Xandros Desktop sets a new standard for Linux based desktop operating systems by delivering an environment and set of applications that allow you to install the system and get back to work. It is based on the pioneering direction of Corel LINUX OS which was recognized by both mainstream and Linux publications as a leader in making Linux accessible to desktop users. And today, it can be yours for free (a value of $99 USD)! Read more to enter the competition.Xandros desktop provides an environment that is; simple to install, configure and use; provides extensive compatibility on a number of levels; and harnesses the power of Linux to provide a viable, highly functional and reliable desktop.
If there is one characteristics that defines Xandros Desktop more than any other, it is its simplicity. From its installation, through configuration, to its day-to-day use, Xandros Desktop demands only a short learning curve. Because the implementation of features in Xandros Desktop is often similar to Microsoft Windows, the transition from Windows to Xandros Desktop is easy resulting in lower support and training costs and greater productivity.
Second in importance to simplicity is compatibility. Compatibility, in the context of a desktop operating system, encompasses much more than simply being able to open and create popular file formats such as Microsoft .doc and .xls files. Compatibility also means: a familiar environment, applications that you have used before, adherence to open standards, and fitting into a Microsoft Windows networked environment. Xandros delivers this kind of compatibility and more.
Xandros Desktop is a professional desktop for business users but it will also appeal to technology enthusiasts who are looking for a Linux based desktop that meets their requirements for an easy to use, commercially supported desktop with the fit, finish and polish of a thoroughly tested operating system. If you are interested in the latest cutting edge applications, the Technology Preview CD that is included with the product contains many of the most recent software releases including KDE3. However, for most users who are looking for a stable, reliable and highly usable system, the regular Xandros Desktop is the right choice.
Things you need to know before entering the competition:
Good luck everyone!
The competition is now closed. Thank you for participating.
Xandros retains the right to add your email address to their ANNOUNCE-only mailing list (low traffic)
So .. um, what other kind of lists are they going to add my email address to ?
Only on a low volume Announce-only. IF they do. Maybe they won’t.
Maybe I’ll be able to get Xandros, finally
Is this for US citizens only or can we europeans apply as well?
Everyone can apply. Xandros will send the box via snail mail.
it is linux right. Which is under the GPL. So why do we have to pay $99 for it.
Also, what is so great about this distro compared to others (e.g. RedHat, Mandrake or Suse)?
this is freaking outrageous… I’d rather buy redhat!
Xandros contains codeweavers crossover office = and crossover plugin which is valued at a combined price of $80. $99-$80 = $19 for xandros desktop, which is a good price. Compare redhat personal for $40 + $80 for crossover and you have $120 – sounds like a deal to me –
Just because Linux is licensed under the GPL does not mean that Xandros has to offer their product free of charge.
Try Xandros, you might like it. Elegant design is worth $99 to some people.
If I want to win a copy, I will have to write what I think that they should do more or differently? well.. I would need a copy of Xandros to be able to say anything about it. And if I allready had a copy, why would I need to win one?
Doesn’t make sense to me.
Oh well. I guess I will have to make something up. Sigh.
I want it but cant afford to buy it, which is really a shame, since it looks so sexy. A friend had it, dont know where he got it, but I tried it and it was cool. Definetly worth the money, if I only had the money. If I dont win, I’ll probably stop spending so much on hardware and focus on software…
Anyone …
Learn to read several articles! Check -> http://www.osnews.com/topic.php?icon=68
Here are my reasons why I think Xandros is a great product.
First, I’ve tried all the major distros, and this is the only one that did the following: recognized all of my hardware, made samba networking super easy (I didn’t have to do a thing, it just worked — my win laptop could see my xandros desktop and printer without me doing anything except enable windows sharing), installed all the standard browser plugins, such as flash, realplayer, acrobat, and java, and installed nvidia drivers for my geforce4 all automatically.
Second, it’s also the only distro that includes crossover plugin ($25 value), which allows me to use quicktime, shockwave director, and windows media player, as well as crossover office ($55 value), which allows me to use IE (which I need to access my company’s intranet) and MS Word & Excel for those docs that OO.o can’t open correctly.
Third, it’s based on Debian, so I can use either the Xandros Network program, synaptic, or good old command line “apt-get install” to install any debian package I want.
Fourth, it has it’s own awesome Xandros File Manager, which is a really great thing. Check out this post: http://www.consultingtimes.com/articles/xandros/filemanager/fileman… which describes it in full detail.
I love it.
I certainly hope I do win a copy of Xandros. I mean, I’m lucky if I make a combined 20$ per month (I don’t have a job ATM).
99$ is a lot, but I’d be more than willing to buy a copy of Xandros if I actually had the money.
Just because it’s GPL doesn’t mean they have to provide it free-of-cost to everyone. GPL only means that if they sell the software, they must distribute the source if it is so requested by the person they are selling to. You don’t honestly expect for a company to make a living off of completely free solutions, do you? There are plenty of good free distros as well.
Last time, I had a chance to win 3 copies!
(I mean, if whining is the theme, I might as well pick something REALLY trivial :-))
One of the biggest things that bother me about the open source movement is how most people ( not everyone but a good number ) feel open source =’s free. I do not recall what mailing list I saw this on, I only recall the words.
OpenSource is a philosophy not a price tag!
In my time as a Network engineer, I have purchased the source to 2 projects. I paid a small price 200.00 I think, and I received the application as well as the Source. I have no problems paying for GOOD software.
My two bits.
“Free” is also a philosophy, not a price tag, although most Free/OS software users seem to be more interested in the zero price tag than in freedom.
I thought that under the GPL you have to ATLEAST provide a FREE package of your system. Now yes – you can charge for the manual, customer support and other amenities but the main system has to be provided in some means free.
And THIS is the philosophy of opensource !
From the FAQ:
If I distribute GPL’d software for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public without a charge?
No. However, if someone pays your fee and gets a copy, the GPL gives them the freedom to release it to the public, with or without a fee. For example, someone could pay your fee, and then put her copy on a web site for the general public.
—
>”I thought that under the GPL you have to ATLEAST provide a FREE package of your system.”
For the bazillionth time, NO. Have you even BOTHERED to read the GPL? Well, here is a link, try reading it for once. It’s not long: http://www.linux.org/info/gnu.html
The second paragraph of the GPL:
“When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.”
And the fourth:
“For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.”
So, no, you do NOT have to give away “a free package of your system.”
I like to see a slick looking desktop. KDE looks great but sucks up too much memory. As a result I use a lightweight window manager and configure it to suit my tastes. I wouldn’t mind paying to give Xandros a try though, if I knew the pretty GUI wouldn’t bog down performance.
Xandros uses a modified KDE, so its probably not significantly better.
Small gripe here, with all of the recent comps, is that they are only lasting 1 day. When you consider the fact that many readers of OSNews are from different time zones, it kind of puts us at a disadvantage.
Even an extra 12 hours would make the world of difference. For example, it is already lunch time on Wednesday here, and Tuesday was more than truly gone before the posting for the competition came into existance, at least for *this* little black duck.
Just my 2c worth.
dude…that would lbe why you are sendingit through the OS News servers and a JavaScript program that uses the OSNEWS time 😉
If you want Xandros for about 65 bucks you can google for Xandros Discount Code or whatever they call it on their site. Well, to continue whining, I think WINE (or crossing-over) is not the best thing for linux, as I read somewhere that they could have this scenario scene … Linux promises 100% compatibility with Windows. Yay! Tommorow Microsoft changes a few things here and there, and bye-bye compatibility, and linux gets a bad name and gets dissed. Hasn’t happened the first time to some OS we knew.
Just my 0.02 cents.
they are not promising 100% anything…they tell you exact versions that work.
Office 2k, IE 5.5, Quicktime 5, etc.
they can not change the code of published software.
Not being very original, but since they are asking for opinions I would take the oportunity to request they work to get Gobe inside (since they share the same sugar daddy), maybe I get both, probably not.
It is based on Linux, but many things are propreitary, like the installer, the screen you see covering the kernal messages at boot time, the preference applets, XFM, etc. Those aren’t GPL. And CrossOver Office and Plugin isn’t GPL either, it cost money.
So stop being a freeloading pig. The only reason why you like GPL, I can see, is that you can get software for free. I think that’s cheap. I personally spent more on Linux than on Windows :-).
I think WINE (or crossing-over) is not the best thing for linux, as I read somewhere that they could have this scenario scene … Linux promises 100% compatibility with Windows. Yay! Tommorow Microsoft changes a few things here and there, and bye-bye compatibility, and linux gets a bad name and gets dissed.
Well, I’m not saying that WINE would ever reach 100% compatiblity, but if we somehow with some miracles reach that goal, Microsoft can’t really do anything. If they change things here and there, only applications 5 years later would take advantage of it. Applications that take advantage too early would loose backwards compatiblity with older versions of Windows. Meaning less target market.
So in 4-5 years, I think Wine could catch-up.
But frankly, I don’t think Wine would ever reach its original goals. The design itself is different from Win32 in Windows. But that isn’t the big problem. The big problem is that Win32 is hard to implement on a alien system. How long did Microsoft take to implement Win32 on Windows NT/2k/XP with the original source code and full documentation of the API and a bountiful of developers?
I think Wine should instead change its goals and strive to become a migration API, ala Carbon. Meaning Windows applications can be ported fast and inexpensively to Linux. That is a better goal than this one, IMHO. They may get somewhere, actually.
“I think Wine should instead change its goals and strive to become a migration API, ala Carbon. Meaning Windows
applications can be ported fast and inexpensively to Linux. That is a better goal than this one, IMHO. They may get
somewhere, actually.”
Agreed, thats a good goal to pursue. I have seen a miniscule no of books on Wine,Wabi etc & none for developers, nice if there was a developer document that says how to program Windows well without breaking compatibility to Wine/Crossover. But then if I were thinking like that I would just as well use Qt/Java/.. instead.
They are doing the migration thing as well, it’s called Winelib.
But the Wine apploader is really so trivial, they do that too. Wine appload and WineLib share 99.9% of the code anyway.
JJ: But then if I were thinking like that I would just as well use Qt/Java/.. instead.
No, then the whole point of a *migration* API would be gone. Can you imagine how expensive to port a big app like Photoshop or CorelDRAW or CoolEdit to Qt/Java from Win32? Having a migrationary API would certainly ease cost while being able to reach the market faster.
Mike Hearn: They are doing the migration thing as well, it’s called Winelib.
Yeah, my point is that they should focus on that. On Wine’s site, the first paragraph about Wine under the link “What is Wine?” Wine is an implementation of the Windows Win32 and Win16 APIs on top of X and Unix. Think of Wine as a Windows compatibility layer. Wine provides both a development toolkit (Winelib) for porting Windows sources to Unix and a program loader, allowing many unmodified Windows 3.x/95/98/ME/NT/W2K/XP binaries to run under Intel Unixes.
My point is they should just forget about the second goal. Mark my words, it would never happen. If it does, it would be decades after Windows is dead. What they should do is making something that is similar to Win32 to make porting trivial, and allowing that app to run on both Linux/Unix and Windows. Add in some additional features. Make it tempting. But getting binary compatiblity with Windows apps is impossible.
You can do it per application. But after making a version tweak for common apps like Office and IE plugins, the point of including more apps make less and less sense. Just imagine 20 different CrossOver implementations running my 20 most used Windows apps. That, my friend, would be stupid.
Well, I can’t help but imagine what quality apps we could have had by now, in imaging, sound, and video production, if all that effort of WINE and codeweavers’ went into native Linux apps. We could have had a superb office app, with complete, if not close, MS Office compatibility.
> Well, I can’t help but imagine what quality apps we could have had by now, in imaging,
> sound, and video production, if all that effort of WINE and codeweavers’ went into native
> Linux apps. We could have had a superb office app, with complete, if not close, MS
> Office compatibility.
First, you do not know that they would have donated their efforts to anything but Wine, and second, if there was no Wine/Crossover, who can say whether Linux would have the funding from the major corporations like IBM?
I would like more comments about the distro itself, I would like to try it but I think the crossover plugin is not the killer app of the distro, Xandros is offering that propietary program for browsing files (sorry don’t know the name right now) and it’s based on debian woody so some level of compativility (a very interesting point I would like to know more). Anyone tried to customize the default KDE in Xandros and has some good screenshots?
Sorry, had to add to the Crossover bit. 🙂
I noticed on the “Crossover-discuss” list, that Xandros has newer versions of the Crossover products. (eg, Crossover Plugin 1.1.4, while the rest of us are limited to 1.1.3, though 2 is in the works.)
Just thought it was worth sharing.