
I’ve turned cleartype off, I don’t like the blurry colorfringes on my TFT screen.
As for the price for Lindows it’s absurd, XP seems cheaper to run and you get a nice browser like IE 🙂
Andrew: For now I’ll stick with SuSE until Rehat 9 comes out.
I must have mistaken you for someone else, sorry 🙂
Anyway, if all goes well, Red Hat 9 should be released in 6 years time (I think you meant Red Hat 8…). Speaking of “too much” modification, did you know Null modified KDE more than Xandros and Lindows, and broke a lot of KDE apps with it?
gfx: AA or even cleartype is systemwide in XP, you can toggle it on or off. most programs listen to it, some run their own listviews…
I mean Win16 apps, like Pipedream 🙂
There is an adjustment tool on Microsoft’s ClearType website for tuning the display to your particular LCD screen.
I was pretty happy with the default and then found a noticeable improvement could be had with the tuner.
This is the one feature in XP that I like. The only feature, really that makes computing better than Windows 2000. Too bad they didn’t release ClearType for Windows 2000. Could have had good text without the extra two scoops of spyware.
http://www.microsoft.com/typography/cleartype/
#m
rajan_r: Well, I have seen a lot of Windows programs that don’t have AA, even on XP..
I was thinking about BeOS – here it’s all antialiased. Even mozilla (although it gives worse text look on small letters).
And, for me, text in win98se has much better look than that crappy text on linux. Linux antialiasing is more or less ok (BeOS’ is better though
.
There is an adjustment tool on Microsoft’s ClearType website for tuning the display to your particular LCD screen.
Yes I know, I did adjust it, but white text on black background doesn’t look nice. The higher the dpi (smaller pixels) on the display the better it seems to look with cleartype… 1280×1024 on a 17inch isn’t high enough
320×320 on my sony clie looks allright (mobipocket uses
the same idea for it’s mobitype font)
“There is an adjustment tool on Microsoft’s ClearType website for tuning the display to your particular LCD screen. ”
Thanks Michael – I didn’t know this.
Well, Lycoris is trying to provide ease of use and look by way of Windows and Lindows by way of Apple. All this gets more and more interesting.
Lindows is still in beta. Remember this…
Lindows is for attracting Windows users to Linux…
Lindows is Debian based. yep! meaning you can use apt-get!
Lindows is still Linux…meaning, you can add other users other than root…!
It looks very much like a standard KDE using the keramik style and window decoration (rajan, the keramik window decoration really is rounded) as well as a modified crystal icon theme (which they managed to look really bad IMO)
With other words, it looks pretty close to what a default KDE 3.1 will look like, so if you are considering switching to lindows just because of the look then you might as well just wait for kde 3.1, which IMO is a fairly big improvement over kde 3.0.x.
Shard: And, for me, text in win98se has much better look than that crappy text on linux. Linux antialiasing is more or less ok (BeOS’ is better though
.
I have the same opinion as you, though Null’s AA is much better than 98SE and BeOS (though it isn’t as good as those in Windows XP and Mac OS 9/X.)
evolving: Lindows is still Linux…meaning, you can add other users other than root…!
[Disclaimer, never tried 2.0, my reply is based on 1.1] But unlike any other desktop distro out there, it doesn’t have a GUI configuration tool to do so. Which is bad for Windows users.
Troels: It looks very much like a standard KDE using the keramik style and window decoration (rajan, the keramik window decoration really is rounded)
I invite you to compare the titlebar from both Keramik and Lindows. Keramik has round egdes, but not as round as Lindows. And Keramik’s titlebar thingy doesn’t look like an Aqua button.
Eugenia ,this theme is Keramik and much of the Cristal icon theme . Both will be the default for kde 3.1 from what I know .This is not “a desktop look that is more its own”.
I invite you to compare the titlebar from both Keramik and Lindows. Keramik has round egdes, but not as round as Lindows. And Keramik’s titlebar thingy doesn’t look like an Aqua button.
Indeed keramik doesnt have the aqua thingy, but that is a fairly small change as the “blob” is still the same shape as in keramik. But even if it is a small change i still find it odd as to me the aqua thingy looks totally out of place.
As for the roundings, i found a screenshot of plain keramik and as far as i can tell the rounding is exactly the same. I would have compared it to a fresh kde cvs compile, but im not near my own computer.
So while they did make some (bad IMO) modifications, i still think it looks very close to a standard kde 3.1. (or at least to what the current development version looks like
As for the roundings, i found a screenshot of plain keramik and as far as i can tell the rounding is exactly the same. I would have compared it to a fresh kde cvs compile, but im not near my own computer.
I don’t know about previous versions of KDE and Keramik, but in KDE 3.1 Beta 1 it doesn’t look as round as Lindows’. But anyway, as for looks, I would rate Lindows = “ugly”, KDE 3.1 – “okay”, KDE with some nice QNX theme – “beautiful” 🙂