Posted by
michael
on from the debian-goodness dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Xandros is now shipping version 2 of their Desktop Linux distro and it's also possible to purchase a download version. Based on Debian (sarge), KDE 3.1.4, 2.4.22 kernel. Cool CD burning is integrated into the Xandros File manager. Screenshots are here."
Mod up for the anonymous coward!
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 4, Informative
XANDROS DESKTOP OS VERSION 2 NOW SHIPPING
"Don't compare Xandros with Windows, compare Windows with Xandros!"
New York, December 16th, 2003 - Xandros, Inc., the leading developer of easy-to-use Linux solutions for the desktop market, today announced the general availability of version 2 of the Xandros Desktop OS. With a strong user focus, Xandros Desktop 2 offers an intuitive, elegant, graphical environment that installs with four clicks of a mouse. Xandros Desktop 2 provides industry-leading integration with Microsoft Windows programs and networks, plus new usability enhancements such as drag-and-drop CD burning in Xandros File Manager.
Outstanding features in Xandros Desktop 2 include:
*
Four-click installation with automatic disk partitioning
*
Industry-leading hardware detection & configuration
*
Drag-and-drop CD burning in Xandros File Manager
*
Ability to run Microsoft Office and other key Windows programs (Deluxe only)
*
Seamless sharing of files and resources on Windows networks
*
Single-click access to a huge inventory of free Linux software
This all-new creation from the Xandros engineering team takes desktop computing to a new level of elegance and ease of use. "Don't compare Xandros with Windows, compare Windows with Xandros!" said Erwin Zijleman, beta tester and co-author of Corel Linux For Dummies. "Windows installation is easy, but installation of Xandros is even easier and a lot faster. Just insert the CD, boot your system, answer a couple of very easy questions and you've got a fast and stable multi-user operating system waiting for you in less than 15 minutes! I was then able to browse the Internet, send e-mail messages and listen to music, just by providing a couple of simple responses to the Xandros wizards. Is that impressive, or what?"
Erwin's experience highlights the fact that the Xandros engineering and quality assurance teams go to great lengths to assure that Xandros users enjoy a seamless, trouble-free desktop experience. "The Xandros team fixes bugs and makes sure that things work the way they should, whether the bug is in our own code or that of any other project included in the Xandros Desktop," says Ming Poon, VP of Software Development. "We want to make sure that our users have the best desktop experience."
Based on the "Sarge" version of Debian GNU/Linux, version 2 of the Xandros Desktop OS assures stability and security, along with the freedom that an open environment provides. The new release employs a Xandros-enhanced KDE 3.1.4 and an underlying 2.4.22 Linux kernel. For full product details please see www.xandros.com/products.html
NOW SHIPPING Xandros Desktop OS Version 2 is available directly from the Xandros online store December 16th at www.xandros.com/shopping as well as from software retailers. The Deluxe Edition of Xandros Desktop OS carries a suggested retail price of USD $89.00. It includes a special Xandros edition of CrossOver Office 2.1 which lets you run Microsoft Office and other key Windows software, CrossOver Plugin to expand your Linux web browsing experience, the ability to allocate install space from a Windows XP (NTFS) partition, a 350 page User Guide (boxed version only), Disc 2 with bonus applications, games, and tools, and 60 days of e-mail support.
The recommended retail price for the Standard Edition, without the above mentioned Deluxe features and with 30 days of e-mail support, is USD $39.95.
DOWNLOADS AND UPGRADES AT XANDROS.COM Users with high-speed connections can purchase and download both the Deluxe and Standard editions of Xandros Desktop 2 at www.xandros.com/. Current registered users of version 1.x of the Xandros Desktop OS can take advantage of limited-time upgrade offers available at the Xandros web site.
Re:Mod up for the anonymous coward!
by
ThogScully
·
· Score: 3, Informative
No install options
This is a good thing for people who want to install a working desktop OS.
We only detect the industry leading hardware
I'd imagine it'll only be better than the last version they released, which was already quite good.
No options when burning CDs
Adding convenience doesn't always take away advanced features. xcdroast is only an apt-get away as well as cdrecord, or whatever your tool of choice is. But guess what, both are horribly over-complicated and I'll use CD Bake Oven any day over them.
Runs some windows apps, but slow It's WINE/Crossover - who said it'd be slow?
Arp your windows network like a rabbid dog And Windows doesn't?
Chose from a huge inventory of free text editors. It's freaking Debian under the hood. That means thousands of everything available at just a few clicks.
Admittedly, you did indicate you were "entering troll mode," but you really think you're being some kind of valuable devil's advocate. Instead, you're just being misinformed and using/. as a soapbox to spread that misinformation as far as possible. Just accept that this isn't the distro for you and acknowledge it for what it is - a good desktop that really is useful to everyone else.
-N
-- I've nothing to say here...
new lindows soon?
by
jest3r
·
· Score: 3, Informative
I guess this means a new version of Lindows soon since the current iteration of Lindows is based off of Xandros 1.0
Re:new lindows soon?
by
ExodusMachine
·
· Score: 3, Informative
What gives you the idea that Lindows is based off of Xandros? Lindows is based on Debian, Xandros is also based on Debian, that is as close as the 2 meet.
Re:new lindows soon?
by
jest3r
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Xandros is based on Debian yes.. but Lindows has its roots in Xandros and Codeweavers.. although I think their relationship is not what you would call stable at the moment.. but now Robertson needs something again...
See Lindows history timeline here
as quoted: Xandros (the distro Lindows is based off of, which was bought from Corel, which is based on Debian...)
Re:more info from distrowatch
by
yamcha666
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Quoted directly from Xandros.com:
A 30-day trial version of the Standard Edition of Xandros Desktop 2 will be available for download at www.xandros.com. The retail Standard and Deluxe editions will also be available for download.
X2 is a huge improvement
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 3, Informative
As a Xandros user for over a year, and a beta tester for this release, I am highly impressed with what Xandros has done to make Linux installation and use both simple and easy for the average computer user.
If you have someone who you want to introduce Linux to, this distro is *it*. Gone are the days of 'Drake being the "newbie distro". I have installed Xandros on computers for people who can't even "cut and paste" without help, and gone for weeks and months without having a phone call from them for tech support. Really, its that easy. It's not for power users, it's the Linux distro that your grandmother can use.
Tear this post up, script kiddies, but I'm right about this...
Re:Crap utter crap.
by
JoshNet
·
· Score: 2, Informative
The goal of Xandros is to give the stability of a linux distro with the ease-of-use and familiarity of Windows. That's why it looks the way it does, you can't expect regular people to go into something brand new - you have to give them something familiar.
Hmmm...been done before
by
77Punker
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Easy to use and Debian based?
Why would anyone use this when there's a free distro called Mepis that appears to do all of this already?
Xandros
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Informative
Xandros 2 is really the most polished distribution I've tried sof ar and I've tried many. Gentoo, Lindows, lycoris, SUSE, Mandrake, Redhat, Knoppix, Mepis, Libranet and even Yoper.
Xandros apart from being extremely up to date and polished also provides several useful commercial tools such as NTFS partitionr esizing, Crossover office, crossover plugin, realplayer, java, flash and many more.
Re:Where's the source?
by
farnz
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· Score: 2, Informative
You have to give the source, or a written offer, valid for at least three years, to provide the source at no more than the cost of media, shipping and handling, to anyone you give a binary to.
Therefore, if the retail version comes with source, they're clear. If it comes with an appropriate written offer (e.g. source available for $10 S&H from this address, $30 if shipping outside the USA), they're clear. If it comes without source, and without an offer, they're not clear.
Don't go by looks
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Informative
This product is not super loaded with eyecandy by default, but everything works very well together and it has many things you won't find in other distributions, like XFM.
Re:I liked this better...
by
JoshNet
·
· Score: 2, Informative
On the contrary, Xandros 2.0 is using KDE3 now... which is a big improvement. Newer version of crossover office, mozilla, XFree86, then the Xandros app integration into it with Xandros File Manager. Xandros Networks has been greatly improved so it works better, is faster, etc.
This pretty interface you see...
by
Balinares
·
· Score: 4, Informative
... is the native Plastik theme that comes with KDE 3.2. (Tip of the day: for added prettiness, set Nimbus Sans L as your default font. Then watch people gape and go 'ooooh!'). None of Xandros' doing, although their choosing it certainly sounds like a proof of good taste.
>... the customized OpenOffice which is one of the key perks of Ximian
-- B.
This sig does in fact not have the property it claims not to have.
Re:ultimately
by
yamcha666
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Since the beta-period is over, I can say that I was a beta tester for Xandros 2.0, so I've had some first-hand experience with 2.0 already.
Is it usable? Very much so. I can't think of very many distro's, including Debian itself, that allow me to plug in a USB stick and instantly get a file manager window ala Windows XP.
In terms of fixing broken parts, if you can work your way around Debian, Xandros is very similar to the guts of Debian. You can use apt-get if you want to repair or upgrade the OS's packages or you can use Xandros Networks which is a front-end to apt-get but without all the geeky command-line extras. Pretty much everything is still in the same place. They still use the standard *NIX file system keeping the config files in/etc, keeping the binaries in/bin or/usr/bin. So all the geek stuff is still there. Xandros just puts a nice streamlined GUI on top of it all.
But thats enough geeking. Xandros is really for those who want to switch from Windows to an alternative OS. I've showed friends Xandros 2.0 Beta and they were pretty amazed. These are people who are e-mail checkers and Yahoo! fans. They all asked me to help get them a copy of Xandros 2.0. It's GUI is easy to follow, everything in the menu is in an organized easy to find place (cept some geeky tools), and their Xandros File Manager is brilliant.
Oh yea, and the installer is not like Debian. If I recall correctly, Debian has a text-based installer that is for geek-eyes only, right? Xandros gives the user a fully-graphical installer that requires them to click the mouse about four times, five tops, wait 10-15minutes, and they've got a fully working Debian-based distro running on their computer. No bells, no whistles. It just works - the installer that is.
So really, was it Xandros Inc's aim to please Linux users or to please Windows-converters and businesses looking to cut costs? As a Linux user, I am pleased at the simplicity of the GUI and the programs. I personally don't care about the latest or greatest - I'm similar to other computer users - I just want it to work. And Xandros 2.0 just works.
Re:A Distro of Debian....
by
dongkiru
·
· Score: 3, Informative
I've installed their 1.0 before. After working with it for a day, uninstalled it and reinstalled Debian. It's good for a typical desktop user that just want their stuff to run, but if you want the latest development package and such, you're pretty much screwed.
Some suggested adding debian apt sources, but the package dependencies don't mix well, and soon, you'll either end up with a broken system or a hybrid that has none of the goods of Xandros.
Re:Hrmm ?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Informative
As a Xandros developer, I can assure you that all the about dialogs are still there.
No, you're thinking of Lindows. And it's not nearly as bad as you think - they didn't replace the authors' names. All they did is rebrand some of the apps, like gaim became 'Lindows Messenger' if I recall (incidentally, they contribute to the gaim project financially) and OpenOffice.org and some Koffice pieces became Lindows Office (just like Lycoris did). The authors' names are all there - although they may have added some of their own names, which is really ok if they've changed the code at all.
I'm not defending it, I'm just saying, it's not as bad as people make it out to be.
Re:but will it connect to my camera
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Informative
my camera works fine. plug it in, and it automatically shows up in xandros file manager as a removable media device.
it's an HP Photosmart 620.
yes, i was a beta tester so I know that it works fine.
Re:Where's the source?
by
DShard
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Having used/installed debian over a dialup, updating is really not that bad. I would suggest buying the cd's for sarge(testing) from whatever linux cd vendor you can trust (sorry no experience there) and update via dialup afterword. The power of debians package management is that it looks at package A, resolves it's dependencies, the dependencies dependencies and grabs them all and configures them.
You can set up your own package source on your local system so you can grab all the necissary packages from a location with more bandwidth and place them in your local repository and then install them. (I beleive it is "apt-get -s install " to get a list of what it would grab and install, but not actually do it.)
having said that there are some caveats to debian which I will be happy to discuss offline.
(sorry this is horribly OT)
Don't click the link in the sig
by
parkanoid
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Watch out, goatse in an animated GIF (check the mimetype before modding ME troll like it happened last time).
Camera might be USB mass storage device.
by
jbn-o
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Does it support Kodak Easyshare cameras?
The Kodak Easyshare cameras I've seen are USB mass storage devices--you don't really need Kodak's proprietary software in order to get a copy of the pictures from the camera on to your computer. This is probably why you could "surf the cameras [sic] memory in Explorer" and why you will probably be able to do the same thing in any other OS that supports USB mass storage devices. On top of that, gPhoto supports many cameras including the Kodak Easyshare DX4900 and the gPhoto front-ends work flawlessly with the DX4900. I'm guessing it probably supports your Kodak camera too. gPhoto is Free Software.
Re:Funny, yes, but untrue
by
fuzzix
·
· Score: 1, Informative
"...except for sound, which no Linux distribution supports without the Open Sound System proprietary drivers."
Tried sndconfig? I've used it with a few rpm based distros and it has automagically set up a wide range of PCI, ISA and onboard cards.
Plus you get a nice sound clip of Linus when it works...
Slashdot Mirror
XANDROS DESKTOP OS VERSION 2 NOW SHIPPING
"Don't compare Xandros with Windows, compare Windows with Xandros!"
New York, December 16th, 2003 - Xandros, Inc., the leading developer of easy-to-use Linux solutions for the desktop market, today announced the general availability of version 2 of the Xandros Desktop OS. With a strong user focus, Xandros Desktop 2 offers an intuitive, elegant, graphical environment that installs with four clicks of a mouse. Xandros Desktop 2 provides industry-leading integration with Microsoft Windows programs and networks, plus new usability enhancements such as drag-and-drop CD burning in Xandros File Manager.
Outstanding features in Xandros Desktop 2 include:
*
Four-click installation with automatic disk partitioning
*
Industry-leading hardware detection & configuration
*
Drag-and-drop CD burning in Xandros File Manager
*
Ability to run Microsoft Office and other key Windows programs (Deluxe only)
*
Seamless sharing of files and resources on Windows networks
*
Single-click access to a huge inventory of free Linux software
This all-new creation from the Xandros engineering team takes desktop computing to a new level of elegance and ease of use. "Don't compare Xandros with Windows, compare Windows with Xandros!" said Erwin Zijleman, beta tester and co-author of Corel Linux For Dummies. "Windows installation is easy, but installation of Xandros is even easier and a lot faster. Just insert the CD, boot your system, answer a couple of very easy questions and you've got a fast and stable multi-user operating system waiting for you in less than 15 minutes! I was then able to browse the Internet, send e-mail messages and listen to music, just by providing a couple of simple responses to the Xandros wizards. Is that impressive, or what?"
Erwin's experience highlights the fact that the Xandros engineering and quality assurance teams go to great lengths to assure that Xandros users enjoy a seamless, trouble-free desktop experience. "The Xandros team fixes bugs and makes sure that things work the way they should, whether the bug is in our own code or that of any other project included in the Xandros Desktop," says Ming Poon, VP of Software Development. "We want to make sure that our users have the best desktop experience."
Based on the "Sarge" version of Debian GNU/Linux, version 2 of the Xandros Desktop OS assures stability and security, along with the freedom that an open environment provides. The new release employs a Xandros-enhanced KDE 3.1.4 and an underlying 2.4.22 Linux kernel. For full product details please see www.xandros.com/products.html
NOW SHIPPING
Xandros Desktop OS Version 2 is available directly from the Xandros online store December 16th at www.xandros.com/shopping as well as from software retailers. The Deluxe Edition of Xandros Desktop OS carries a suggested retail price of USD $89.00. It includes a special Xandros edition of CrossOver Office 2.1 which lets you run Microsoft Office and other key Windows software, CrossOver Plugin to expand your Linux web browsing experience, the ability to allocate install space from a Windows XP (NTFS) partition, a 350 page User Guide (boxed version only), Disc 2 with bonus applications, games, and tools, and 60 days of e-mail support.
The recommended retail price for the Standard Edition, without the above mentioned Deluxe features and with 30 days of e-mail support, is USD $39.95.
DOWNLOADS AND UPGRADES AT XANDROS.COM
Users with high-speed connections can purchase and download both the Deluxe and Standard editions of Xandros Desktop 2 at www.xandros.com/. Current registered users of version 1.x of the Xandros Desktop OS can take advantage of limited-time upgrade offers available at the Xandros web site.
I guess this means a new version of Lindows soon since the current iteration of Lindows is based off of Xandros 1.0
Why can't Debian take from these projects and make their distro better?
Because some of the components are proprietary and closed source?
#!/
here you can check what packges, and in what versions are used in Xandros.
here are their forums.
and here are updates. Unfortunately you cannot download Xandros for free.
#
#\ @ ? Colonize Mars
#
As a Xandros user for over a year, and a beta tester for this release, I am highly impressed with what Xandros has done to make Linux installation and use both simple and easy for the average computer user.
If you have someone who you want to introduce Linux to, this distro is *it*. Gone are the days of 'Drake being the "newbie distro". I have installed Xandros on computers for people who can't even "cut and paste" without help, and gone for weeks and months without having a phone call from them for tech support. Really, its that easy. It's not for power users, it's the Linux distro that your grandmother can use.
Tear this post up, script kiddies, but I'm right about this...
The goal of Xandros is to give the stability of a linux distro with the ease-of-use and familiarity of Windows. That's why it looks the way it does, you can't expect regular people to go into something brand new - you have to give them something familiar.
Easy to use and Debian based? Why would anyone use this when there's a free distro called Mepis that appears to do all of this already?
Xandros 2 is really the most polished distribution I've tried sof ar and I've tried many. Gentoo, Lindows, lycoris, SUSE, Mandrake, Redhat, Knoppix, Mepis, Libranet and even Yoper.
Xandros apart from being extremely up to date and polished also provides several useful commercial tools such as NTFS partitionr esizing, Crossover office, crossover plugin, realplayer, java, flash and many more.
Therefore, if the retail version comes with source, they're clear. If it comes with an appropriate written offer (e.g. source available for $10 S&H from this address, $30 if shipping outside the USA), they're clear. If it comes without source, and without an offer, they're not clear.
I appear to have a blog. Odd.
Xandros source link
This product is not super loaded with eyecandy by default, but everything works very well together and it has many things you won't find in other distributions, like XFM.
On the contrary, Xandros 2.0 is using KDE3 now... which is a big improvement. Newer version of crossover office, mozilla, XFree86, then the Xandros app integration into it with Xandros File Manager. Xandros Networks has been greatly improved so it works better, is faster, etc.
... is the native Plastik theme that comes with KDE 3.2. (Tip of the day: for added prettiness, set Nimbus Sans L as your default font. Then watch people gape and go 'ooooh!'). None of Xandros' doing, although their choosing it certainly sounds like a proof of good taste.
... the customized OpenOffice which is one of the key perks of Ximian
>
Oh is it?
-- B.
This sig does in fact not have the property it claims not to have.
Since the beta-period is over, I can say that I was a beta tester for Xandros 2.0, so I've had some first-hand experience with 2.0 already.
Is it usable? Very much so. I can't think of very many distro's, including Debian itself, that allow me to plug in a USB stick and instantly get a file manager window ala Windows XP.
In terms of fixing broken parts, if you can work your way around Debian, Xandros is very similar to the guts of Debian. You can use apt-get if you want to repair or upgrade the OS's packages or you can use Xandros Networks which is a front-end to apt-get but without all the geeky command-line extras. Pretty much everything is still in the same place. They still use the standard *NIX file system keeping the config files in /etc, keeping the binaries in /bin or /usr/bin. So all the geek stuff is still there. Xandros just puts a nice streamlined GUI on top of it all.
But thats enough geeking. Xandros is really for those who want to switch from Windows to an alternative OS. I've showed friends Xandros 2.0 Beta and they were pretty amazed. These are people who are e-mail checkers and Yahoo! fans. They all asked me to help get them a copy of Xandros 2.0. It's GUI is easy to follow, everything in the menu is in an organized easy to find place (cept some geeky tools), and their Xandros File Manager is brilliant.
Oh yea, and the installer is not like Debian. If I recall correctly, Debian has a text-based installer that is for geek-eyes only, right? Xandros gives the user a fully-graphical installer that requires them to click the mouse about four times, five tops, wait 10-15minutes, and they've got a fully working Debian-based distro running on their computer. No bells, no whistles. It just works - the installer that is.
So really, was it Xandros Inc's aim to please Linux users or to please Windows-converters and businesses looking to cut costs? As a Linux user, I am pleased at the simplicity of the GUI and the programs. I personally don't care about the latest or greatest - I'm similar to other computer users - I just want it to work. And Xandros 2.0 just works.
I've installed their 1.0 before. After working with it for a day, uninstalled it and reinstalled Debian. It's good for a typical desktop user that just want their stuff to run, but if you want the latest development package and such, you're pretty much screwed.
Some suggested adding debian apt sources, but the package dependencies don't mix well, and soon, you'll either end up with a broken system or a hybrid that has none of the goods of Xandros.
As a Xandros developer, I can assure you that all the about dialogs are still there.
No, you're thinking of Lindows. And it's not nearly as bad as you think - they didn't replace the authors' names. All they did is rebrand some of the apps, like gaim became 'Lindows Messenger' if I recall (incidentally, they contribute to the gaim project financially) and OpenOffice.org and some Koffice pieces became Lindows Office (just like Lycoris did). The authors' names are all there - although they may have added some of their own names, which is really ok if they've changed the code at all.
I'm not defending it, I'm just saying, it's not as bad as people make it out to be.
my camera works fine. plug it in, and it automatically shows up in xandros file manager as a removable media device.
it's an HP Photosmart 620.
yes, i was a beta tester so I know that it works fine.
Having used/installed debian over a dialup, updating is really not that bad. I would suggest buying the cd's for sarge(testing) from whatever linux cd vendor you can trust (sorry no experience there) and update via dialup afterword. The power of debians package management is that it looks at package A, resolves it's dependencies, the dependencies dependencies and grabs them all and configures them.
You can set up your own package source on your local system so you can grab all the necissary packages from a location with more bandwidth and place them in your local repository and then install them. (I beleive it is "apt-get -s install " to get a list of what it would grab and install, but not actually do it.)
having said that there are some caveats to debian which I will be happy to discuss offline.
(sorry this is horribly OT)
Watch out, goatse in an animated GIF (check the mimetype before modding ME troll like it happened last time).
The Kodak Easyshare cameras I've seen are USB mass storage devices--you don't really need Kodak's proprietary software in order to get a copy of the pictures from the camera on to your computer. This is probably why you could "surf the cameras [sic] memory in Explorer" and why you will probably be able to do the same thing in any other OS that supports USB mass storage devices. On top of that, gPhoto supports many cameras including the Kodak Easyshare DX4900 and the gPhoto front-ends work flawlessly with the DX4900. I'm guessing it probably supports your Kodak camera too. gPhoto is Free Software.
Digital Citizen
"...except for sound, which no Linux distribution supports without the Open Sound System proprietary drivers."
Tried sndconfig? I've used it with a few rpm based distros and it has automagically set up a wide range of PCI, ISA and onboard cards. Plus you get a nice sound clip of Linus when it works...