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First Impressions of Freespire 1.0
Nate writes "Freespire 1.0 was released a few days ago, taking the desktop-oriented Linspire distribution and making it freely available (as in beer) to the world. Linux Format has some first impressions of the release, focusing on its much-trumpeted media playback facilities thanks to codec licensing. Flash, Java, DVD and WMV support out-the-box — could this climb to the top of the desktop distro ladder?"
But does it run on li... err nevermind
"Our only big gripe is the bootup speed, which takes about twice as long as Ubuntu on this same machine." ...so to answer the last question of the blurb, no.
"If you don't have eyes you shouldn't have wings" -- Carl Pilkington
When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
More linux distros? jeebus cripes
Looks like it'd be a nice starting point for people wanting to get into Linux. But, personally, I still prefer (http://xubuntu.org/) xUbuntu along with Automatix (http://getautomatix.com/).
Anyone else think the comments just weren't rendering right before they turned off ABP and saw ads?
I don't believe that this has the potential to defeat some other distros. As easy as it is to use, many people will still want to have windows working once they install Freespire, but, from my experience, the installation of its boot-loader is broken and it takes some tweaking to get it to work: not something that most people who use Freespire will know how to do.
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For god's sake, KDE 3.3.2 was released in December 8, 2004. Since then KDE 3.4 and now 3.5 has been released. Why are they still keeping up with that ancient version of KDE? Are they trying to steal the market share of Mandrake 9.2 ? Seriously. Keep up with the times.
Slashdot, fix your code or at least hire someone who is competent at it to do it for you.
"could this climb to the top of the desktop distro ladder?"
Not without geek support, too. And Linspire has a poor reputation currently--no telling how long it will be before that goes away.
Still, it looks like at least a typical distribution for quality, though the boot times are somewhat worrying. (Four to five minutes? That's running full hardware detection each time, by the look of it--that's how long the Ubuntu installer takes, IIRC.) Still, that can be solved; the question is whether geeks think it's worth it to have proprietary codecs by default rather than simply apt-getting them. (And if they do, we'll soon see an alternative Ubuntu installer that does just that.)
Okay, it's probably me, but almost every distro I've tried out in the past year has been able to configure GRUB with itself and my XP partition but *screws *up other Linux OSes I have. FC5 made it so I couldn't boot Gentoo without using the grub CLI. Now Kubuntu has done the same to FC5.
Sorry to hijack your thread; it just seemed odd that Lx plays nicer with windows than with other Lxes...
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
can I make a copy of the cdrom and pass it on to my friends and even charge for my time in making the copy??? do those licensed codecs conflict with my rights under the GPL for the rest of the distro?
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
Torrent of CD: http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/freespire_1.0 .13.iso.torrent0 .zip.torrent
Torrent of VMware image: http://tracker.linspire.com/torrents/freespire-1.
They take donations.
Anyone tested support of Broadcom wireless cards with Freespire? I'm having a lot of trouble with a Acer Travelmate 2410 and I'd like to give it a try.
"What is Internet Explorer 7? Are you saying we can't access the normal internet?" - I love tech support. Really.
I'm curious as to how this is going to help Linspire. I reviewed one of their books recently, and they said that the primary reason why they've had to charge for the software is to pay for the codec licensing. Okay, I understand that completely. But what the (insanely light) article doesn't go into is how the free version with codecs is comparable to the "commercial" version.
Because this free version is DVD and WMV compliant at installation, that right there means that those are two technologies that supposedly have to be licensed. Linspire is now giving them away. So, wouldn't that mean that they're actively losing money on those licensing fees with every download? How is that going to benefit a Linux distro that already is not very popular?
Is there some "between the lines" information that I'm just not seeing here?
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
...for example, Ultima Linux has all the media playback stuff, and it can actually run fast. So the only reason it's really very special is because it's from a larger vendor and not a smaller one.
The downside is, of course, that you have to wait probably at least one full day for all of this stuff to compile from scratch.
But seriously, Gentoo doesn't seem to have nearly the problems I hear of other distros having with licensing. Is there really such a legal difference between distributing ebuilds (which contain download URLs for the codecs) and distributing the codecs themselves in debs? Could debs include download URLs?
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
That a big argument (excuse?) often given for the slow (non) migration to Linux from Windows is that there is no WMV, DVD, MP3, etc, support out-of-the-box. Now that there is a distro making an effort to offer these features, it's roundly dismissed. While I wouldn't personally use it (I'm absolutely loving ubuntu right now), I might take a look and see if it's ready for my parents, girlfriend, non-geek friends/relatives (I don't have high expectations, but who knows).
insert inflammatory anti-microsoft comment here
Linspire is trying real hard at a consumer linux. Everytime its mentioned here it gets hammered as not being professional enought etc..etc..
Microcenter sells cheap PCs with linspire pre installed. A friend bought one and is pretty happy with it.
That's the reason in a nutshell. The Linux crowd doesn't feel important unless they can rag on a distro that isn't en vogue. Right now, Ubuntu is their baby and anything that isn't Ubuntu sucks. I've tried Ubuntu and I don't see how all the praise heaped upon it is warranted. It is a solid distro yes. But nothing head-n-shoulders above the others. And to top it off, it has a name that is more reminscent of mud and grass huts than a modern operating system. Maybe if Freespire was renamed to "Fluckers" it would be better received. "Because with a name like "Fluckers", it HAS to be good!"
How about a comparison from an old-hat's perspective? I'm no newbie. Been using linux as a workstation/desktop OS since '96. For years, I've actually seen win32codecs and mplayer or xine provide even better codec support than Windows (with the exception of Media Player Classic).
Can someone that approaches this from a more experienced perspective describe the differences between Linspire and mplayer with win32codecs, xvid and ogg? Focus on the number of codecs supported, its ability to handle legally iffy codecs (early DiVX), and its ability handle open source codecs (ogg's wrapper format, xvid, etc.)
Linspire will be kinda interesting if it works as well or better. Otherwise, the hassle of explaining the licensing problems of Ubuntu et al and how to install EasyUbuntu will remain the best way to take care of a reasonably intelligent newb.
So ... that actually makes it more of a shareware model. You're free to distribute the less-featured version, but you have to pay up to get the rest. Expand that further, that means that it has something in common with the king of the shareware model, "Doom". Considering that Linspire is by no means the most beloved distro and it's apparently following a shareware model, should anyone be surprised that it (sort of) bears a relationship with a product called "Doom"?
... are those vultures I see circling overhead?
I understand why Linspire is doing what they're doing, but I still don't see how this is going to help them. Linux with no DVD or WMV is representative of just about every Linux distro out there. This alone will not differentiate Linspire from the others. But then add onto that the need to pay for extra features, a concept that for the most part goes against the Linux mindset
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
As a fellow linux user, and also a user of ubuntu, i can't see freespire overtaking ubuntu. Sure freespire might have the codecs and players all working properly out of the box, i find it would be too windows like. I like customising linux, instead of trying to make another windows clone.
What are you talking about?
Even someone with years of (non Linux) experience can't be expected to know the difference between emerge, mplayer and xine. There's a need out there for people who are being introduced to Linux for the first time and don't want to worry about a(nother) "broken" OS.
the more they over-think the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the pipe
Freespire is free (as in beer), but Linspire wasn't, correct?
I thought the reason was so that Linspire could pay for licensing of things like mp3 codecs, etc. If that is the case, is Freespire just footing the bill for those components (or just including those)?
Am I confusing Linspire with Lindows or another distro? Sorry for the ignorance/lack of initiative to find out myself.
When I have a kid, I want to put him in one of those strollers for twins and then run around the mall looking frantic.
From the FAQ
/. ???? It's so old, you can't even reply to it anymore.
But won't Freespire hurt the momentum of open source by offering the option of proprietary codecs, drivers and applications?
No, quite the opposite. To influence the future of computing to become more open, Linux must first expand its circle of influence by gaining a much larger user base. A big portion of the world is turned off by Linux, because it doesn't legally support things like MP3, DVD, Java, Flash, Windows Media, QuickTime, etc., out of the box. Asking millions of people to throw away their iPods (or other favorite MP3 player) or to not legally watch DVDs on their computer, is just too much to ask for most users. The Freespire project believes in providing a free marketplace where the user can decide what software to install and use.
I like the approach. To me, Linux is stuck in a rut where techies are addicted, but users are afraid. This could help bridget the gap.
On an offtopic note: How frickin' long is that Mario Bros poll gonna be up on
Linux/open-source people keep saying "choices are good"... Well, it's not.
If you overload people with choices, they won't know what to choose and they'll go back with what they know, even if it's not even half as good as all these new options. How could they know their current stuff is crap, they can't use the new ones because there's too many choices.
Why so many distros anyway? Shouldn't there be two or three distros at most? One for servers, one for desktops.... I can't even figure out what a third distro could possibly be...
Seriously, stop it with all the distros already. And close 99% of them. Unless you're telling me that all these distros run the exact same binaries and all of them don't need anything compared to the others...
Linux distros, KDE vs Gnome, static vs linked, compiling programs.... And you think Joe Street will switch to Linux? If he ever gets fed up with Windows, he's going to switch to a Mac or stop using computers alltogether (I've seen it happen more than once).
...it was a pimp piece. Not to knock anyone, but it ends with the guy basically saying "I guess we'll have to wait and see how this affect Linux adoption". My question is, who was this piece written for? Certainly not Linux users as we're all well aware of why those codecs are not included in pure distros and the difficulty in trying to ethically support them without getting into legal issues. It also couldn't have been written for the Linux "toe-dipper" as the article puts it, since it refers to them in the third person. PHBs? I doubt it. They don't care if you can't hit Youtube or iFilm at work. So just what this piece all about?
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
Where I work, backups are run at night over the network, as are software/OS upgrades, etc. Leaving the computer on is company policy (turning off the monitor though is OK and is encouraged).
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
Remind me to stop reading any comments on /. about new linux distro releases. More and more, they are devolving into pre-adolescent Digg-speak: "I heart my new Ubuntu box...I just wish I could play games on it!!!"
Switching channels....
Does Linspire still run the entire system as root by default? If so, then IMHO it shouldn't even be considered a real distribution of Linux but rather a poorly hacked together DOS-like operating system that only happens to share components with Linux. Non-superuser accounts must be mandatory for a modern operating system. Period.
Video Lan client
...would this distro be named Freedows? I don't think Frito Lay would be very happy about that.
No, they haven't for a long time now. They listened to the kvetching (it was a good point after all) and changed. My impression is they really do listen, really want an easy desktop "just works" type distro that most anyone could use or OEM hardware vendors can use, and have tried pretty hard to pull it off. They need to make a buck somehow to work fulltime on it obviously, but most of the other larger distros do that as well. You can go to their forums and frequently see the ceo answering questions. Maybe not perfect, but it shows they are trying.
Freespire does not default to root login (and neither will Linspire in the next version).
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
Flamebait anyone? This has not been an issue for a while. You have always been able to create users. I think most people reading slashdot do not get the concept behind freespire or linspire for that matter. It is about switching users from windows. If you say, install Ubuntu and go back and try to find a repository online and add to synaptic or apt-get. Then install a the proper codecs. The first thing they will say is, what is a codec? What is a repository? Where is apt-get? They just want to install something that works. They are not hobbyists. These users could care less if they run as root. They don't know what root is. I get sick and tired of people bringing up non-issues for "joe six-pack". Having to go elsewhere for codecs to be able to play mp3s/DVDs/Flash IS an issue fro joe six-pack. I think most of the animosity comes from the fact that freespire and linspire are distros that do NOT cater to YOU!!!
Flexible bare-metal recovery for Linux/UNIX
I live in a room where I have a computer which is not connected to Internet, nor it is going to be.
.deb files listed on Ubuntu page are dependent on so many .so files that I lost my enthusiasm to boot in linux.
When I got this room, first thing I did was to order Ubuntu and Kubuntu CDs. I installed both and finally I settled with Ubuntu (dual boot with previous installation of Windows(TM) ).
Now my girl friend is not familiar to Linux and its ever changing world, and wants to play songs. And I want to boot into beautiful looking Ubuntu! So I downloaded all the packages in my office, burned them on a multisession CD and brought them back to my offline computer to do apt-get.
To my surprise, still nothing would run except some rare MPEG files. And the reason is that all the downloaded
Now, I think I will give a try to Freespire. What do you people suggest? My machine is too old to go through Gentoo, which would be still better!
http://www.tafusion.com/products/frontier/home.php It has more features than plain old Mepis.
Sig: I stole this sig.
Hmm .. .Linspire went free, called itself Freespire. It's a good thing they lost the lawsuit on the Lindows name or now they'd be called Freedows and be slapped with another lawsuit from the corn chip makers.
I like that there are two version - OSS and the one with the proprietary bits. It's your choice! Also, CNR is a very nice interface for installing applications - I am very happy to see it leave the non-free world. It is a good example of how to make money with free software. The CNR client is free, but the service is a fee.
Some settling may occur during posting.
... for RAND (Reasonable and Non-Discriminant) price. Why not royalities?
MODERATORS: If you disagree with a comment, that does not mean it is a "troll".
Sweet. But, seriously, let's not have Back to the Windows.
Boycott Sony
.... with the Drowned Polar Bear International Award for your efforts to increase the effects of global warming.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
The machine could be patched whenever it rejoins the network.
I am sure even in Windows that is doable.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
It does not suppor MP3 playing.
In Windows I believe it relays on codecs part of the OS as well for which MS has paid royalties already (but I may be sorely mistaken here...).
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
From the Real Player Website:
RealPlayer 10 for Linux is here
Play popular datatypes
RealPlayer@ 10 supports RealAudio, RealVideo 10, MP3,
Ogg Vorbis and Theora, H263, AAC and more. Get ready for accelerated video, full screen playback, and a lot more to play.
Addtionally, I love the fact that it respects your themes:
New UI adopts your theme
The elegant UI design is based on GTK technology.
That means the player adopts the theme you've chosen,
and blends itself accordingly into your desktop environment.
All taken from:
http://www.real.com/linux/
freespire - i have run it as a live cd and installed it - my opinion is don't bother - the vaunted multi-media capablities simply don't work. - i consider myself an experienced linux user so perhaps this product is not aimed at me. I was initially attracted to it because it is debian based and with a focus on multi-media. I am a professional gambler, on horse-racing, laying and backing, so web-based multi-media ie. commentary from races - text/audio, video and my betfair site use a lot of multi-media facilities and the out of the box freespire/linspire simply does not 'cut the mustard'.
there is a dreadful software installer/update 'crc' - if i remember correctly - it seems a thin disguise to get money out of 'newbie' linux users - there are at least 3 better software installers i can think of that are better and free!.
my favourite linux's are pc-linux, knoppix, x-evian, overclockix, dynebolic, mandriva or the new 'sams' from pc-linux with a neat xfce desktop. if you don't mind paying through the nose but still cheaper than the microsoft tax are xandros or lycoris both good, and any of these i would put above the badly named freespire, to be fair though they are on version 1.02
- all linux's are configurable and all could be better if the configuration were made easier - my only tip to 'windoze' users would be to force yourself to use linux solidly for a week at least and in doing so you would have to think about what you are doing and not 'doze' by simply pressing a mouse button - you will be a better computer user for it. - get away from the dreadful microsoft and think but not by using freespire (at least not yet) - the info is out there.