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."
Mmmm.. prety butans
by
__aavhli5779
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Being primarily a Mac user and hence a whore for pretty interfaces (or really bare interfaces, like the GNUstep interface I use on my linux box), the first thing that came to mind is that Xandros has done a once-over on KDE almost like Ximian did for Gnome. Their theme isn't quite as lickably pretty as Industrial, but it's close, and it looks like they've certainly managed to at least even with them in terms of integration (well, sans the customized OpenOffice which is one of the key perks of Ximian).
Mod up for the anonymous coward!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· 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
Kenja
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· Score: 4, Funny
[Enter Troll Mode] "Four-click installation with automatic disk partitioning" No install options
"Industry-leading hardware detection & configuration" We only detect the industry leading hardware
"Drag-and-drop CD burning in Xandros File Manager" No options when burning CDs
"Ability to run Microsoft Office and other key Windows programs (Deluxe only)" Runs some windows apps, but slow
"Seamless sharing of files and resources on Windows networks" Arp your windows network like a rabbid dog
"Single-click access to a huge inventory of free Linux software" Chose from a huge inventory of free text editors.
[Exit Troll Mode]
--
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
Re:Mod up for the anonymous coward!
by
ThogScully
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· 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
My experience with the first release was not all that amazing, I found them to be trying to emulate windows xp, very shabbly.
I also tried other distros and got a similar feel, for example Licoris in Lindows.
On the otherhand I tried Mepis linux recently and I found that despite being newbie friendly (I'm a linux newbie so I can speak with authority here) it remains very polished and simple to use, without trying to exactly copy winxp and failing.
Making it look like Windows is quite different from running Windows. We're talking about gui versus the engine running in the background.
Making it look like Windows, you make it easier for Windows people to transition while losing the vulnerability and license restrictions of Microsoft world.
Besides, what's really bad about the Windows gui interface?
If you're going to go through the trouble of making Linux look just like Windows, why not just use Windows?
Viruses?
For their own sake, I do hope that...
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Insightful
...I do hope that they do a bit of *marketing* for their product, I mean I hope they try to get people to know they exist. Crap, it always blew me away that so many companies put out a Linux distro, do absolutely zero marketing and then wonder why they can't sell their product or even get people to acknowledge they exist.
Do they even show up to their local LUG? That would be a start...
new lindows soon?
by
jest3r
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· 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
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· 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
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· 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:new lindows soon?
by
greenskyx
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· Score: 4, Insightful
Re:more info from distrowatch
by
yamcha666
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· 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
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· 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...
Where's the source?
by
stoolpigeon
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· Score: 4, Insightful
I'm not trying to troll or be a pain - just trying to understand
I was under the impression that if you created stuff with GPL software you have to make the source available.
I looked at the site- they explain that some parts of xandros are GPL and some are not. But I could not find anywhere that explained what you need to do to get copies of the code for the parts that are under the GPL.
Am I wrong in thinking that this is required?
-- It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
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.
Minus any of their copywrited material. Truthfully I fail to see the need when you can get the same thing straight from debian without worry of having to remove such stuff. I am sure the valuable part of the os is their own closed source stuff, which is yet another reason to avoid them if you are a Free Software Zealot.
Re:Where's the source?
by
DShard
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Not to worry and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about... the GPL is a lot less restrictive than it is made out to be. The key to a commercial distro is about the cherry on top, and not the two scoops of ice cream or the hot fudge. They keep to themselves that which isn't in the community at large, or at least which is poorly refined. As I see it that doesn't really amount to much.
The thing that I like the least about Debian based distros is the hiding the debian package management tools. This _is_ why I use debian almost exclusively on all my systems. These distros muck it up with click-n-run or xandros network when the cli or open ncurses and gtk/kde frontends already do the job so well. I may not be their audience though.
Re:Where's the source?
by
DShard
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· 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)
Re:Where's the source?
by
nathanh
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Not to worry and certainly nothing to be embarrassed about... the GPL is a lot less restrictive than it is made out to be. The key to a commercial distro is about the cherry on top, and not the two scoops of ice cream or the hot fudge.
I've always thought the commercial distro is more like the tables, chairs, bowls, spoons, napkins and the overworked waitress who cleans up after you.
Getting Linux without a distro is like putting your hands out and having a scoop of icecream dumped in your palms. It's messy, even if you did get the same icecream.
I don't know about the software
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 5, Funny
but that hottie smiling at me is looking pretty good...yummy. Is she included in the retail version?:)
Xandros or Mandrake?
by
rmm4pi8
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· Score: 4, Interesting
I'm currently a Mandrake 9.2 user, solidly wedded to KDE, and trying to decide what to upgrade my mother to from Win98. She needs crossover, for sure, but I'm not sure if I should stick with what I know and love ('drake) and just add crossover for her or whether something more integrated like Xandros would be appropriate.
Does it just boil down to whether I want debian or redhat compatibility? (I cant say i'm at all dissatisfied with urpmi, so apt-get isnt all that exciting). Any thoughts?
Re:Crap utter crap.
by
JoshNet
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· 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.
As of version 1.1 Xandros didn't support (claimed it wouldn't even install) on a system that was multi-processor, or even on a newer P4 system with Hyperthreading enabled. Any ideas if these issues are addressed in version 2.0?
I can't see a good reason for not having something like that working at this stage in the game.
Hmmm...been done before
by
77Punker
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· 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?
Just like Windows
by
Cynical+Troll
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· Score: 3, Insightful
The reason I switched to Linux was to avoid dialog boxes written for 5 year olds telling me that I needed to click the obviously-marked buttons below to select the obvious choices.
Maybe this is a great solution for home users who love to be coddled by their operating system, but is it really going to be popular in the Linux community? It even looks just like Windows, and frankly there are far better user interfaces to copy. The last straw though is calling root access administrator access. I hope to god they haven't changed the root login to "Administrator". That's one thing I really don't miss typing.
-- Who's that tripping over my bridge!
Re:Stop trying to emulate Windows XP/98/2000.
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JoshNet
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· Score: 3, Interesting
Looks aren't everything! Xandros looks the way it does because the interface is familiar to normal consumers who regularly use Windows already or have seen it, it's easier to get them to use/look at Xandros if they're familiar with what they're seeing already.
What do you want to support?
by
RatBastard
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· Score: 2, Insightful
If your mother is anything like mine, you will be her tech support. What would you rather support? If I were going to saddle my mother with a Linux distrobution I would go for the one that I'm using (unless it's something hidiously newby-unfreidnly). At least I only have to worry about the design choices made by one team.
-- Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
Re:I liked this better...
by
JoshNet
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· 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
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· 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
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· 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.
A new distro arrives (that's not free for download) and the users of every other distro on the planet show up to bash it. Get over it people. If you don't like Xandros and would rather run Woody or Gentoo then do so. There's no reason to bash Xandros over it.
I too looked at the screen shots and I felt that Xandros has done a great job. The interface is clean, very clean. The menus are straight forward and uncluttered. The configuration utility has basic options up front and an advanced button to access all the less used config options that KDE offers. They made KDE better, addressing most of the issues of a recent OS News article on KDE, without dramatically changing KDE as Red Hat did with Blue Curve (irritating KDE users no end).
Xandros makes adjusting the screen size as simple as sliding a bar, versus manually editing XFree86Config. Sounds like a geat idea to me. They offer drag and drop cd burning versus the command line joys of cdda2wav cdparanoia cdrecord. Sounds great to me.
I see no reason whatsoever to bash Xandros over this release. It doesn't matter that you don't like its Windowsish looks. Do you really intend to stick Mom with a copy of Gentoo? I bet she'd rather the Windowsish look, at least at first. That is unless she's used a Mac and if she has, she ain't gonna think much about Gentoo/Slack/Debian/Mandrake/Xandros or what ever distro YOU think is the cat's pajamas.
Re:A Distro of Debian....
by
dongkiru
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· 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.
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.
Windows would fail that test badly. When something breaks in windows, it's so opaque generally the only recourse is to reinstall the entire system. With linux there are man pages, the -h flag, and config files to grep through. Programs actually give you meaningful error messages in linux, and the OS actually keeps a log of what it's doing. None of these things are available in windows, consequently I find windows a lot harder to use than linux.
-- Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
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.
Does it perform NTFS resizing? I just checked their webpage, and the "Desktop Standard" version says specifically that NTFS partitions cannot be resized _during_installation_. Perhaps this means that AFTER you've got it installed, you can use the tools to resize those nasty NTFS bits? Doesn't make much sense to me, frankly.
Besides, once something like true NTFS resizing shows up in one distribution, you can bet that it'll soon make appearances in some other major distros.
Funny, yes, but untrue
by
DaveJay
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· Score: 3, Interesting
(Full disclosure: I was part of the beta test, but am not an employee or developer associated with Xandros)
The installer is actually quite comprehensive, but the complexity is optional -- you either do the four click install, or you divert into optional choices should you dare, like partitioning and whatnot.
As far as only supporting industry-leading hardware, I have a small pile of old HP 4150a Omnibooks laying around, and they couldn't boot the Xandros installer due to a BIOS bug (LindowsOS has the same problem, by the way.) Whereas the LindowsOS people took no interest in helping me solve the problem with my PAID copy, the Xandros folks solved the problem in time for this release. My relatively ancient laptops are now supported*.
*except for sound, which no Linux distribution supports without the Open Sound System proprietary drivers.
Don't click the link in the sig
by
parkanoid
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· Score: 4, Informative
Watch out, goatse in an animated GIF (check the mimetype before modding ME troll like it happened last time).
What's wrong with Mandrake?
by
biendamon
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· Score: 4, Insightful
If there's one thing I would like to see change in the Linux user community, it's the attitude we all sometimes display concerning our favorite distributions. We all have our reasons for using the distributions that we use, and there's no need for us to rip on the choices of others.
Mandrake is still a perfectly good "newbie distro," and one of the things I really like about it is that it has also matured way past being just for newbies. I find Mandrake, even with the recent cd-rom debacle, to be a highly usable, very powerful, and really stable OS now, with all the developer tools I like at my fingertips, too. This in no way detracts from Xandros, Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, LindowsOS, SuSE, or any other distro's quality.
When I mention an OS I like, I try to do so without dissing an OS that I choose not to use. I don't always succeed, but it would be nice to see others at least put forth similar effort.
Re:Where's the torrent?
by
blixel
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· Score: 3, Interesting
hehe, hopefully she wont flip out too much when she finds her windows xp replaced
Hahahahah... hahahah... hahahaha
Sorry... I find that very funny. Been there. My wife's computer is running Mandrake 9.2:)... I copied all her bookmarks, e-mail, and desktop files over to Mandrake though and she doesn't even notice a difference really. Spider Solitaire is gone, but she was sick of it anyway and really digs Frozen Bubble and several of those other dumb games that come with Gnome/KDE.
Camera might be USB mass storage device.
by
jbn-o
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· 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.
Why the ignorant nay-sayers?
by
labradort
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· Score: 2, Interesting
First of all, I like gentoo. It suits me fine.
However I'm a techie.
For the rest of the world, computers need to be simple to use. GUIs and friendly interfaces are
a help.
Gentoo has a valid role to play. So does Xandros.
To counter some of the criticisms placed on this site:
It is called Xandros Desktop, not Xandros Server, so no, your SMP machine isn't in the target market. Get over it and find a better suited distro. Even if it did support SMP and
P4 hyperthreading, you would have moved on to
something else.
If a desktop oriented Linux distro comes along
and makes life easy, it doesn't mean it is as
stupid as Microsoft software. That is like saying
all orange colored objects taste like oranges.
Don't knock something you have not tried. I know it is hard for you cynical bastards to hold back, but consider the possibility that you don't have a clue what you are saying!
If you want the number of Linux users in the world to grow, then you should not blindly attack any desktop oriented distro. Or perhaps deep down you want to keep Linux for the elite users.
The Debian under the hood aspect is nice for
those of us who know about this, but it isn't required for the Xandros user to master. Updates
are available through Xandros Network, which
ensures you won't need to learn apt-get or
dselect. However if one needs packages outside of the
few Xandros provides, Debian's set is available.
I've heard that if the right preferences are set
in the apt-sources there will be no danger of upsetting the customized stuff from Xandros (which includes KDE).
What Xandros Has...
by
Eamon+C
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· Score: 2, Interesting
What Xandros has that other Linux distros lack is my favorite feature in OSX 10.3 and WinXP -- fast user switching. Am I the only Linux user who lives in a house with more people than computers? Sure, it's possible to start X as a different user on a different display, but it's not the kind of thing you can expect a non-zealot to be comfortable with.
I've been trying to figure out the best way to introduce polished fast user switching into Linux, and the best way I can think to do it is at the display manager level.
This might sound a lot like a rant, and might be one, but why is it that we're seeing yet another desktop employing the same old tired taskbar metaphor and the same old tired windowing system.
Surely the open source community have the brawn to pull together a talented crew of innovators that can push the envelope in terms of desktop systems, and come up with something that breaks the mold, is not an entirely academic excersize, and has commercial/desktop applicability and (most importantly) usability.
IMHO, Project Looking Glass is a great step forward in this regard, but what'll happen to it if/when the Sun finally sets once and for all one day?
Slashdot Mirror
Being primarily a Mac user and hence a whore for pretty interfaces (or really bare interfaces, like the GNUstep interface I use on my linux box), the first thing that came to mind is that Xandros has done a once-over on KDE almost like Ximian did for Gnome. Their theme isn't quite as lickably pretty as Industrial, but it's close, and it looks like they've certainly managed to at least even with them in terms of integration (well, sans the customized OpenOffice which is one of the key perks of Ximian).
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.
My experience with the first release was not all that amazing, I found them to be trying to emulate windows xp, very shabbly.
I also tried other distros and got a similar feel, for example Licoris in Lindows.
On the otherhand I tried Mepis linux recently and I found that despite being newbie friendly (I'm a linux newbie so I can speak with authority here) it remains very polished and simple to use, without trying to exactly copy winxp and failing.
There is no god
...I do hope that they do a bit of *marketing* for their product, I mean I hope they try to get people to know they exist. Crap, it always blew me away that so many companies put out a Linux distro, do absolutely zero marketing and then wonder why they can't sell their product or even get people to acknowledge they exist.
Do they even show up to their local LUG? That would be a start...
I guess this means a new version of Lindows soon since the current iteration of Lindows is based off of Xandros 1.0
Yeah, the internet explorer icon on the desktop freaked me out!
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...
I'm not trying to troll or be a pain - just trying to understand
I was under the impression that if you created stuff with GPL software you have to make the source available.
I looked at the site- they explain that some parts of xandros are GPL and some are not. But I could not find anywhere that explained what you need to do to get copies of the code for the parts that are under the GPL.
Am I wrong in thinking that this is required?
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
but that hottie smiling at me is looking pretty good...yummy. Is she included in the retail version? :)
I'm currently a Mandrake 9.2 user, solidly wedded to KDE, and trying to decide what to upgrade my mother to from Win98. She needs crossover, for sure, but I'm not sure if I should stick with what I know and love ('drake) and just add crossover for her or whether something more integrated like Xandros would be appropriate.
Does it just boil down to whether I want debian or redhat compatibility? (I cant say i'm at all dissatisfied with urpmi, so apt-get isnt all that exciting). Any thoughts?
U.S. War Crimes blog. Email for free Mandriva support.
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.
As of version 1.1 Xandros didn't support (claimed it wouldn't even install) on a system that was multi-processor, or even on a newer P4 system with Hyperthreading enabled. Any ideas if these issues are addressed in version 2.0?
I can't see a good reason for not having something like that working at this stage in the game.
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?
The reason I switched to Linux was to avoid dialog boxes written for 5 year olds telling me that I needed to click the obviously-marked buttons below to select the obvious choices. Maybe this is a great solution for home users who love to be coddled by their operating system, but is it really going to be popular in the Linux community? It even looks just like Windows, and frankly there are far better user interfaces to copy. The last straw though is calling root access administrator access. I hope to god they haven't changed the root login to "Administrator". That's one thing I really don't miss typing.
Who's that tripping over my bridge!
Looks aren't everything! Xandros looks the way it does because the interface is familiar to normal consumers who regularly use Windows already or have seen it, it's easier to get them to use/look at Xandros if they're familiar with what they're seeing already.
IIRC, that's Red Hat.
"We invented personal computing." - Bill Gates
Xandros source link
If your mother is anything like mine, you will be her tech support. What would you rather support? If I were going to saddle my mother with a Linux distrobution I would go for the one that I'm using (unless it's something hidiously newby-unfreidnly). At least I only have to worry about the design choices made by one team.
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
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.
A new distro arrives (that's not free for download) and the users of every other distro on the planet show up to bash it. Get over it people. If you don't like Xandros and would rather run Woody or Gentoo then do so. There's no reason to bash Xandros over it.
I too looked at the screen shots and I felt that Xandros has done a great job. The interface is clean, very clean. The menus are straight forward and uncluttered. The configuration utility has basic options up front and an advanced button to access all the less used config options that KDE offers. They made KDE better, addressing most of the issues of a recent OS News article on KDE, without dramatically changing KDE as Red Hat did with Blue Curve (irritating KDE users no end).
Xandros makes adjusting the screen size as simple as sliding a bar, versus manually editing XFree86Config. Sounds like a geat idea to me. They offer drag and drop cd burning versus the command line joys of cdda2wav cdparanoia cdrecord. Sounds great to me.
I see no reason whatsoever to bash Xandros over this release. It doesn't matter that you don't like its Windowsish looks. Do you really intend to stick Mom with a copy of Gentoo? I bet she'd rather the Windowsish look, at least at first. That is unless she's used a Mac and if she has, she ain't gonna think much about Gentoo/Slack/Debian/Mandrake/Xandros or what ever distro YOU think is the cat's pajamas.
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.
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.
Windows would fail that test badly. When something breaks in windows, it's so opaque generally the only recourse is to reinstall the entire system. With linux there are man pages, the -h flag, and config files to grep through. Programs actually give you meaningful error messages in linux, and the OS actually keeps a log of what it's doing. None of these things are available in windows, consequently I find windows a lot harder to use than linux.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
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.
Does it perform NTFS resizing? I just checked their webpage, and the "Desktop Standard" version says specifically that NTFS partitions cannot be resized _during_installation_. Perhaps this means that AFTER you've got it installed, you can use the tools to resize those nasty NTFS bits? Doesn't make much sense to me, frankly.
Besides, once something like true NTFS resizing shows up in one distribution, you can bet that it'll soon make appearances in some other major distros.
(Full disclosure: I was part of the beta test, but am not an employee or developer associated with Xandros)
The installer is actually quite comprehensive, but the complexity is optional -- you either do the four click install, or you divert into optional choices should you dare, like partitioning and whatnot.
As far as only supporting industry-leading hardware, I have a small pile of old HP 4150a Omnibooks laying around, and they couldn't boot the Xandros installer due to a BIOS bug (LindowsOS has the same problem, by the way.) Whereas the LindowsOS people took no interest in helping me solve the problem with my PAID copy, the Xandros folks solved the problem in time for this release. My relatively ancient laptops are now supported*.
*except for sound, which no Linux distribution supports without the Open Sound System proprietary drivers.
Watch out, goatse in an animated GIF (check the mimetype before modding ME troll like it happened last time).
If there's one thing I would like to see change in the Linux user community, it's the attitude we all sometimes display concerning our favorite distributions. We all have our reasons for using the distributions that we use, and there's no need for us to rip on the choices of others. Mandrake is still a perfectly good "newbie distro," and one of the things I really like about it is that it has also matured way past being just for newbies. I find Mandrake, even with the recent cd-rom debacle, to be a highly usable, very powerful, and really stable OS now, with all the developer tools I like at my fingertips, too. This in no way detracts from Xandros, Red Hat, Slackware, Debian, Gentoo, LindowsOS, SuSE, or any other distro's quality. When I mention an OS I like, I try to do so without dissing an OS that I choose not to use. I don't always succeed, but it would be nice to see others at least put forth similar effort.
hehe, hopefully she wont flip out too much when she finds her windows xp replaced
... hahahaha
... I find that very funny. Been there. My wife's computer is running Mandrake 9.2 :) ... I copied all her bookmarks, e-mail, and desktop files over to Mandrake though and she doesn't even notice a difference really. Spider Solitaire is gone, but she was sick of it anyway and really digs Frozen Bubble and several of those other dumb games that come with Gnome/KDE.
Hahahahah... hahahah
Sorry
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
For the rest of the world, computers need to be simple to use. GUIs and friendly interfaces are a help.
Gentoo has a valid role to play. So does Xandros.
To counter some of the criticisms placed on this site:
It is called Xandros Desktop, not Xandros Server, so no, your SMP machine isn't in the target market. Get over it and find a better suited distro. Even if it did support SMP and P4 hyperthreading, you would have moved on to something else.
If a desktop oriented Linux distro comes along and makes life easy, it doesn't mean it is as stupid as Microsoft software. That is like saying all orange colored objects taste like oranges.
Don't knock something you have not tried. I know it is hard for you cynical bastards to hold back, but consider the possibility that you don't have a clue what you are saying!
If you want the number of Linux users in the world to grow, then you should not blindly attack any desktop oriented distro. Or perhaps deep down you want to keep Linux for the elite users.
The Debian under the hood aspect is nice for those of us who know about this, but it isn't required for the Xandros user to master. Updates are available through Xandros Network, which ensures you won't need to learn apt-get or dselect. However if one needs packages outside of the few Xandros provides, Debian's set is available. I've heard that if the right preferences are set in the apt-sources there will be no danger of upsetting the customized stuff from Xandros (which includes KDE).
What Xandros has that other Linux distros lack is my favorite feature in OSX 10.3 and WinXP -- fast user switching. Am I the only Linux user who lives in a house with more people than computers? Sure, it's possible to start X as a different user on a different display, but it's not the kind of thing you can expect a non-zealot to be comfortable with.
I've been trying to figure out the best way to introduce polished fast user switching into Linux, and the best way I can think to do it is at the display manager level.
This might sound a lot like a rant, and might be one, but why is it that we're seeing yet another desktop employing the same old tired taskbar metaphor and the same old tired windowing system.
Surely the open source community have the brawn to pull together a talented crew of innovators that can push the envelope in terms of desktop systems, and come up with something that breaks the mold, is not an entirely academic excersize, and has commercial/desktop applicability and (most importantly) usability.
IMHO, Project Looking Glass is a great step forward in this regard, but what'll happen to it if/when the Sun finally sets once and for all one day?