Linux on the desktop may the Holy Grail for open source devotees, but experts agree it’s a tall order for the enterprise. In this interview, Frederick H. Berenstein, co-founder, chairman and CTO of Xandros Inc., talks about some of the tangible challenges in moving from Windows to Linux on the desktop.
Interview Frederick Berenstein CTO of Xandros
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Then why not market it as a Mercedes with a lower ticker price. Smell like a snake oil sale.
To just compare two different OSes to cars with different engines doesn’t make sense at all. If I can drive a Mercedes well, then it requires zero effort for me to drive a BMW or a Jaguar. I dont think that is the case with Linux and Windows at present.
I would say that we are in an era where users are still bothered about the intricacies of the car engine, rather than just the driving it. In the future, we should be able to users only interacting with services. These services will be like the dashboard of a car, each providing a standard interface to the underlying engine, car, transmission etc. And that is when the average user will be able to just feel the power of the engine rather than be bothered by the oil filter, brake linings etc.
I wrote Xandros to see if they wanted to pick up a “revolutionary” product I had developed. I thought the Xandros OS would be best operating system for the the device b/c it was geared towards professionals. Mr. Berenstein emailed me and told me to give him a call. But when I asked that he sign a NDA I never heard from him again, not even to say, ‘No thank you’.
Blah! on Xandros and Blah! on Mr. Berenstein!
The fool I was for believing in them.
Actually, everything he said is true. Xandros 1.0 was and is an excellent candidate for IT managers looking to switch from Windows and save money – with virtually no retraining. And it will not only save them lots of money directly; it will keep them protected from Windows viruses. Plus, it can authenticate to a Windows domain. Better administration and fewer headaches. If Xandros 2.0 is an improvement on what came before, it could start the corporate ball rolling. I would urge all IT managers and professionals to take a serious look at Xandros. Unless you have an unlimited IT budget, in which case it doesn’t matter.
Is Xandros ready for the home desktop user? That depends on what it’s being used it for. I haven’t seen version 2.0 yet. It’s probably not for gamers, but most others should be able to do most everything they want with it, as well or better than with Windows.
On a side note, I think they could spiff up the desktop a little. Based on a screenshot I saw of a 2.0 desktop, the icons still look homemade. But there’s no question it’s the most ready of all Linux distributions to move into the corporate world.
Well I am one of the Beta testers for Xandros, and I am here to tell you all that it is absolutely amazing.
It is the best Linux Desktop I have ever used.
I have also been using Lycoris, Ark Linux, & LindowsOS in the past, but Xandros Desktop Version 2.0 is far better then any of them.
All my hardware works right out of the box, including 3D support for my Nvidia graphics card, my Digital Camera, & TV-Tuner card!
The desktop & application set are very easy to use, Xandros has customised everything, all applications are made to look better then their default, by using themes. The desktop is very beautiful, in my opinion it’s better looking the Lycoris Desktop/lx Update 3 or Windows XP!
Xandros Desktop version 2 is also very fast on my system, faster then other Linux Desktop’s I have used, and just as fast as Windows 2000 Pro.
I can’t wait for this product to go gold, and for the Evaluation version to come out so the Linux community can give it a try, they are going to love it, I think it will take the Linux OS community by storm.
My production is Xandros will rise to the top of the pack with version 2.0, trust me!
It was a bit short but he man has some valid points. Linux is gaining market share every day it is only a matter of time until you will find it in many business’
Of course, [studies have shown that] 95% of the people who use Microsoft Office use about 5% of the features, and the bells and whistles are really for power users.
Translation: “If you’re a power user, forget about Open Office.”
“If you own a legitimate copy of Microsoft Office, which presumably you do if you’ve been using it, you can just install it on the Xandros desktop and have no compatibility programs at all.
Last week, I wrote an Excel macro that, when you launch the .xls file, will bring up a GUI where you can enter a few settings, and then it’ll connect to an Oracle database (using VBA) and update the spreadsheet with data therein. I wonder if I could do that with OpenOffice?
Moreover, I wonder if I could’ve done that in Xandros using Crossover, considering that you need the Oracle client installed in order to do it. (And if you can do it without the Oracle client, then you are most certainly a better man than I.)