Xandros Releases Open Circulation Edition

jasonp writes "Xandros has just announced the release of an Open Circulation Edition of its famous Desktop OS. The Open Circulation Edition includes the Xandros File Manager, Opera for web browsing and email, and access to Xandros Networks. To accompany this exciting release, DesktopOS.com has published an exclusive interview (mirror) with a number of key Xandros executives." The license is a little off-putting, at least if you want to use the OS at work, but Xandros hopes people will find the OS attractive enough to pay for.

Comments

oh god, somebody's using the v-word again...

[bersl2]

"We want the Open Circulation version of the Xandros desktop to replicate like a virus," said Dr. Frederick H. Berenstein, Xandros Chairman and CTO.

I really wish that analogy would just die. It connotes too many negative ideas.

Re:License

[einhverfr]

Well, I agree, but I also think that it is a step in the right direction for Xandros. Their distribution is currently buggy and overpriced (IMO), but I think that this indicates that maybe their current business model is not working so well, or at least they are interested in seeing how "openness" affects their business. Of course, I do not consider it open until I have access to the source.

Re:Could someone

[Raven42rac]

You can sell it, there is nothing in the GPL that prohibits selling your variations of Linux, it is actually encouraged. You have to leave the source code open. It is free as in speech, not necessarily free as in beer. People have been selling distros for years. Linus dispelled this myth in his interview on Fresh Air, and in his book.

Re:Could someone

[Penguinshit]

It's the difference between "libre" and "gratis".

Re:CD burning

[bcmm]

This restrictions has got to be hackable on an open source product, surely?

Re:Who would pay for this?

[IWantMoreSpamPlease]

So, instead of ripping off MS, we're supposed to rip off Apple?

I think not. You know, the purpose of running an alt-OS is *NOT* to make it look and act and feel like the competition!

XP dual-install seems like selling point

[crush]

It seems that what they're pushing in this is that there's full NTFS support and so it's easy to do a dual-boot with XP without having to reformat all the windows stuff to FAT32. Other distributions (e.g. Red Hat's) refuse to include NTFS stuff because it's still unstable (especially writing), so have Xandros made some advances in this area or do they just discount the danger?

Re:Who would pay for this?

[Nuclear Elephant]

The purpose of running an alt-OS is to run what _you_ want, and to be able to do it with free software. Gnome is flexible enough to look however _you_ want it to...it's both attractive, and it's free.

Some quotes from the Xondros's Page

[TonyMeatballs]

"CD burning speed in Xandros File Manager is limited to the minimum burning speed of your CD burner. To get the maximum burning speed out of your hardware you can either become a Premium subscriber to Xandros Networks or Upgrade to the Standard, Deluxe or Business editions of the Xandros Desktop OS"

"The Open Circulation Edition installs an ad-sponsored version of the Opera web browser and e-mail client."

The Open Circulation Edition does not include CodeWeavers CrossOver Office or Plugin so you are not able to run any Windows compatible applications on Xandros Desktop. Upgrade to the Deluxe or Business editions if you need this functionality.

Somehow, I don't think popup ads, crappy CD, and the lack of compatibility with windows promised (unless you upgrade) in the first place burning are going to convince people to jump over to Linux. The idea of an extremely easy to use distro that is Windows compatible is a great idea, but this doesn't seem like the best way to gain support.

Re:Correction

[legojenn]

'Xandros' is a singular noun. While there may be many people in the company, the company itself is a singular noun, therefore 'has' is appropriate.

I think that what you stated is the accepted rule in the US and Canada, but in the UK, an organisation is referred to as a plural noun.

Re:Parent is a troll

[silicon not in the v]

Yeah, I think there is way too much importance placed on desktop appearance over functionality here. I keep hearing anti-Windows people refer to Windows as "ugly". That strikes me along the same lines as comments about race/color and are irrelevent to ability to do the job. Please don't go off on the wrong tangent here about usability. That's a different topic than "ugliness", like colors and smooth edges, etc.

I have looked at Xandros because I don't have much experience with Linux yet, and it has some features in its proprietary file manager that other distos lack. I want Windows/SMB shares to be found automatically. I want them browsable and integrated with the file manager. I want the kind of right-click functionality that Windows has had forever, like mapping network drives and sharing folders. I am just not willing to pay for it before I get a chance to try it. This seems like a good chance to do that, which is why I'm interested.