Gary Krakow wrote about Lispire on the MSNBC web site saying “1,200 improvements create slick, easy-to-use computing experience”. Read the article here.
Linspire 5-0: Surprisingly capable Linux desktop OS
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Finally a review of Linspire!
This is irony, right?
I think this is the 7th/8th review of Linspire already!
This guy is a little too upbeat about this product… he had nothing but positive remarks. He doesn’t even mention the crappy edition of OpenOffice.org packaged with the OS, and how it hardly integrates with the rest of suite.. both aesthetically and functionally.
I also have no idea how he can say that it’s speedy. Linspire 5-0 OS takes about 2 minutes to boot completely into a working environment… and LSongs, the internet suite, and NVU are all sloooooooow.
And this is all on a 1GHz, 512mb… compared to his PIII.
Who cares about boot speed. I don’t shutdown my computers unless I _have_ to. If it’s a laptop I put it in sleep mode until I get where I’m going and wake it up. My deskpc just gets locked when I’m not there.
So why do you care about boot up speed? This isn’t totally insecure Windows that you have to reboot everytime there is any kind of patch to install.
As for OpenOffice – I don’t argue with you there. But compared to other Linux distros – and I’m not so cheap that I can’t afford $50 per year for CNR which includes FREE OS updates (even major updates).
My main computer is a Mac. My second computer runs LinSpire. My third computer died a year ago. I had Windows. RIT (rest in turmoil).
“The digital version of 5-0 sells for $49.95 or $89.95 with a one year CNR subscription. The boxed version of Linspire will sells for ten dollars more ($59.95/$99.95) at more than a thousand retailers nationwide later this month.”
I don’t know why nobody has pointed this out, but I think you do not have to buy LinspireOS and then buy the CNR access. All you need is to buy the CNR access for $49.95/year and you get free access to the latest LinspireOS.
1) Linspire gives out their OS to the CNR members for free.
2) You will not be able to run CNR on a non-LinspireOS, but you can sign up with CNR using a non-LinspireOS.
I know I’ll be buying a copy as soon as I can pick one up at a store. The article mentioned that there would be over 1000 retail outlets to buy the boxed version, but they gave no clue as to where it will be available.
Anyone have any info on who will be selling the boxed version?
I didnt say I cared about boot speed. Tho, unlike you, I do shut down my computer daily (it’s old and loud).
My point was that the author claimed Linspire is speedy (not to mention on his old hardware)… and the truth is that Linspire is SLOW…. especially compared with other *NIXes that have comparable featuresets.
I didn’t say anything to knock its functionality… the distro definitely has that. I just find that the performance cost of using Linspire is too great.
This may be YALR (Yet Another Linspire Review), but it is very interesting to see such a review on a site like MSNBC. I guess it shows the NBC half isn’t at the mercy of the MSN half: surely MSN would never run such an article on their own
Linspire is available at Best Buy, CompUSA, Fry’s and MicroCenter stores. My locsl Best Buy doesn’t have it yet, but the COMPUSA does. This is quite a coup for a Linux distro; it will bring much recognition to Linux, whether or not you like Linspire….
Oh, and the speed is quite acceptable on my 3-year old Vaio laptop—not a speed demon by any means but more than livable.
Finally, the Open Office “look” can be fixed with a simple download from CNR—not sure why they didn’t do that by default. Frankly, there’s not much to dislike about Linspire in my experience……. DR
You can get Ubuntu Hoary for Free, and not pay a damned thing.
Some people are willing to pay for quality.
We need to support Linux with cash… I think some of us can give somethin back to the distros we use… so don’t be too sheap… give a little to which ever linux you use… AND stop complaining or critizizing the fact that some charge you some cash up front… it is bussines or donation… donate to those that you apresiate, wile others will pay for a servise or a product that they apresiate…
All for Linux, and Linux for ALL!
i have been with the insider’s program of linspire since its’ infancy, and where 5.0 is today impresses me.i have 3 kids in my house and i can let them safely use it for whatever purpose they need…i don’t need to stand over their shoulder. my wife is the more difficult one to convert over to linspire, i use extreme patience with her when she complains about her stupid laptop still clinging to life on xp.
I downloaded Linspire 5-0 for fun (and free I might add, thank God for bittorrent) After putting it onto my computer I can safely say that aesthetics aside, I still love my Xandros 3.0
same stuff, different day
this has been a paid advertisement……….
this has been a paid advertisement……….
That’s rich… Linspire paid a Microsoft company to spin their product… ROTFLMAO…
There is nothing wrong in commercial distributions. But when people claim that payed software equals quality software then we all know it’s a false claim.
There are several ways to pay back. One way is to send money to the developers – another way is to contribute with code – or translations – or mirrorsites – or help with documentation.
The only problem is when people use and keep using, and complains about the lack of a certain feature when they don’t pay and they don’t contribute in other ways.
The FLOSS-world is contributer-centric (not developer- or user-centric – but contributer centric – as it should be)