Slashdot Mirror
Corel Linux - Not Quite Dead Yet
zhensel writes "In Corel's latest Linux newsletter, they comment on the "spin-off" of their Linux distro reported here recently. In an apparent attempt to capitolize on the recent woes at Suse, however, they also confirm the release of the second edition of their operating systems targeted at european markets for the low, low, price of ?4.95 (or a few hundred megs of bandwidth). In addition, they promise increased development for their Linux productivity software. " I kinda think its just spin, the kinda stuff you say when you're going down like "Duck and Cover"
1) Corel announces intent to work with Linux.
2) Microsoft invests in Corel.
3) Corel backs off on Linux.
4) Microsoft pulls support because of DOJ pressure.
5) Corel re-affirms Linux commitment.
I feel like a pattern is emerging.
go get it
Or not.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
Q. How do you turn failure into a "spin-off"? A. Apply spin.
It seems to me that the distribution's further development should be considered a good thing.
Ñ'
Anything that makes people more aware of OS's other than Windows is good. Maybe people will start with Corel and then move on to RedHat or Debian.
As an open-source community, we shouldn't betray Corel if they want to develop Linux.
They've slept with the enemy, been thrown out to the curb, and now is coming back to us.
with all the distro's out there, what would be the big loss of loosing a distro like corell? from what i gather it was targeted at the desktop user, and there's other distros that are like that (mandrake?).
I think they would do more good by open sourcing their office application, assuming it's less resource intensive than open office. then again there's koffice... i think their nitch in the market was too late and too small, and didn't provide enough value to the consumer.
I was recently talking with someone working in the linux group at Corel. They actually are spinning off, and are in the process of coming up with a name, and trying to find a location (good luck, not a lot of open office space in Ottawa).
Corel isn't exactly the most financially stable company, so they need to focus on what they are doing, and linux isn't the main focus of the company. So it gets spun off, in the same Corel Computer (remember the netwinder?) was.
In the end, it means the new company will succeed or fail on its own, which should clear up any conspiracy theories regarding microsoft and corel in the future.
I completely disagree,I think people are going to move away from Windows, and towards a free open source operating system as tech financing dries up. With the growth in the technology sector leveling off, I think PC manufacturers are going to have to find new ways to beef up the bottom line, and won't be quite as eager to send Microsoft a whole bunch of money for something they can get for free, and make modifications to.
I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
And found out that it was just an extremely stable (libc5) version of debian with a pretty/friendly install program. It is extremely kiddy-fied.
[pink beam of light]
I love Java. I hate C++
After you learn you are a novice no more, you become an expert. Then you find that those features they put in to help novices are a real pain to experts. I don't hate Corel Linux or Java, but I don't use them either.
I wonder why programmers find it so hard to design systems that cater to beginners without being inefficient or patronizing.
Taco: are you posting stories with exploder?
People who aren't in the know might buy it, but those people want support. If you actually read the Derek Burney article and pay attention to what he is saying, corel can't become LinuxCare. They're not in the support business, they're in the application business.
So now what they're doing is spinning off the OS, maybe to someone like LinuxCare....and then they can concentrate on providing applications like WordPerfect and CorelDraw for Linux.
What's the problem with that??
I'm now in the process of hiring four programmers/sysadmins. Although the system consists of 24 NT/w2k machines and just two Linux machines, I'm rejecting anyone who doesn't have a good knowledge of Unix. Why? You said it: NT/w2k jockeys are "cheap". I don't want to hire a professional who didn't learn to operate anything but the easiest systems.
I mean, honestly--has anyone ever used it, other than to see what it was about? Does it exist as the primary/sole OS on anyone's desktop? (I won't even ask about servers!)
Not arguing that it's good, bad, or indifferent. It just doesn't have ANY market share that I can see, and with Corel gasping for breath, I don't see that changing.
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
If they continue on the Linux front, then they will give a windows user here and there a chance to switch over with their easy install and learn the benefits of opensource/GPL. And this, of course, is a good thing. It helps people because they can put an OS on their machine without the Micros~1 tax and those people can help other people do the same. It helps people have more control in how they use their machines. It gives us just a bit more freedom.
Go Corel!
I don't think Corel will ever open source their Office suite or any of their other apps for that matter. While, some people in the company may see the value in doing so, the stockholders would never allow it to happen. For one, the company could discover cold fusion tomorrow and still report a loss for the year. I don't think they're going to cut their main source of revenue just yet.
While, I think opening the code would be a great statement to make, I don't think them closing their doors shortly after would be.
"The words of the prophets are written on the Slashdot walls."
Hopefully they really mean it. I just got WP for Christmas (my wife saw it on a shelf, knows enough to look for the "Linux" word, and got it. How sweet!) I like it better than StarOffice. But it's got errors like crazy (I can't print from presentations, for example). I'd love it to be stable enough that she can use it, instead of having to call me to the computer everytime she needs to make a sign or something. And I'd really like to feel comfortable installing updated versions of Wine.
www.HearMySoulSpeak.com
Yes, Corel Linux was pretty bad. They tried building a slick install, and did not do too badly from that perspective. But it was inadequate for more "sophisticated" use, and there just isn't yet a big market for "nonsophisticated" Linux users.
They were selling it as product when they were effectively still beta-testing it.
It's fair to say that they needed something to sell; what they probably should have done was to make sure it included software that would lead to "callbacks."
As it stood, it was pretty easy to install, but the process of adding packages to make it really usable for anything leads to the users becoming knowledgeable enough not to need the crutch of "simple installation." (Add to which that about the only faintly daunting install still around is that of Debian. With many distribution makers working on "easy installs," it's hardly unique to Corel...)
This wouldn't require going after anything spectacularly prominent; I'm sure that throwing a few thousand dollars at some Windows shareware authors could get a few interesting applications ported.
Those would represent "strides" towards demonstrating that it might be worth spending more money on their software.
There's not the money in simply "making it easier," especially when other makers of distributions are trying to do the same.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
I have a few points to make. First, Microsoft hasn't 'bailed out' of Corel. Their stock is just now registered as sellable by M$. Corel was planning on registering the stock as sellable ever since they got the $ from M$. M$ hasn't actually sold any of the stock yet. If they did, Corel's stock would no doubt tank. But then again, Corel's stock is low already, this really couldn't hurt that much. Corel will still have the $135 million (or whatever it was) in the bank. Oh, and the shares are still non-voting.
Second, Corel has been moving forward on spining off Linux for months. They haven't accelerated or anything; it was just anounced in this particular newsletter.
Third, IMHO spinning off Linux is good for the distribution. Corel's specialization is graphics products, maybe now office products too. To make a really good distribution (not that it's bad now...) they would have to give it more attention than they want to. And they prolly wouldn't do a good job of it even then.
A new Linux company could get veture capital. Corel doesn't quite qualify, at >10 years old. The company could make business deals with companies that wouldn't want to work with Corel, for whatever reason. And Corel could make business deals without hurting its Linux image.
And, not to mention, the new Linux company would prolly 'get' opensource. I hear the Linux developers talk about co-operation, I hear the management talk about competition. In a linux company, the open source thought mode would overpower the old closed-source thinking.
Yes, I know, as a Corel employee I'm fed from management... But I can think on my own.
(I'm pretty sure I'm not giving away any company secrets here... Oh, think of the karma I'm missing ;-) )
...in Ottawa, just call Nortel. =0
- Toby
Knock, knock, human.
You're obviously an Ugly American, the kind that would complain (and would attempt to) drive on the right in the UK, speaks on-ly in-En-ga-lish in France and wonders why they're so damned rude, and asks for a cold beer.
Pay attention class, and repeat after me:
THERE'S MORE TO THE WORLD THAN AMERICA!
Why does there have to be a European distro, an Asian distro (or ten), an African distro, hell, a Latin American distro?
Simple, the world doesn't speak just one language!
Granted, most modern scientific texts' authoritative versions are in English, but a scant thirty years ago, you needed to know German to get a chemistry degree.
Most of the people (by number) on Earth speak a dialect of Chinese.
Europe is a plethora of linguistic traditions.
Not to mention the myriad character entry systems (read: keyboards) that are needed, I'm typing on a kb doubled-up for use with Greek. And the accentation! What a pain in the butt!
The reason different distros exist is because there are regional differences that smaller companies can more easily adapt to.
And remember: SuSE didn't 'bite it', they are the #1 Linux distro in Europe and probably in the top three worldwide.
Ruling The World, One Moron At A Time(tm)
"As Kosher As A Bacon-Cheeseburger"(tmp)
I used to be someone else. Now I'm someone better.
Real life is underrated.
I don't think Corel should sink their money in to making their own distro, only to compete with all the other ones out there. Granted, there are some good things about it (I love anything Debian based ;-) but why don't they just throw their resources in to more useful areas like Word Perfect and such?
While I'm happy about all the work they put in to Wine, I think that if they actually migrated the program to something that's a little more linux friendly, then maybe it'd be worth grabbing. They have mature product on their hands and a brand name to boot, which could sway the businesses and home users looking for something familar. "Oh, I remember Word Perfect! I guess this linux thing can't be so bad." The problem is that WP looks and feels like ass on linux. If they actually used something like the Gtk or Qt then it'd be. If Corel sunk their resources in to the task of making their apps really really good under linux then maybe they'd do better. I mean, why compete in the distro wars when you're already so far out in front in terms of the apps you've got?
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
I have been trying to get Corel to stop sending me their unsolicited newsletter. Looks like I haven't quite gotten through to them. Amusingly, postmaster@corel.com bounces, and the address they suggest you write to if you feel this is in error *also* bounces.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
However people have not begun converting in droves to linux. Corel is not in a position where it can afford to keep pouring money into this market hoping it will eventually take off. Even if it does, KDE and GNOME are getting much easier to use. So what will corel have a better chance selling: Just Another GUI Distro, or brand named applications that are recognized by people, like WordPerfect and CorelDraw? That's why their keeping the apps, and while not dumping the distro, they're not going to focus on it anymore.
Besides, if and when linux ever take off on the desktop, it's going to start in the corporate world. There, it's going to take a company that can provide integration solutions, support, the whole bit. Corel can't do that, and that's the type of company they're trying to spin off their OS in to.
6 months later and I only see a download version! To use the dowload version you need a decent web browser (the file manager does not cut it) and the deluxe box has all the toys to give people a good look at Linux as an alternative (from games demos to the IBM java tools).
However the Inflatable Tux rules, check out his bigger brother playing F1
Never underestimate the dark side of the Source