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OEone New Releases and Review
Mike Potter writes "After our initial launch, we received a ton of requests asking for support for RedHat 7.3 and Mandrake 8.2. OEone is happy to announce that HomeBase DESKTOP is now available as a free download for those two platforms. There's a great review of OEone DESKTOP at Linux Orbit."
That OE wants to install DRManagement module
with itself.
No thanks. I do not want to install any DRM crap on my comoputer.
I did NOT agree with their EULA.
Yep, that's what I think... soon enough, someone will look at this, and start an open-source, GPL'd, community project to rival it. Hopefully, however, instead of separating users even more (as DEs such as GNOME and KDE have done) it will unite them... is this possible? Hmm...
It is just a screwed with install of RedHat, minus some important libraries. Takes forever to start the machine, and it is not nearly as configurable of a desktop as KDE or Gnome, or any number of other "smaller" GUI's.
...of having an OS on top of a browser. That seems a little strange to me. Why not just make an OS that has the features of the browser that you want? True, it might be more efficient to use mozilla's code to enhance the OS, but to run it on top of....I'm not sure this is wise. I think I'll stick with KDE for now.
:P
After thought...
can you run Mozilla inside this OS, then run the OS again on top of Mozilla, then run Mozilla inside that OS, etc.
The worlds only recursive Operating System!
find ~your -name '*base* | xargs chown
-B
Ash and Hickory, straight-grained and true, make excellent bludgeons, dandy for the cudgeling of vegetarians.
No, really. I mean you shouldn't have. Sure it's pretty and all. But, I can't really compare this to KDE 3.0.3 on RedHat 7.3 with Star Office 6.0.
Now, maybe if my grandmother was still alive and I was going to setup a mail station for her, maybe I would use it. But, as she's dead, you shouldn't have gone to all that trouble. I myself will never use it.
...yet the announcement tends to indicate that there is a version available for my favorite distro. Does that mean that I can use the RedHat version on my Mandrake system? Or just that I didn't look in the right place?
I'm really eager to try this. This looks like it could really be useful for my Mom, who's completely computer illiterate but wants to surf the Internet and send e-mail.
Reminder: find a new sig
Actually, it has palm support built in, and it allows you to install other apps (try GnuCash for your finances).
oh man.. look at this bastardization of Tux, the pengiun we all know and love and hate
pic here
The install script
lynx -source http://install.oeone.com/ |sh
is run in a terminal window as root.
Hahahaha.... NO. What bigger motivation is there for some misguided soul to go buck wild and compromise that server? People will be running remote code as root, hoping to get this shiny new software. Er, no thanks. The review doesn't mention it, but there HAS to be a better way to install it than this.
mstyne: real name, no gimmicks
But you should have told me before I wrote it. It took me a long time to write it, you know. If I had known that your grandmom had passed away, I could have saved myself a lot of time.
Thanks for nothing, pal.
In the last year I've moved both my mother, and my father and his girlfriend to linux. My mother I did first, and I set her up with a window-maker/gnome desktop. She's smart, but also lazy and never bothered to learn her way around the linux file system. She always relied on me for support, and never felt like it was "her" computer. That was important to her and she eventually blew $2000 on an iMac with OS X.
:P
My father and girlfriend don't have the money to burn, and also are more easily befuddled by technology. I set them up with a fresh install of OEOne. What OEOne does well is make you feel like you own your computer. They're so far very happy.
There is a dark side to OEOne desktop, however. Its not really a prodcut, but a PR attemt to sucker geeks like us into using it and giving it mindshare. It has no built in modem control applet / internet wizard. They've written one for their set top box, but pulled it from desktop, basically to keep it from being a useful product.
Remember, OEOne is written for grandma, and grandma doesn't ever want to miss a call because she's on the net. She sure doesn't want to be unable to call out because she forgot to power down her comp. The mailbug has a really good connection manager, basically you never know the mailbug uses the modem because it does all its stuff when it senses you're not using the phone.
The user interface is decent, but a little clunky. Its got a lot of tiny mystery meat icons, scattered in unintuitive locations. They need to pay their graphic designers more or something.
Overall though its not a bad choice. The lack of a window manager is a big win for newbs. Instead there is a task bar and you swap back and forth between tasks. If the task isn't running it starts it up automatically. This is a good idea. I wonder when the condesending bone heads working on windowmaker will figure this out.
If you don't have the $2k for OS X, but you do have access to a geek willing to spend 3 days installing it, I think I'd recommend OEOne desktop. I worry about their committment to open source, blah blah blah. Not offering free security updates is somewhat worrisome too. Oh well.
Powerful, easy to use, with unparalleled functionality - what more can you ask for in an Operating Environment? More than a standard operating system.
psxndc
The emacs religion: to be saved, control excess.
support for RedHat 7.3 and Mandrake 8.2
Gee thats nice, good job Mandrake 9 isn't due any time soon. Daresay RH8 won't be far behind either.
"Linux is a serious competitor"
- Steve Ballmer, Chief Executive Microsoft Corp.
The fact that it was reviewed by a guy named Gonzo John certainly lends it an air of credibility.
Read the EULA.
It doesn't say that you have to use any DRM it says that third party DRM modules may be used with OEOne and that if you do use such third party DRM modules then you are agreeing that OEOne has nothing to do with it.
In other words "If you want to use something that has DRM and the DRM screws your machine over then take that out on the person who provided you with the DRM not us."
It seems fair enough to say that to me.
Doesn't mean that I'm having anything to do with the software though.
Z.
-- Under/Overrated is meta-moderation, and therefore is Redundant.
installer-rpm-glibc2.2-i386.gz
It's just applications and a way to run
them. All I do anymore is install kde libs
and gnome libs, blackbox, bbconf, bbkeys,
and link to the applications I like/need/etc.
Too many people hop from one thing to another
as soon as something new is announced in the
hopes that it's going to be the next big perfect
thing instead of taking the time to actually
learn how to configure what they had.
The most important thing any republican needs to know.
I am currently using a collection of rather memory intensive (when considering my hardware specs) to do alot of mundane tasks. If this does what it promises, I could maybe save some resources. I think that I will give this a try, see if it helps - I'm always down to throw a little support a company's way that writes Linux apps.
I mean, seriously, why bother crippling a perfectly good operating system like linux? If you want a system that won't really let you do anything but browse the web, just use Windows.
Wouldn't it be even cooler if they just didn't say anything? DRM isn't a law you know. People need to stop treating it as such.
... they can check "Looks Cool" off their TODO list. It LOOKS pretty darn slick.
As for how good it is, I'd say that depends on your application. For a kiosk or home Linux computer for non-geeks (which I believe is the point) I think it'll serve nicely. If you want a customized "power desktop" move on, there's nothing here to see. In fact, why'd you even bother clicking the link? We already know what you are going to say:
"Why do you need this desktop? <INSERT WM HERE> is way better and far more customizable, and <INSERT GUI HERE> totally rocks! Besides, it's not <INSERT LICENSE HERE> so it isn't really Free."
This is the second story on a boring, non-Free program we've seen today. If this product were under the GPL and available on Sourceforge, then we wouldn't be seeing a story about it here. The same goes for Trolltech's Ogg Vorbis CD ripper.
Is it that someone trying to make money writing Linux software is newsworthy? Or is Slashdot getting a piece of the action?
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
> 2) Doesn't support resolutions above or below 1024x768 yet (no, I'm NOT joking).
Dude, its a feature.
Remember, they are NOT MAKING A PRODUCT FOR YOU. They're making it for your grandma. Her vision isn't the best. If something's too small, she's not going to dig through the app for a font preference, she's going to throw up her hands and demand back her WebTV. OEOne desktop is not trying to take over the world. Just trying to take over a small slice of the newbie market.
I run at 1600x1200 and I'm always getting fucked by some app or web page coming up using 5 point utopia-ultra-tiny. I agree the old mac approach is best: never allow the user anything other than 72 DPI. But failing that, for an icon based UI that takes over the whole screen, what do you want them to do? They made a reasonable decision given the audience they are trying to reach.
The next major upgrade will include support to resize the environment. That was one of our most requested features after we launched a few weeks ago.
Mike
It's out now! But hush... it's not all official yet
No. The words are NOT so mild.
"6. DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ("DRMs"). The Software may include third party DRMs as Plug-in components which are subject to their own license agreements. DRMs are designed to manage and enforce intellectual property rights in digital content purchased over the Internet. You may not take any action to circumvent or defeat the security or content usage rules provided or enforced by either the DRM or the Software. DRMs may be able to revoke your ability to use applicable content. OEone is not responsible for the operation of the DRM in any way, including revocation of your content. OEone is not responsible for any communications to or from any third party DRM provider, or for the collection or use of information by third party DRMs. You consent to the communications enabled and/or performed by the DRM, including automatic updating of the DRM without further notice, despite the provisions of section 5(b). You agree to indemnify and hold harmless OEone for any claim relating to your use of a third party DRM."
"
So it claims that it
1) already may contain DRMs
2) I should consent to that DRM operations
3) that DRM modules could update itself.
Ive got a little box I run in the living room - this seems very usefull. With an IM client of some kind, this would be great - browse my home-intranet, send/recieve emails / IM etc... and it looks cool.
only problem is it "requires" RH - what are the REAL requirements? the bare actual libs etc that it needs?
Id hate to have to do a whole RH install (w/ SysV init etc) just to drop into this GUI...
anyone have info?
This actually stems from a quiet dissatisfaction with what they have. It is my belief that there are a lot of people using Linux because they think that somehow that makes them cooler, better, smarter, etc than everyone else. They don't use it because they actually *like* it, they use it because it is the "geek" thing to do.
Before I get flamed, let me state that there are a lot of people who use Linux because they truly love it for one reason or another. It's usually pretty easy to tell the two apart:
Geek 1: Reads email in Pine and has been running Slackware for like 8 years (without a reboot!).
Geek 2: Switches distros every time a new one hits the FTP servers and boots into Windows XP to play Neverwinter Nights when no one is watching.
As I write this I think maybe only one person who has posted actually understands why something like this is not only usefull, but important.
No most geeks do not need something like this. However you have to consider the fact that, 98 percent of your computer users are not geeks. On top of that, a good chunk of those people can hardly use their computer.
Example... My grand parents where set up with a computer last year. They love their computer... but they are VERY timid with it. They are afraid to break things.
Right now they are using windows ME. Actually I think XP might have been a better choice but at the time it was not really an option.
Many of the things on their desktop, they dont know how to use. Not only that, they dont WANT to figure out what these things do. They would rather spend their time trying to remember how you go about accessing stock quotes, or reading email than learning new functionality.
What most people dont understand is the fact that things like window management is intimidateing! Why do I need to worry about what size some window is... how I make it full screen... how to get it back once I clicked some button and made it disapear!
The idea behind OEone's desktop is not actually a new one. However it is quite a good idea. (and urgh... Microsoft is in the process of developing their own version of this... they have been for a while actually.) The user should not need to know which applications do what... let alone know how to MANAGE the applications, Instead the user is presented with documents and tasks. If the user wants to browse a web page... thats all they should have to deal with. The web page should become their interface. If the user wants to make a document, their computer nees to BE a word processor.
Anyways, sorry for being a bit ranty. I did not sleep at all last night and Im quite tired =)
Luke
I hate repeating myself on Slashdot, but please check OEone's open source release page:
s
http://www.oeone.com/developers/
Source code is available via anonymous CVS. OEone also has an IRC channel (#penzilla on irc.openprojects.net) and a developers mailing list:
https://mail.oeone.com/mailman/listinfo/developer
Cheers,
Vic
Well I ran Slackware for years (now use Gentoo/Debian/Redhat in various different systems), read my mail in mutt, and reboot into Windows XP to play one of several favourite games. I use Linux because I like it and because it's the geek thing to do. Guess that makes me Geek number 3? :-)
It's a Unix system - I know this.
The more desktops that comes out for linux the better! As in nature the most popular/best will probably win in the end. Those who dont like them use something else.
It looks a bit silly to me but for a newb it's a real winner. A bit more polishing and its ready for prime time.
HTTP/1.1 400
> All I do anymore is install kde libs and gnome libs, blackbox, bbconf, bbkeys, and link to the applications I like/need/etc.
LOL. I'll alert the blue shirts at Best Buy and let them know there is an alternative. Their customers will appreciate not having to buy Windows.
Under the guise of "geek" or "open source advocate," I would have to agree that this seems like a rather questionable element of the EULA. That said, I also realize that this is a piece of software designed for my grandmother and that questionable licensing, although a pertinent subject to the future of software development and use, is not even a conscious thought to Jane and Joe Windowsuser. People will use software that works for them regardless of the EULA. The fact that more people have Microsoft and KazAa on their desktops than Linux should be proof of that. People should be supportive of a company trying to offer Windows/Mac users a viable Linux alternative than concerned with the specifics of their license agreement.
Well, it's a wide spectrum... :^) Those were just two examples at opposite ends.
Tend to agree. BTW I realized that they are trying
to defend theirselves legally from DRM module
suppliers' wraith - for example from RealPlayer's.
If they didn't put that clause - they could lose RealPlayer
compatibility, which is semi-essential for
grandmother's computer (a lot of songs are in
real player format).
It would be nice, and lord knows their icons look silly anyway, so SVGing them wouldn't hurt them too much. But given linux's tendancy to make fonts rediculously small for no reason, and have a different font pref for every application, I think they made the right call. Esp on a beta product.
Ya know... The 5.x series of StarOffice did the very same thing and all I heard on the wire was get rid of the desktop feature in 6.0... (I personally liked the desktop feature, on occasion, and it was quite turn-offable). The only difference I see here are the pretty icons. hmmmm...
This will bomb just like Microsoft Bob did.
If their reason for supporting only one resolution had anything to do with grandma's poor vision they would have chosen 800x600. My not-so-blind grandmother has a 19" monitor, and I doubt many grandmothers would have a bigger one, and she often has to look closely to read at 800x600. That aside, I do agree with you that only supporting the one resolution is not a bad thing.
Shoot Pixels, Not People!
That's bollocks, and I hope it gets modded as a troll. Actually OEone have contributed loads back to the community, for instance take the Calendar component of Mozilla - their code, they have somebody paid to hack on it. They've also contributed LOTS of bugfixes to Mozilla itself.
> When an app is running, you can right-click and ....
> say "Keep in Dock",
Eh? How does one right click a 1-button mouse?
Democrat delenda est
-- What do you need?
-- Gnus. Lots of Gnus.
I just read the Linux Orbit article. It is so badly written, that it was almost physically painful to get through it....
Needless to say , LinuxOrbit is not in my bookmarks!
> Signed... Someone that happens to start their new job at best buy in 3 days :p
:) I'm in Wisconsin, where are you?
Funny you should say that. I start my job at Best Buy on Saturday, 3 days from now!
* Joey should not write changelog entries at 5:30am
* DFSC Free cgi library
What's that? DFSC?
Debian Free Software mroooooCows
-- Seen on #Debian
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