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LindowsOS Will Bundle AOL Client
ealar dlanvuli writes "BuisnessWeek Online is reporting that AOL/TW and Lindows have decided to work together in bundling a version of Netscape 7 with future Lindows products. One wonders if they should instead be supporting OEone and making it scream."
I may be a bit offtopic here, and I might even be a little arrogant towards the worlds biggest ISP and all their users, but here goes.
Why would anyone want AOL-functionality in their Linux-distro? Anyone capable of using Linux really doesnt fit the average AOL-customer-description. I mean make it more Windows like, call it Lindows, but its Linux, right?
Unnless this is modded Offtopic, I might even make first post :)
Not Buzzword 2.0 compliant. Please speak english.
Man, what a piss-poor headline. I was actually excited for a second, hoping that there really would be a client for AOL *the service* bundled with Lindows. But no... it's just Netscape 7, which isn't any more functionally than Mozilla really (less in some areas).
I would have personally loved an AOL client on Linux. My family has used AOL for years, both as a primary ISP and a secondary service. I've had the same email account on AOL for years (yes, it's spam-ridden, but a lot of my friends still use it) and it would be nice to be able to access it via some method other than their (once crappy, now much better) webmail interface.
In addition to that, there's the fact that having AOL for Linux would give it another crucial app for desktop migration. Not that I'd expect it to work nearly as nicely in setting up your internet connection on Linux as it does on Windows or Mac, which is where AOL really shines, but the ability to access their full service would be nice.
But no. We get Netscape, something the whole of Unix has pretty much outgrown with Konqueror, Opera, Mozilla, and its spinoffs. Too bad, back to waiting.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
The first step in AOL's master plan to reap revenge on microsoft for the windows XP experience?
Whilst the die hard Linjx crowd may be crying into their keyboards at the moment, it'll be interesting to see if a move like this will make Linux more accessable to Joe public.
If this sort of thing could be combined with the Linux PCs being sold at Walmart stores in the States then who knows, might just be the push that Linux needs to get itself a wider home market.
--
Windows XP. From the people who brought you Edlin.
I think it is not clear what guide the final user, is the OS? Is the browser? Is the desktop? Is the content? Or even the device?
There are a lot of combinations to see:
-Windows, IE, MSN, etc....
-Linux, Mozilla, etc...
-Particularized Linux. mozilla, AOL, etc...
Who wins the battle? Are there alternatives to Windows? Are there any other services?
This is a good point to insert Linux onto the desktop of average Joe. Despite Lindows licensing tricks they open a door for open source software.
As Windows licenses are expensive it would be nice to see for example Dell to supply computers pre-installed with Lindows. This would still let the average user to use Excel, Word, etc. But allows easy installation and adoption of applications such as KOffice, Gimp etc.
Today it is hard to get a Windows computer to run *nix (open source) apps in a native looking way, but this could change all that.
It is official; Netcraft now confirms: LindowsOS is dying
One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered LindowsOS community when IDC confirmed that LindowsOS market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all servers. Coming on the heels of a recent Netcraft survey which plainly states that LindowsOS has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. LindowsOS is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last in the recent Sys Admin comprehensive networking test.
You don't need to be a Kreskin to predict LindowsOS's future. The hand writing is on the wall: LindowsOS faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for LindowsOS because LindowsOS is dying. Things are looking very bad for LindowsOS. As many of us are already aware, LindowsOS continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
LindowsOS is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its core developers. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time LindowsOS developers Jordan Hubbard and Mike Smith only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: LindowsOS is dying.
Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.
OpenLindowsOS leader Theo states that there are 7000 users of OpenLindowsOS. How many users of NetLindowsOS are there? Let's see. The number of OpenLindowsOS versus NetLindowsOS posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 NetLindowsOS users. LindowsOS/OS posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of NetLindowsOS posts. Therefore there are about 700 users of LindowsOS/OS. A recent article put FreeLindowsOS at about 80 percent of the LindowsOS market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 FreeLindowsOS users. This is consistent with the number of FreeLindowsOS Usenet posts.
Due to the troubles of Walnut Creek, abysmal sales and so on, FreeLindowsOS went out of business and was taken over by LindowsOSI who sell another troubled OS. Now LindowsOSI is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.
All major surveys show that LindowsOS has steadily declined in market share. LindowsOS is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If LindowsOS is to survive at all it will be among OS dilettante dabblers. LindowsOS continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, LindowsOS is dead.
Fact: LindowsOS is dying
Apparently AOL client needs to be redefined. Last I heard, Netscape was still a web browser.
... why they put in Netscape 7 instead of Mozilla 1.1? Why this sudden interest in AOL products?
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
AOL = America On Linux?
OLPC Australia
that BusinessWeek's favicon is Netscape? I know the article was written by CNet, but I'm wondering if they have an agenda in pushing positive Netscape stories.
Lindows isn't aimed at your average Linux geek. Its core market will be people who want a cheap, functional OS (at the very least, cheap rules out MS solutions) but don't/can't/won't/ use GNU/Linux.
To misquote the oft-cited Slashdot Linux line - "I'm going to install (%distro) on my parent's home machine!" But would you really? Would you really install Red Hat or Mandrake on your parent's machine, when you know all they need is a web browser, an email client and perhaps an instant messenger client? Would you *really* take the time to install it, secure it, solve dependency issues and then *teach* them step-by-step how to use the OS until they reached the point where they weren't calling you five times a week for support?
The entire reason Lindows exists is to provide a cheap, functional and easy-to-use alternative to Microsoft on the desktop. They seem to have the first part worked out, but it remains to be seen if they can get the last two right.
Linux geeks aren't going to replace their Debian or Gentoo boxes with Lindows, because its not what most of them want (primarily). If Lindows fails to get the "mum and dad" and "I just want to do my homework and then use IRC" groups of people, than it will die a slow and painfull death.
That is why an AOL client on the Lindows desktop would be beneficial. It's a quick, easy and relatively painless way to get normal, non-tech-savvy users on the 'Net.
Of course, this is all rather academic because if you'd read the article, you'd know that the headline is BS and that the linked story talks about including Netscape 7, not AOL.
Janie took my gun...
Look:
With its AOL licensing deal, the Lindows said that consumers can enjoy the versatility of Netscape browser and communications capabilities right out-of-the-box with an icon-driven interface.
Whoa - icons! Let me get this straight... Are they saying they'll use those new, often abstract, graphic representations of commands you give to the computer? This, my friends, seem to be a browser for the 21st century. Let's all embrace Netscape 7 in all its glory.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Its nice that more userfriendly alternatives comes out on linux. If AOL supports linux it will mean that more users will have the ability to try it out. Surely not all will stay but some like me will quickly fall madly inlove.
An interface like AOL makes lindows idiot friendly. Many of you 373343 hAxx0r5 may find that disturbing but i like the spinoffs it makes. More users means more people bugging hardware manufacturers to release drivers for consumer products etc.
I think its high time we stop snearing at newbs and people that just want to use the box, not administer it. Compare to autos and the development from daily self service from the beginning to almost no service today. It is inevitable that things is done by automation in the future. Who wants to work on their car every day just to drive to work?
Just like with cars self service of computers will become a hobby someday.
HTTP/1.1 400
It seems Mandrake always gets left out in the cold when it comes to hyping a "Linux for the masses" desktop solution.
Mandrake is perfectly positioned to fill all the needs of a home Linux user, from the beginner right through to the advanced user.
As for AOL teaming up with Lindows - all that is mentioned in the article is Netscape 7.0 being 'integrated' with Lindows.
In short, all this means right now is that Lindows will use Netscape as it's primary web browser.
The whole thing is just one ugly "Lets get on the Linux bandwagon to screw Microsoft" marketing stunt.
The last thing Linux needs is meddling and interference by AOL/Time Warner - can you just imagine. If they adopt Linux in a big way, in a few years, they'll be claiming they invented it and will add tons of proprietary closed source bunk.
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
Detailed Description and Comparisons with Other Programs
We wanted to let LindowsOS users in on the development of the AOL 7.0
client running on LindowsOS. Please note that this product is
continually being developed under LindowsOS and does not provide 100%
functionality. If you are an existing AOL user, Click-N-Run AOL for a
sneak preview of our progress so far! If you'd like to sign up for an
AOL account, simply visit www.aol.com.
AOL is known for providing the most convenient and easiest-to-use
interactive service available. The Company pioneered technologies
such as Keywords for simple navigation and the Buddy List feature to
enable instant messaging by displaying members' contacts who are
online.
The flagship service offers members a complete package of online
features including the popular My Calendar to organize busy
schedules, You've Got Pictures to view and share family photos
online, Radio@AOL, a built-in radio offering more than 100 stations
of quality music; a built-in multimedia player to enjoy the Web's
growing trove of rich audio and video; more local content on the
Welcome Screen, and much more. The service can be accessed using any
high-speed connection or by dial-up connections from virtually
anywhere in the world.
AOL also has led the way in protecting members' online privacy and
security. The service's built-in Parental Controls offers the best
available tools for parents to protect their children from
inappropriate online content, choose from whom they may or may not
receive e-mail, and even limit the amount of time children spend
online. Our privacy protections set a gold standard in the industry
and give online shoppers the highest degree of protection for their
credit cards and personal information.
Doesn't LindowsOS constantly run as the 'root' user?
The second I saw it I thought, FINALLY now there's an AOL client for linux, I can now get rid of my last windows computer (my sister uses it with WindowsXP to go on AOL.) Plus if an AOL client was ever created for linux there would be alot of customer's to come with it. The problem with those customer's though is that most of them are probably going to try to install linux for the first time (since it would support AOL and they heard linux was really good so they wanted to try it), probably use it for a week, say "Hey I can't do crap in this stupid OS", then go back to windows and tell everyone to stay away from linux.
AOL on linux would bring alot of other people who will stick with linux, but then again alot of them will be the wrong people. They'll probably come into #linuxhelp all day and ask questions like "Hey umm I was installing linux version 8.0 and I tried to load x windows but that didn't work so I tried to install it from the kernel and that didn't work either" (I've actually seen someone come into the channel and say that, tried to help him too, he was completely clueless.)
Although there will be some good if AOL was brought to linux, other software companies would see AOL making a client for linux, realize how many people use AOL, and (hopefully) decide to port some software over. AOL customer's using linux (and actually understanding it) would become a great asset to linux, they'll be the one's buying the software companies port to linux, they're already paying $20 a month for a crummy ISP, they'll create a bigger market for linux software.
I wish AOL was making a client for linux, Netscape 7 for linux doesn't really thrill me, I could really care less, ever since I started using mozilla I never wanted to use anything else. I really wish the headline was correct, I bet there's going to be hundreds of other people who get all excited, then let down when they read the story.
Sorry, my single 2+GHz P4 still blows your cluster away on computational power. And, dare I say, it's cheaper, lower power, etc. etc.
An AOL Client is there !!
You have been warned.
didnt princess leia say something like that?
Interesting. You're right, there it is. AOL client 7.0 sneak preview.
So my next question is how do they do this? Is the client fully native? Compiled with winelib? Just run through wine? Will this work on my debian setup?
Still, thank you for pointing this out. This is great news, especially if it can run in Mandrake and the like. Hopefully we'll know more soon.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
Wow, Lindows in bundling Netscape 7. Timothy can you even read? Jesus dude, it says in the TITLE OF THE ARTICLE "Lindows, Netscape team up". Linux finally gets AIM and AOL Mail. Is that what you consider an AOL client? So, GAIM and Opera both able to access such systems are AOL clients? Color me frickin suprised.
This isn't some genius marketing move that will sway the unwashed masses to Linux either. It is Netscape, not AOL 7.0, AOLites who were born and raised on AOL know AOL for being AOL they care little about some program called Netscape "does that have the internet on it? AOL comes with the internet so I use it". This is news for people who don't read good or at all, not geeks...wait this is slashdot. Nevermind.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
To be honest, I didn't put this thing together to beat your single p4 system. I had some unused boxes laying aruond and put the cluster together to see if I could learn a few things.
During the process, I assimilated/enhanced my knowledge of the following:
ssh, rsh, pam, pvm, mpi, mosix, bash, gcc, smp
It was a very enriching experience, which is why I decided to share it. But perhaps my concept of enrichment will be alien concept to you, since you have said in a roundabout way:
"I feel good about myself when I can find contexts in which to proclaim the superiority of my collection of trinkets." And once you are at that level, all sorts of other behavior traits are probably evident, such as poor personal hygiene, eaiting of poorly prepared meats, and watching lots of television. and now that we've got your profile down, it becomes clear to me
that you are in your natural habitiat, and it is I who has wandered into the monkey section of the zoo, and should not be offended at the sight of the animals playing in their own feces.
Have a nice day.
Didn't AOL have there users Credit cards stolen. I think it was few years ago. Nice gold standard.
I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
Maybe it is just me but slashdot seems to be saying an awfull lot of positive things about it even when the artical has nothing to do with it and shouldn't mention it at all.
Shoot Pixels, Not People!
Not a programmer anymore myself, but physicist/system consultant who helped set policy for net development years ago. Have dumped clients in NY and everywhere who insisted on AOL. No app available on Linux. They ask me: What's the "missing app", like Netscape? They _WANT_ to invest...
(shakes head in disbelief)
Lindows isn't for Linux users, Timothy. It's for people accustomed to Windows who might want a choice. It's for people who aren't really hard-core computer users but want a bit of choice in their computer purchasing. Putting an obscure (relative to Windows) front end on Linux will not accomplish that. For Lindows to work it has to, for the most part, behave like Windows.
OEone is interesting, just like any random Linux distribution is interesting. That doesn't mean that they're easily understood by the masses of the computer users who get their boxes from Dell and/or Best Buy, etc...
You gonna be sorry.
SysAdmin Maybe I'm just slow to see this. Just submitted a comment, and then just saw this get posted. This is a new account which I finally set up last week. When I logged in yesterday I noticed that the new password I set had not taken, and wondered if... Sorry if this is not the place to warn.
"One wonders if they should instead be supporting OEone and making it scream"
Absolutely not... I think you'll find the hint is in the name LINDOWSos - ie. it's meant to be like Windows, for people who are kind of familiar with Windows, who sort of want to be compatible with Windows but don't want to pay for Windows...
In terms of acceptance, it is important for Linux that someone provides that - although there is always Lycoris (who arguably do it better as well!)....
OEone is an interesting concept, and it would be great for someone to pick it up and run with it, but I don't think that should be Lindows...
Solaris also offers a "failsafe" mode, does that mean all those servers out there are failprone too?
:-)
If you think so.
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Will the AOL commercials on CNN change significantly? Old commercial: grandma type says "it's like having a verbal chat [twiddles fingers]...electronically!" New commercial: father type says something like: "AOL uses ipchains/procmail filter/ext2 file system/gecko rendering engine....and that's important to me"
I can't believe the growing ridiculousness of this website.
First off, what terrible research. You should have linked to the actual website, where'd you see that there actually is AOL for Linux coming our way.
Secondly, rather than let the uncompromising, closed-minded crowd continue to hate LindowsOS because it appears to be stylish amongst the l33t, you should have posted an actual story (submitted and rejected) that would be truly informational about LindowsOS, like this story.
This is turning into selective and irresponsible technology reporting.
Excellent sir! Simply Magnificent! I laud you on your razor sharp wit, your incredible acumen, simply, you sir are a master.
Although I do have one request, fuck off and die.
kthxbye!
OEOne sounded good, so I figured, what the heck. I cranked up the script in lynx, and let it rip.
Well, the EULA that pops up makes Microsoft look tame.
It starts with the usual disclaimer of how they "take no responsibility for the
consequences of running this script."
That seemed pretty standard, although worded a little harsh.
It then goes through some normal install stuff, then comes the fun!
Issue 1. Your bound by the license of any other software they install, even though you don't see them.
Issue 2. Any software, or plugins they OEOne installs can ONLY be used while using OEOne's desktop, and can not be called directly.
Issue 3. Automatic communication. They can do any communication they want to, but you can shut off "MOST" of it in the pref settings. (MOST? Oh, that's nice and gray for a EULA. Stated clearly, it means that you can't shut it _ALL_ off)
Issue 4. DRM. Yup, it's in there, and they can stick in as much as they want.
Fortunately, you can hit cancel, and throw it all away. I looks to me like they are trying to complete directly with Microsoft, with restrictions, and control over my machine. I switched to Linux to get away from that crap! Sure, the screenshots looked nice, but I'll never be seeing this on MY machine.
Should be illegal.
Because it does nothing to further intelligence of the public at large about networking, security, and how the REAL internet is.
So will LindowOS will only work for the first 45 days or 1000 hours??? Just think if now get a cd in the mail that has LindowsOS on it with Aol.
I'm tired of all the Netscape-bashing. AOL has spent a lot of money developing Mozilla -- true, there's some amount of outside development, but the bulk of it has been funded by AOL for use in their Netscape product. The least you can do is lend a few kind words. Personally, I use the Netscape-branded browser (Netscape 7 is a very good browser on all three platforms) and I use their portal site. You should, too. All of this stupid Slashdot groupthink of "Mozilla good, Netscape bad!" completely ignores the fact that if there were no Netscape, there would be no Mozilla. Or the more likely scenario -- if AOL hadn't acquired Netscape, Netscape might have gone out of business without the backing of a big tech player, and most of you would be using Mozilla 0.2 right now.
Give Netscape some credit, folks. They're trying to be a good open source citizen. Don't disappoint them with a childish "take take take" attitude.
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
That said, I still think more could be done with OpenBSD than Linux. Since it detects all hardware at startup, and loads drivers for hardware automatically, you would only need a very simple program that parses dmesg, then automatically reconfigures XFree86, and put up any messages, like "A new NIC was found, please type the IP address"
Mandrake 8.2 has all of these things. Mandrake Control Panel is the control panel you describe and they have a hardware scanner called "kudzu" that does exactly what you are describing ("New hardware has been found". . . etc).
The next version of Mandrake is almost out. . . you REALLY should give it a try if you value all of these features.
I agree with you on the user front. I was trying to explane to my mother that I had my new site up, bhsx.yi.org, and she kept telling me she couldn't get to it. Now this is a woman who ran the offices for Consumer's Digest Magazine (failed .com and all) for 16 or so years, she's a woman who used to pass around WordStar pirate discs, when WordStar cost something like $550/seat. So I thought maybe I screwed the DNS pooch, somehow. But after logging into a remote server and using links, I realized she didn't really know what she was doing. She was running win98/IE and somehow couldn't get to my site. So one day I decided that she should show me what she was doing when trying to reach it. She went right for the "Yahoo Search" form that yahoo embedded into her IE. I tried to correct her, and said "No, no, the URL field... the bar at the top." So she clicks the Search form on Excite (she was checking her mail... I can't believe she still uses Excite/SpamHaven, but I degress). So at this point I point to the URL bar, and she understands. So what does she do?
She starts typing in www.bhsx.yi.org....
True Story, just happenned last week.
put the what in the where?
Ok, so my initial reaction to the AOL for Lindows link at http://www.lindows.com/lindows_products_details.ph p?id=15 (not in the article) was one of excitement. Once I checked the AOL home page and found that the download link no longer takes you to a "select your OS page" but shoves a Win32 executable down your throat the excitement subsided. I'd be shocked if the client that Lindows offers is anything other than the Win32 version running (probably poorly) under Wine. A year or two ago there was an unreleased "beta" of an AOL client for Linux floating around in the warez circles... Never tried it, but at the time I hoped that it was a sign of better things to come.
without actually running Windows, you really need to have AOL.
It had to be said.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
I'm not remarking on AOL for Lindows. I honestly think the idea is pretty cool.
The horror is the installer.
Click N Run.
Uh....click to install! Uh...so, like how do I get to the installer? Through your ISP of course! My ISP is AOL.
Uh....
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
I wonder if they'll include it, just like they do in the windows versions :S
sig(h)
Good stuff.
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
Attention KMART shoppers..... LindowsOS now comes with AOL chat client.
How does OEone get you connected to the internet? If you are going to do shameless plugs at least make them relevent. Dumbass.
The truth suffers more from convictions than from lies.
At least, Lindows.com seems to think so. Click here to see the AOL 7.0 for Lindows preview.
Yes, I know someone else pasted this link already but it was a reply to another thread.
OEone might turn out to be the slickest piece of software ever written, but that won't sell it.
/. readers and many Linux supporters make is assuming everyone else shares their enthusiasm for change. They don't. People want to stay with the comfortable and familiar. The discomfort of learning new ways to do old things mitigates against widespread adoption of new software.
The biggest mistake
I hope OEone is compelling enough to counter that inertia. Linux needs it.
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
I think that the whole point of user friendlyness is lost on us linux geeks. Lets cater to the average user who doesn't understand MS word. I mean honestly at least 70% of users or more are just that... Users.. How many of us can change the headgasket in our car, how many even know what that is? So why do we give the average "dum dum" computer user such a hard time. I think that adding AOL functionality to lindows is a great idea. Throw in MSN messenger, yahoo, icq and whatever else makes their lives on the computer easier. Lindows is for them.. I prefer my linux from scratch, But does Grandma?
Uh...so, like how do I get to the installer? Through your ISP of course! My ISP is AOL.
This is not a catch-22, as you don't have to download the client software through the Internet but rather through the Postnet. Simply ask your ISP to send you a bisk[1]. Stick it in your computer's CD-ROM drive, and it'll mount the filesystem. Then, from nautilus or konqueror, open the CD and find the little "linux-install" icon. Open it, and You've Got Spam!
[1] "Bisk" refers to a copy of client software for any online service that uses a proprietary dialer and does not use standard PPP, especially such a copy distributed without charge (and often unsolicited) through the postal service.
Will I retire or break 10K?
I know this system will be reinstalled with windows as soon as my sister in-law sends them a "homemade" greeting card generated by some windows greeting card generator that produces a dancing bear and plays a midi of happy birthday all wrapped up in B-day.exe.
Then associate .exe files to Wine. Besides, AOL has an interest in making birthday cards that use "Happy Birthday to You" work on Linux because AOL's music publishing division owns that song.
I tell them it does not run Windows and they are game for giving it a go.
Wow! You managed to use the word "Windows" and the word "game" in one sentence of a comment about Linux without complaining!
Will I retire or break 10K?
Would including Mozilla stop them from trying it out?
Including Mozilla 1.1 but not the AOL dialer would not allow users who pay AOL to give them access the Internet. AOL uses a proprietary protocol to dial the Internet, not standard PPP. Linux distributions support only standard PPP out of the box.
Will I retire or break 10K?
You can make Mozilla identical to IE with a simple reskin.
You can make it look identical. And you can make it lie about its identity using the UA Bar available at mozdev. But you can't get Mozilla to emulate IE's "document.all" functionality, which is required to get a web browser to run thousands of non-conforming pages on the Internet.
There are three kinds of people-- those that can count and those that can't. Evidently I am among those that can't :P
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
I think my sig says it all...
The probability that someone is watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your actions.
You people are all over the place. All I hear is complaints about how Microsoft is doing this and that, and monopoly, blah, blah blah. People want computers to be easy to use. I'm an expert with computers at work, but at home, I don't want to spend my time working for my computer, I just want to use it. You want Linux to be mainstream? Then this is the way its gonna be. No command line interfaces, just icons and AOL. The masses want to point and click. Half you people are just upset because you won't be the big fish in the sea anymore, and using linux won't make you computer cool.
And most of you are missing the fact that AOL is just using open source, mozilla, and linux as pawns to get at Microsoft. The minute they smell a dollar, they'll buy the whole lot and close it all down.
The point the origional poster was trying to make is that this is not an AOL client .
OK, great, Netscape 7 has stuff Mozilla doesn't, and some of that stuff is related to AOL. Whoop-a-dee-doo! You still can't connect to AOL as your primary ISP. You still can't admin your AOL email account. You still can't access the special AOL-only content.
This is not adding AOL support to Linux, which while I personally wouldn't care, it would at least be newsworthy. This is just a distro shipping with the latest version of Netscape, which is, quite frankly, about as newsworthy as "RMS puts his pants on one leg at a time".
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
nowhere in the article does it say lindowsOS will ship with an AOL Client. once again we have poor "reporting" on slashdot.
This sig intentionally left blank.
Just as bad as Microsoft bundling IE with Windows?
Now I understand that IE is *way* more than just a browser in it's environment integration, and that you cannot remove it - but I'm a little put off by seeing Linux fighting back against Microsoft by pushing certain softwares on the end user.
To misquote the oft-cited Slashdot Linux line - "I'm going to install (%distro) on my parent's home machine!" But would you really? Would you really install Red Hat or Mandrake on your parent's machine, when you know all they need is a web browser, an email client and perhaps an instant messenger client? Would you *really* take the time to install it, secure it, solve dependency issues and then *teach* them step-by-step how to use the OS until they reached the point where they weren't calling you five times a week for support?
...
Netscape on Windows 98 and Netscape in RedHat aren't very different as far as web browsing and the email client go
I'm pretty sure my mom couldn't tell much of a difference
My mom doesn't know "Windows", so "Linux" wouldn't be much of a jump. Hell, if it has a mouse and a modern GUI she can use it. Just setup an icon on the desktop for establishing the dial up connection (If you've got cable, one less step), an icon for StarOffice, and another for AOL Instant Messenger.
...that this shows what a bunch of crap Lindows actually is.
/. has been the National Enquirer(R) of the Linux world for years now. It's just one giant amusing freak show here! Any resemblance to a real news source is a conincidence.
It just uses wine, and I sent all the patches back to the public tree, so yes, you can use it in debian. Actually, we (lindows) just pick up the public tree, and fix any obvious bugs in office, and then put it in our iso.
Check the wine-patches list, I always send back my changes.
hyperpoem.net
Who the hell wants AOL anywhere NEAR the open source community anyway??? What is it with you people?? Anything AOL comes in contact with, it infects like a plague. AOL has so long been the bastion of the uneducated, the spoon-fed, and those who want everything done for them accompanied by neat graphics and gee whiz! sounds... The users who own computers simply because they can run AIM and pay huge amounts of money for crap service are NOT, I repeat NOT the people that GNU/Linux need, nor, for my part, want. Nor would they benefit from it. I wouldn't want to touch any kind of AOL product for Linux with a ten foot pole... Seriously, AOL is going to the toilet right now (see their stock performance)... they are the last company we want to associate itself with open source. Anyway, the article doesn't say anything about a client proper anyway... just Netscape. But still, be careful what you wish for... it might come true.
"We must still have chaos within in order to be able to give birth to a dancing star." --Friedrich Nietzsche
LindowsOS is for DESKTOPS NOT Servers...lol
Some people on this forum are such dopes.
sheesh. I'm putting some text so this doesn't get left out, either. Everyone should know that this guy is an idiot.
back in teh day... redhat 6.0, i reallly loved linux. But it didnt run AOL. Now that i am a junior in high school, I dont have as much time to spend on linux and hence run windows. I still have 4 linux servers, but man, this would have been useful a few years ago
BOFH excuse #361:
Communist revolutionaries taking over the server room and demanding all the computers in the building or they shoot the sysadmin. Poor misguided fools.
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