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
·
· 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
·
· 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
·
· 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
·
· 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...
For their own sake, I do hope that...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· 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
·
· 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
greenskyx
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
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...
Where's the source?
by
stoolpigeon
·
· 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
DShard
·
· 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.
I don't know about the software
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· 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
·
· 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?
Just like Windows
by
Cynical+Troll
·
· 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.
by
JoshNet
·
· 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.
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.
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
·
· 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.
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?
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.
Funny, yes, but untrue
by
DaveJay
·
· 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
·
· 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
·
· 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
·
· 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.
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.
...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 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.
Xandros source link
... 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.
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?
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.
(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