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First Impressions of Freespire 1.0

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the tapping-a-market dept.

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?"

2 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Time will tell by suggsjc · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Flash, Java, DVD and WMV support out-the-box
    Maybe a good start, but it will take a lot more than that to
    climb to the top of the desktop distro ladder
    Granted I would think that Linux users are more likely to try different flavors, but to really get to the top takes a lot of time and effort. Slashvertisements might get a couple people to jump, but rises in distros are probably a more organic thing that happens from a solid product (think Ubuntu).
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    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.
    1. Re:Time will tell by dsginter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That's all great but can you tell me the easiest method of getting Ubuntu up to speed with all the codecs, DVD-playback, flash, et cetera... LEGALLY?

      The available scripts out there (Automatix, EasyUbuntu, etc) are not legal in the United States thanks to the patent quagmire. This preempts the use of the distribution in a large way (e.g. - most businesses simply can't afford to break the law, no matter how wrong it is).

      That said, I *would* like a suggestion to this issue. I'd really like to get up and running on Linux legally. Freespire seems appealing in this respect.

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