Linux Made Easy: Linspire 5.0

[David Ecklein]

Kenyon and other fellow Linux cheerleaders-

This Jim Lynch review reports some very interesting progress for Linspire.

Just one general quibble: why do people always test software on platforms
that are so far from the normal and affordable desktop configuration?

>...Here are the specs of our test box:
>
> *Motherboard* ASUS A7N8X-E
>
> *Processor* AMD Athlon XP 3000
>
> *Graphics card* MSI FX 5900XT
>
> *Hard drive* 160GB WD Hard Disk
>
> *Memory* 1GB RAM
>

Anything might look good on this hot rod.  I would be more interested in a
test system which picked three or more different configurations ranging as
follows:

(1) By today's standards, an older but useable AT form factor system
(millions are right now marching off the recycling cliff), say Pentium 200
class cpu with 1 Mb PCI graphics, 500 Mb HD, 32 Mb RAM, CDROM and diskette
readers, the usual sound and I/O.  This system will barely run Win98.  Will
a particular flavor of Linux (Linspire or other) save this machine?

(2) A discount store ATX el-cheapo a couple years back with something like
700 Mhz Celeron, 4 Mb AGP, 128 Mb RAM, 10 Gb HD, etc.  After an initial
period of elation, and consequent addition of every piece of software the
user (or their kids) can find, these Win9x/xp systems ultimately disappoint,
requiring major upgrades.  How well will a mass market Linux fare on them
and reduce the urge to ecologically sin with the machine?  Most dumps make
you pay before they take them.

(3) Finally, a decent and timely desktop with a 2-something-Gb cpu, 256 DDR
RAM, 64 Mb AGP, DVD burner, 80 Mb hard disk.  What advantages will a mass
Linux product offer, due to this configuration, that will favor it over M$?
The case here may be weaker for the average user, but it must be made, since
these machines are now affordable and in the market.

If some form of Linux will rescue (1) and (2), many people will become more
interested.  Deployment in our educational system is just one of many
possibilities.  Rediscovery of the power still inherent in the older
machines may be the best advertisement for Linux.  As for the new $200
machines (Walmart et al) addressing category (2) somewhat, this is largely a
question of selling Linux to first-time computer users, a formidable task.
The old machines, (1) or (2), already exist in the darkness of people's
closets if not yet dumpsters, awaiting just the right software to breathe
new life into them.

Although both must be done, I am less optimistic about the prospects of
merely addressing (3) and above (eg. the Jim Lynch "test box") as a means of
broadening the penetration of Linux beyond embedded/server/geek territory.

Dave Ecklein
dba Diacad Associates
www.diacad.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenyon F. Karl" <kenyon.karl at valley.net>
To: "Linspire Community" <kendall at linspireinc.com>
Cc: <dave at diacad.com>; "Benjamin H. Priest" <bp333 at surfbest.net>
Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2005 10:41 PM
Subject: Linux Made Easy: Linspire 5.0


>   /ExtremeTech/
> Linux Made Easy: Linspire 5.0
> April 19, 2005
> By Jim Lynch <http://www.extremetech.com/author_bio/0,1589,a=1120,00.asp>
> * What's New in 5.0*
> Linspire began life as Lindows, which was aimed squarely at converting
> Windows users. But legal issues with Microsoft cast a cloud on what was
> otherwise a useful approach to getting users to try Linux. Now Linspire
> 5.0 is out, and it's taking a bit of inspiration from another commercial
> operating system—Mac OS X.
>
> Version 5.0 has a lot of new features, including a new look and feel,
> the 2.6.10 kernel, KDE 3.3, Reiser 4 file system, x.org 6.8.2, 802.11g
> wireless support, new AOL dialer, enhanced firewall, BitTorrent support,
> and a VPN wizard among other things.
>
> Also included are a couple of new apps modeled somewhat after Apple's
> iLife: Lsongs music manager and the Lphoto photo manager. Linspire also
> comes bundled with OpenOffice 1.1.3 and a new tutorial player designed
> to make learning about Linspire easy and fast.
>
> As you can tell there's quite a bit of new stuff in this release.
> /Continued.../
>
> We installed Linspire 5.0 on our test system, a DIY box with Windows XP
> already installed. Here are the specs of our test box:
>
> *Motherboard* ASUS A7N8X-E
>
> *Processor* AMD Athlon XP 3000
>
> *Graphics card* MSI FX 5900XT
>
> *Hard drive* 160GB WD Hard Disk
>
> *Memory* 1GB RAM
>
> We had no problem installing on our test box. As usual Linspire's
> install on our desktop system went very smoothly. We were not as
> fortunate though with our laptop system; in fact, we were unable to get
> it installed at all (more on that later).
>
> Linspire's install is about as painless as it gets. You get to choose
> between erasing your entire hard disk and updating an existing Linspire
> system. If you've installed Windows then you should have no problems
> installing Linspire.
>
> If you prefer to run Linspire off the CD (as a "live" CD) you can also
> do that. It will give you a taste of what Linspire has to offer before
> you actually decide to install it on your machine. /Continued.../
>
> This release of Linspire comes with a brand new look and feel. We found
> it to be slick and easy on the eyes. The Linspire desktop is well
> organized and has everything you need to get started using the operating
> system, including the usual My Computer, browser, email, and printer
icons.
>
> You'll also find a helpful "How to Tutorial" icon. This icon launches
> the tutorial player that comes with Linspire 5.0. We found the tutorials
> helpful but we did not like the color of the text. Green text is never
> easy to read and we feel strongly that the next release of Linspire
> should include a tutorial system that is easier on the eyes.
>
> Clicking the "Launch" button will allow you to access programs and
> system controls. The menu structures in Linspire are well organized and
> should present no problem even if you've never used Linspire before.
> /Continued.../
>
> Linspire includes the usual programs for web browsing (a customized
> version of Mozilla), office suite (OpenOffice), instant messaging
> (customized version of GAIM), RealPlayer, Nvu (for creating web sites),
> and a number of other programs. There is a healthy but not overwhelming
> amount of software included with Linspire 5.0.
>
> If you want more programs you can download them from Linspire's CNR
> service. A CNR membership costs $49.95 per year and gives you easy
> access to many different software programs. You can also opt to try a 15
> day free trial of the service.
>
> Some hardcore Linux users despise Linspire's CNR software service
> because it carries many programs that are open-source and thus freely
> downloadable elsewhere. While that is true we feel compelled to point
> out that Linspire's CNR is selling convenient access and easy
> installation. Not all Linux users want to fiddle with installing
> software the traditional way. Some simply want a very fast and easy way
> to install their programs, and Linspire's CNR fits the bill nicely...
> for a price.
>
> Linspire comes bundled with the ability to view QuickTime, Windows
> Media, Flash, and other media types. We were able to view movie trailers
> without doing anything other than clicking on the trailer and choosing
> our media type. Just for the heck of it, we picked Windows Media and the
> movie trailer played perfectly with no problems whatsoever.
>
> Of particular interest in this release are Lphoto and Lsongs. These two
> apps reminded us of Apple's excellent iLife applications for OS X.
> Although not quite as slick as what Apple is offering, Lphoto and Lsongs
> definitely add value to Linspire. They provide solid functionality for
> handling photo albums and music on your Linspire system.
>
> Lphoto lets you organize photos into albums, view slide shows, burn
> photos to CD, reduce red eye, and lots of other things. New features in
> Lphoto include better export options, a new web-page-templating system
> and the ability to import the same image multiple times into different
> albums.
>
> Lsongs is quite similar to Apple's iTunes application. You can organize
> your song collection in the Media Library, listen to audio streams in
> the Stations section (unlike Apple's iTunes you will need to download a
> separate player application and you will need to use SHOUTcast), and buy
> music online via MP3Tunes in the Music Store area.
>
> Linspire also includes Ltorrent (a BitTorrent client). We aren't much
> for file sharing but we were glad that Ltorrent was included. You never
> know when it might come in handy.
>
> We are looking forward to seeing future releases of these two
> applications. /Continued.../
>
> *Product:* *Linspire 5.0*
>
> *Company:* Linspire <http://www.linspire.com>
>
> *Price:* $49.95; $89.95 with one-year membership to CNR software library.
>
> *Pros:* Slick; easy to use; mostly easy to install.
>
> *Cons:* Expensive compared with lower-cost or free distributions; VPN
> wizard and laptop install need to be better; pushy ad needs to be
> removed from instant messenger.
>
> *Summary:* A good choice for Linux newbies who don't need a large
> selection of software with the default installation and who are willing
> to pay for the convenience of the CNR library.
>
> *Rating:*
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> */Related articles:/*
>
> Copyright (c) 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.
>