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because the license does not allow you to use code you wrote with the free version in the paid versions.

WRONG! Please mod parent flamebait.

You're confusing paid versions with proprietary versions. You can make money selling paid versions of Free and Open Source Software.

QT is licenced under the GPL, which is a Free and Open Source Software license. It forces software vendors to share the source code, but does not prohibit vendors from selling binaries.

Anyone (ranging from independent programmers to multibllion dollar companies) can create Free and Open Source Software built on QT and can sell the resultant software without giving a penny to Trolltech. Just look at Novell SUSE Linux, Linspire, RedHat and any other commercial distro that ships with KDE. These companies (and anyone else for that matter, including you!) can sell the binaries -- all they have to do is provide the source code to the user, so that the user can customize the software for his/her needs.

If you want to keep your source code secret and build proprietary applications that lock in users, prevent them from making modifications, restrict their rights, take away control of their computers, then naturally you need to pay royalties. In the world of spyware, DRM-infestation, and Treacherous Computing no proprietary software should be trusted.

In other words: If a company does the moral thing for the users and society, the company gets a freebie. If they're unscrupulous, then they better pay up.

Good set of articles that point to some real issues but, I think he missed this:

Linspire List of vendors

(http://www.linspire.com/featured_partner/featured _partner.php?sent=1&country=1)

Maybe the where shopping at Linspire CNR

http://www.addonshop.com/
http://www.sub300.com/
http://www.linare.com/
http://www.linspire.com/
http://www.linuxcertified.com/
http://www.microtelpc.com/
http://www.outpost.com/
http://shoprcubed.com/
http://www.systemax.com/divisions.htm
http://www.walmart.com/
http://www.xandros.com/
http://tuxmobil.org/
http://www.us.debian.org/distrib/pre-installed
http://www.linux.org/vendor/system/index.html

And let's see... Can I play a DVD on Linux legally yet?

Yes, you can.

Yes, considering that you can download and install any(*) of those Linux distributions for free, and that both Linux and Windows (and Mac OS and BSD...) are operating systems, doing basicaly the same thing... How exactly Windows qualifies as monopolly?

It's not that anyone forces you to use it, just download/buy any of the alternatives and use it.

So if you say that MS has monopolly on Windows OS market, I'll say that Linux has monopolly on..um... market of OS'es using Linux kernel?

(* not all of the Linux distributions are "completely free", and please don't start this "free as in this vs. free vs. that" argument)

it has been done, a dozen of times
what these Linux distros really lacks is publicitity and marketting .. ie an excellent P.R Machine.
Microsoft can afford that, Apple too, contributors already spend much of their free time helping, they dont have the cash also.

So in short what Linux distros need are millionaire patron.
Ubuntu is an example of how much patronage matters.

Many tried in varies way - maybe you could try your version?

Linspire's approach is of Click to Install, run everything as root, offer interesting goodies such as iTunes, etc

Xandros which tries to appeal to the business man, hides even the terminal, if you are a techie, it is a difficult distro to work with. But non-techies find it a marvel.

Beatrix is probably the closest you've envisage, with but essential apps and very light and fast.

Puppy Linux approach is have it micro light weight in Ram, they don't strip the techie-stuff but add lots of tutorials, wizards and follow-throughs. I have to admit I liked it, its good for old machines too.

Yoper's approach is to get you up and ready where one-CD installs everything you might need and more - very fast. The community is very helpful and friendly. The idea is that the distro should be as multi-media ready as possible on things like plugin (which are short of impossible for a newcome to install).
Wonderful idea, but we need more help with that, like all free-distros specially - we need helpers, contributors, coders, packagers.

In the Linux community, the will is there, just the challenge and obstacle is very big. Drivers and hardwares primarily set for Windows machine and nothing else .. etc

What we all need is patronage, sponsorship.

What we need is what Apple, Microsoft + etc has:
money-money-money (even if its to pay for hosting our servers).

Remember the saying: easier-said-than-done

So I would urge anyone that is really concerned to join a distro that matches your ideals and instead of criticizing offer help - there are many ways of doing that, learning being one.

If the idea of coding is really off-putting I found reading this pretty interesting and applicable to any open source project:

Q: Are there non-coding ways to help?

http://bagina.net/linspire_5.0.59.torrent -mirror

http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/linspire_5.0. 59.torrent -original

http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/linspire_5.0. 59.torrent

And the liveCD : http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/linspire_live _5.0.69.torrent

Meanwhile, here's the link to the torrent of the LiveCD which I think is more suitable for testing purposes : http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/linspire_live _5.0.69.torrent

sure. origional was at http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/linspire_5.0. 59.torrent

a copy of that torrent is at brickballs.net/stuff/linspire5.torrent

I have a subscription, and I've tried 5.0. I quickly moved to Fedora and Ubuntu, though. I suppose if you like KDE and the KDE way of doing things, you might be happy with it. I was very impressed at its installation, and the fact that it configured absolutely everything (including ndiswrapper and Windows Broadcom drivers!) properly the first time.

But it's an extremely inelegant system... you've got package names like nvidia-driver-modules-2.6.10_1.0.6629.is.1.0.6111- 0.0.0.50.linspire0.3.0.4.m10.1.deb... what?? Those who like the simple and elegant would perhaps enjoy Fedora or Ubuntu more.

Since the servers are pretty much crawling already, here's a link to the torrent

such as the contrasting the wide availability of computers in schools to the generally limited use among students

When you pay over $1000 per MS-based machine, that may be true. But as Linspire.com shows, students in Indiana will have their own Linux box at school:

http://www.linspire.com/lindows_news_pressreleases .php

The major computer OEMs such as Dell, HP, and
Gateway are refusing to offer CONSUMERS a
non-Microsoft choice.
These OEMs are anti-competitve and
anti-consumer-choice. They continue to maintain Microsoft's desktop
monopoly.

I suggest not doing business with these companies until they offer a serious non-Microsoft choice to CONSUMERS.

Here are some companies that DO offer consumers a choice.

http://www.systemax.com/divisions.htm
http://www.microtelpc.com/
http://www.linuxcertified.com/

http://www.outpost.com/ (search for linspire)
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/catalog.gsp?cat=395 1&path=0%3A3944%3A3951
http://www.sub300.com/Skins/greyTech/greyTech_inde x.aspx
http://www.linare.com/
http://www.linspire.com/featured_partner/featured_ partner.php
http://www.us.debian.org/distrib/pre-installed
http://www.linux.org/vendor/system/index.html

Actually, I think that Linspire is well suited for technical reasons too. They provide a remarkably Windows-like environment which other distros go out of their way *not* to do. The result is an OS which is pretty familiar to the one in the student's household. With the added advantage of a full suite of programs and easy system management tools (which I hear are pretty good), then it's almost a drop in replacement for Windows.

Linspire also does a lot of "it-just-works" modifications. Check out Linspire's distrowatch page for some good overviews and reviews. So yes, they are good at marketing themselves, but I believe that marketing aside they would still be a good choice for schools to deploy.

Looking at the press release for the program they say they are going to provide PC's. The PC Magazine writeup seems real confusing, because they keep mentioning Wintergreen and Linspire together and talking about how many more PC's will be in schools.

The Indiana Access Program is designed to provide affordable classroom computers for every secondary student. This program makes these systems available with the partnership of Indiana-based companies, benefiting the local Indiana economy. Wintergreen Systems, based in Elkhart, Indiana for five years, provides high-quality computer systems pre-installed with the Linspire operating system.

Why isn't there any mention of the hardware costs if it isn't included in the program?

According to the fine link in the summary...well, why spoil it for you?

I was thinking the same thing. I have a p.o.s. 500 MHz PIII laptop at work and it runs XP Pro. I can't run too many apps at once, but Outlook, SQL Enterprise Manager, and Visual Studio can all be run simutaneously. Here are the minimum requirements:

XP Pro:
PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended;
233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);
* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Linspire 5.0:
PC with 800 MHz or higher processor 128 MB of RAM (256 MB or higher recommended for best performance)
Hard drive with 4 GB free space
SVGA or higher resolution and monitor (3-D graphics accelerator card for some games, screen savers, etc.)
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard & Mouse
Linspire-compatible sound card and speakers or headphones
Linspire-compatible 56 Kbps hardware modem, cable modem, or DSL modem
Ethernet card for Internet/LAN connectivity

the phillips-sony-etc conglomerate that created the dvd standard refused to license the decoder to any OS besides Windoze and MacOS

People can watch DVDs on linux only by using (illegally) reverse engineered software

Next time try Google or Wikipedia to get your facts correct.

Honest question, not trolling, etc.

You sure?
http://www.ubuntulinux.org/screenshots/document_vi ew
http://www.linspire.com/lindows_news_gallery.php?i mage=screenshot
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?re lease=110&slide=107

h, what the heck:
http://shots.osdir.com/

Looks as different to me as you can expect from themes and tweaks

AOL Dialer by Linspire.

Source code.

Spread the word :)

AOL Dialer by Linspire.

Source code.

Spread the word :)

*Bsssttt* - Wrong http://www.linspire.com/lindows_products_details.p hp?product_id=12787

Where did you pull that number from? According to their site it's $50 for a download or $60 for a CD shipped to your door.

Also, if you're going to use his numbers for linux (which included the price of the game) then you need to do it for windows (which did not) so add $45-$50 to the windows price of $100-$130, resulting in $145-$180. This isn't including the price of all the antivirus/spyware/etc crap that you've gotta buy to keep a win box functional.

Everyone is getting it wrong. lol You've forgotten that you also have to buy Linspire.

Linspire: $49.95
Cedega: $44.95
Game X: $40-50
TOTAL: $134.90-144.90

If you really want to use Linspire, you also have to buy the CNR membership. So that would add another $49.95/year.

Now. Compared to Windows:
Windows XP: $100-$250 (Priced @ Amazon)
Game X: $40-50
TOTAL:$140-$300

Pricing Windows XP Home + Game could be cheaper than trying to run it on Linspire.... Though it could also be cheaper on Linspire than running on XP Pro. Upgrade vs Full install also have an impact on the Windows XP price.

Everyone is getting it wrong. lol You've forgotten that you also have to buy Linspire.

Linspire: $49.95
Cedega: $44.95
Game X: $40-50
TOTAL: $134.90-144.90

If you really want to use Linspire, you also have to buy the CNR membership. So that would add another $49.95/year.

Now. Compared to Windows:
Windows XP: $100-$250 (Priced @ Amazon)
Game X: $40-50
TOTAL:$140-$300

Pricing Windows XP Home + Game could be cheaper than trying to run it on Linspire.... Though it could also be cheaper on Linspire than running on XP Pro. Upgrade vs Full install also have an impact on the Windows XP price.

They forgot about purchasing Linspire. So you'll add $60 for linspire and $45 for Cedega and its more expensive then OEM windows xp Home. Wow, thats competive. I'll probably get modded down for this because i'm pointing out the facts.

I'm surprised we haven't seen an advertisement (I mean article) on their linux virus protection software http://www.linspire.com/products_virussafe_whatis. php.

Intel based Linux systems often sell in the $200 to $500 range. How is a machine that costs $999 or $1299 competitive on price with machines that cost one half, one third or even less than one quarter as much? I put together a fast, quiet Linux based small form factor ShuttleX box for $500. I like Macs, but Apple has a ways to go before it can compete on price.

http://www.linspire.com/homelink28

Linspire seems pretty solid, although I haven't played with it that much. It is definetely one of the most "out of the box" friendly system for non linux familiar people to use. So you can sell it to anyone not just those familiar with linux. I think thats the point of it.

Also, and importantly they also offer support http://support.linspire.com/ , which has bulliten boards and phone numbers. The phone is slow. But when you want to retail a linux box, that support becomes critical to your sales, so linspire shares the support of the OS.

Michael Robertson the ceo is alos very agressive, giving it marketshare with prominent partners Compusa/Bestbuy etc....

Really? Where?

I've not been following the story particularly closely, but the last article I saw on the subject completely refuted the Apple would be based on x86:

an Apple spokesman who commented on what the switch does not mean: "We will not allow running Mac OS X on anything other than an Apple Mac." Future "Mactel" computers will have specially designated Intel chips, not generic x86 compatible chips found in common PCs

Is there an authorative statement from Apple that contradicats this?

Walmart sells machines made by Linare that don't come with MS Windows in any form.

Linspire has a list of retail partners that sell Linux PCs.

Laptops? Shit out of luck unless you want to pay a lot more.

Walmart sells a laptop with Linspire on it for $498.
Linare laptops start at $498.
Linux Certified laptops start at $999.
ASL has a sweet laptop for $1661.

Walmart sells machines made by Linare that don't come with MS Windows in any form.

Linspire has a list of retail partners that sell Linux PCs.

Laptops? Shit out of luck unless you want to pay a lot more.

Walmart sells a laptop with Linspire on it for $498.
Linare laptops start at $498.
Linux Certified laptops start at $999.
ASL has a sweet laptop for $1661.

Walmart sells machines made by Linare that don't come with MS Windows in any form.

Linspire has a list of retail partners that sell Linux PCs.

Laptops? Shit out of luck unless you want to pay a lot more.

Walmart sells a laptop with Linspire on it for $498.
Linare laptops start at $498.
Linux Certified laptops start at $999.
ASL has a sweet laptop for $1661.

Future "Mactel" computers will have specially designated Intel chips, not generic x86 compatible chips found in common PCs. My sources say that Jobs is going to use Intel's cryptographic technology called LaGrande to make sure OS X will only boot on Apple-branded hardware.

Because unfortunatelly and for the embarrasment of the Linux community. Suse is hardly seen as a distro with good customer support.

However many Linux users are more than willing to spend their free time to help you out migrate.

First thing buy a few cheap Live-CDs to find out which distro picks up the wifi.
Check the wifi itself is OK.

There one of many online shops that sells cheap Linux CDs - like OSDisc.com
They cost about few dollars each.
Make sure you include a few classic Live CDs such as:

* Knoppix
* Kanotix
* Slax
* Mandriva - old name Mandrake (know to be good at hardware detection)

Check out forums:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/

Check out a Linux User group near you:
http://www.linux.org/groups/

If you end up liking Mandriva, their support is better and for a small subscription fee you can join their "Club" to get help.

Commercial distros such as Xandros specially and Linspire are known to have very excellent customer support. But I've never had direct experience this is what I keep hearing.

For Debian systems Libranet is known to have very good customer support also.

If all this is confusing, just make a list of what you need and I will try my best to help you out.

Non-Technical Linux user should have no need of Unix shells and everything should be GUI based. They most likely would run Linspire instead of Fedora. Linspire does not install the typical CLI tools that Linux uses, and everything is installed via the Click N Run interface. The downside is that they have to pay $5/month to download updates and F/OSS software as a subscription, but they are paying for the conveneince of doing so. It is a smart business plan, and Linspire gets $60 a year in subscriptions from their members, and $50 for the core OS. Every once in a while, Linspire offers free downloads via BitTorrent, but not free subscriptions.

I ran Linspire for a while, I learned how to activate the apt-get function to download the CLI software, GCC compiler, RPM installer, etc. Only the Click N Run function saw that the libraries I had installed do not match the ones in their database (too new) and tried to uninstall them. It was funny as I saw a picture of a guy hung by his underwear as an error message. I went to KNOPPIX after that, and then later Fedora.

I've had a history of problems with different Linux distros, but on a positive note I am learning how to fix various things that go wrong in Linux.

I do IT Support at a nearly 99% Microsoft site, so OSS isn't used there, but at home I run http://www.watsky.net/

I have 2 sisters with old PII class computers which they just use for surfing/email/WP. They ran Win98 and at least twice a month I would have to call out and fix their systems due to spyware or them accidentally deleting things or odd DLL problems. I moved the more tech savvy sister to http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ and the "I refuse to use anything but Windows" sister to http://www.linspire.com/ about 3 months ago, and apart from some minor problems with a Lexmark printer I haven't heard a peep since from either of them and they are delighted with the computers.

At work I actually browse the net using a http://h71000.www7.hp.com/pathworks32/ link from my XP machine to an OpenVMS box and surf with http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/products/ips/csw b/cswb.html so I don't worry about spyware or viruses there either :)

Jonathan

http://www.justgofaster.com/

Here's the "give'em what they want in action:

"I want a car with tail fins!"

http://www.openvms.org/ Vintage design, looks a bit strange, but still classy in its own way.

"No I want a car with a bright pink paint job!"

http://www.linspire.com/ It's a real Linux and seems to do the job, but it may be a bit soft compared to the trad distros. Looks a little like one of those "strange" OSs

"I want a car that flies through the air, and swims underwater!"

http://www.knoppix.com/ Frisbeed it at the cat. Dunked it in the sink. Dropped it into the CD drive and it still booted into Debian. Nice.

"Foo to the others. I just want a basic car that goes from point A to Point B!"

http://www.goosee.com/puppy/ This is one quick little puppy. Not much to it, but it goes like a train.

"Nuts to the above. I want a car with a hot tub, and a wet bar, and plenty of space for all the women I'm going to get by driving this pimpmobile!".

http://www1.mandrivalinux.com/en-us/ This sucker's big and fluffy. Has everything and the kitchen sink, and it'll look after you while you install it.

Predictions for 2005

It's a new year, so time for a predictions column. But first,we'll do a review of last year's predictions to see what I got right - and what I got wrong.

1) Software and movie companies embrace P2P = Cheaper products for consumers
Some entertainment companies are using P2P to deliver TV-quality video and games through companies like RedSwoosh. But sadly, the majority are seemingly following in the footsteps of the music labels by trying to sue to slow or block the technology rather than figure out how to use it to make more money. This is a miss.

2) Microsoft moves from growth to profit
This year, Microsoft announced the biggest ever one-time dividend, which is the classic move of a "value" company. Growth companies never pay dividends because they use their cash to continue to grow. In spite of a wide range of efforts spanning TV, PDA, game consoles, etc. Microsoft cannot find another profitable venture outside their core operating system and office suite business. This was a hit.

3) $499 Linux laptops under the Christmas tree
On December 17th, Walmart.com began selling a Linspire laptop for $498. I was $1 off, but this is a definite hit.

4) Microsoft announces plans for Microsoft Office for Linux
This was my President, Kevin Carmony's prediction. Microsoft has not yet announced any products for Linux. With OpenOffice continuing to make great strides and OpenOffice 2.0 on the horizon, there will be more pressure for Microsoft to respond. But for now, this is a miss. Remember that OpenOffice 2.0 will be on display at the Desktop Summit on February 9-11th, in San Diego. So, register now!

50% accuracy from 2004, so let's look at 2005.

1) After buying IBM, Lenovo leans toward Linux
China-based Lenovo just received US government clearance to purchase IBM's PC business. IBM executives have assured the IT world that the quality and service will remain, and I hope it does because I'm a big Thinkpad fan and own several of the X series laptops. But something must change or Lenovo will have paid $1.75 billion for the right to lose money on every IBM PC they sell. Over the last 3.5 years, IBM has sold about 30 million computers and lost $965 million dollars - or approximately $33 per computer. To reverse their fortune, Lenovo needs to find a way to have $50 better economics on every PC so will they not only break even, but they will generate some profits. IBM already uses Chinese labor in their plant in Shenzen to manufacture their PCs - so there won't be much savings there. Lenovo may be able to buy hard disks, memory or other parts slightly cheaper than IBM because of greater economies of scales, but at best this will be less than $10 per machine. The only place where significant savings can be generated to turn their PC business around is the operating system and office suite. Instead of paying Microsoft $100-$300 per machine for Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office, they will ship Linux with an office suite and pay just $5-$10 on some of their product line. This will give them distinction from the well-entrenched Dell and HP computers they must compete with.

2) Windows Media Center suffers BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death)
You don't have one mega kitchen appliance, you have dedicated appliances tuned to each task. The same is true in your living room. The Windows Media Center is an admirable goal, but misguided implementation. They are trying to cram every function into one box and it makes the device expensive and unreliable. That was illustrated with Bill Gates' recent high-profile demo at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) of Windows Media Center, which suffered an embarrassing BSOD. Remember this i

I knew Michael Robertson in college and he was a technological lamer and pretty much an A-hole. And he doesn't appear to have changed much. He's cobbling together whatever technologies he can get his hands on and then shamelessly pimping^H^H^H^H^H^H^H self promoting whatever his latest project is regardless of merit.

He unfortunately seems to have learned that there is little fact checking in the business press - especially where technology is concerned - and that if he can create a stir he can probably create profit.

It was several years before I realized that it was the same Michael but I visted the website and found his picture there - in multiple super high resolutions - seriously why would I want a 1435x1980 pixel image of him?
Does he think he's desktop material? There's even information for booking him for speaking engagements... but it's not about ego. *SIGH*

Look for the stock pump and dump scheme followed by an SEC investigation in 5 - 10 years...

=tkk

It's actually quite easy -- Linspire just paid the DVD tax, just like Apple did.

Obviously, they paid for the license. Which is why I meant that there is no excuse for any commercial distribution to not also pay for the license. I don't expect Debian or Gentoo to pay for licenses but, if Linspire can afford it, surely Novell can.

So that's quite simple if you don't care about your OS not being redistributable.

Provided the the distribution vendor has paid for the license, there should be no issue with redistribution. Its not as if Novell isn't making any money on the distribution. They are charging nearly $100 for it. Linspire is only charging $50 for their distribution plus $10 for the DVD player if you are a member and $40 for non-members.

It's actually quite easy -- Linspire just paid the DVD tax, just like Apple did.

Obviously, they paid for the license. Which is why I meant that there is no excuse for any commercial distribution to not also pay for the license. I don't expect Debian or Gentoo to pay for licenses but, if Linspire can afford it, surely Novell can.

So that's quite simple if you don't care about your OS not being redistributable.

Provided the the distribution vendor has paid for the license, there should be no issue with redistribution. Its not as if Novell isn't making any money on the distribution. They are charging nearly $100 for it. Linspire is only charging $50 for their distribution plus $10 for the DVD player if you are a member and $40 for non-members.

Can Linspire play DVDs? Why, yes. It can play DVD's. What's more, the Linsoire DVD player is Xine. Some how, little Linspire has managed to figure out how to legally play MP3's and DVD's.

If Linspire can do it, then there is no excuse for any commercial distro not to be able to play MP3s and DVDs. Just like real commercial distros such as Windows and OS X are capable of.

Can Linspire play DVDs? Why, yes. It can play DVD's. What's more, the Linsoire DVD player is Xine. Some how, little Linspire has managed to figure out how to legally play MP3's and DVD's.

If Linspire can do it, then there is no excuse for any commercial distro not to be able to play MP3s and DVDs. Just like real commercial distros such as Windows and OS X are capable of.

Who wants to run Linux or BSD Unix on a Mac Mini? People buy a Mac Mini to be a cheap low-end Mac. They actually want to run OSX.

If they wanted to run Linux or BSD Unix, they could buy one of those el cheapo $300USD or lower PC Clone systems. In fact, this is something that Linspire counts on, selling their el cheapo Linspire based systems at Wal-Mart, etc.

The day you find people running Linux or BSD Unix on a Mac Mini, will be the day that Apple sells the Mac Mini sans the OS. The Chicago Cubs have a better chance of winning the World's Series, than people have of Apple selling Mac Minis without an OS.

Great find. For those of you who aren't into Linux enough to know those numbers, that's stunningly up-to-date. If you're asking why I even bring it up, many Linux distributions stick with an application/library or whatnot that they know works reliably. RedHat only recently moved to kernel 2.6.x. The reason they'd kept the 2.4.x kernel for so long was that many RedHat users have applications or drivers that are only available precompiled for that RedHat kernel and do not work on anything else.
I've noticed a lot of people talking about how SuSE, RedHat, Ubuntu, Mandrake, Xandros, Linspire, etc. do not contain support for MP3s and DVDs out of the box. The reason for this has already been stated - it is illegal to distribute unlicensed binaries of these libraries. However, no one will complain if you download libdvdcss and so forth on your own.
AFAIK, Linspire is the only vendor to sell a licensed version of Xine in binary format. I've heard rumors of a Linux PowerDVD but haven't found the product to buy at Cyberlinks webpage. The only reason I looked was that there are some bugs in the current stable version of xinelib (if it works, don't fix it!). I do, however, wonder if PowerDVD for Linux will suffer the same ineluctable fate as NeroLINUX, especially upon reviewing products superceeded by open source clones such as StarOffice and VMWware.
However, compiling your own libraries for playing encrypted DVDs in Fedora isn't always easy. It's actually one of the principal reasons I switched to Gentoo. Slackware also makes it easy to get MP3/DVD support. This is just one of the many advantages to using a source-driven Linux distribution.

....here.