“Overall, and more so for its targeted market, Xandros 2.0 is a very well thought out and put together distribution. That’s not to say Xandros is perfect, or perfect for everyone, but it is an excellent place to start for people coming from Windows who want to use Linux and don’t care about learning all the interworkings of the operating system.” Read the review at LinuxReview.
Xandros 2.0 – Standard Edition Review
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Xandros 2.0 marathon!
I apologise for asking what is probably a dumb question, but why are distributions like Xandros and Lindows commercial only, without freely downloadable versions?
Whoever wrote that article had better run and hide under the bed. I (apparently incorrectly) stated that Xandros file manager was based on Konqueror, and I was called dumb, ignorant, and cursed at as well as harassed with attack emails. Whereas this guy said:
“…Xandros File Manager Xandros File Manager (XFM) is Xandros “killer app.” In the past I will admit that before ever using it I had doubts. It looks and acts very much like Konqueror. In fact it still reminds me of a very stripped down and very refined version of Konqueror (which does not have to be a bad thing)….”
That poor fool…..
RUN! Run while you can, before they find you!
B. Smith
I think I’ve just about had it with the Xandros reviews…if I see another one I might just implode.
Though it does have a different skin and seems much faster, XFM feels very much like Konqueror to me .. I always thought they just took the Konqueror code base and tweaked it.
if you wanna get the feel for it and try it for free, you can freely download version 2.7 (previous version) and have all the fun you want. if you decide you want the latest (2.8.1), then you can buy that one for a FrEE as well.
if i’ve seen any version of linux that’s worth paying for it’s libranet. i freely give them my money and it keeps on getting better.
rope!
I’ll give a really dumb answer.
They provide the source somewhere, except for their own custom apps.
I really wish someone would take that source and compile binaries or create ISO’s for us.
But then again Xandros isn’t that great without their integrated customised filemanager.
That’s a lot of work for such a niche thing. They would also have to remove ALL of Xandros’ IP, like artwork, logo, the name, etc.
This was only done with RedhatES because Redhat is such a big name. Xandros doesn’t have that much attention.
What an INSULT that is!
http://home.comcast.net/~amc321/Xandros/Xandros16.png
It looks just like Explorer. Even the icons of the picture look the same. It even looks a bit like luna (the horror). Anyway, right above NFS there’s ‘Windows network’. WTH would that be? Would it place a Samba server thereunder?
http://home.comcast.net/~amc321/Xandros/Xandros17.png
Seems it does! Xandros placed in the so-called ‘Windows network’. FFS, please don’t call it ‘Windows network’. If there’s a Free- and an OpenBSD server together using Samba it ain’t a ‘Windows network’. Would it then be called ‘BSD network’? Ofourse not. So call it different, like the protocol it uses. As with NFS. That’s not called ‘Sun network’ either.
http://home.comcast.net/~amc321/Xandros/Xandros08.png
There it’s actually called ‘Samba network’. Woops, we forgot to edit the source.
Anyway, a simple Explorer-like file manager with also a tree-like hierarchy is in KDE itself (iirc it’s just a bind for Konqueror). And there’s also ‘XFE’ which is a light file manager based on X WindowCommander.
This all looked really good and simple. I guess governments and such could easily run something like this. Integrating it in their ehm.. ‘Windows network’.
Ok, what exactly is your point? The whole point of the Xandros distro is to cater to Windows users, so the more familar it looks, the better we (as Windows users) find it. If it were made to look like OSX, I probably would’ve never tried it
they’ve oversimplified the name, resulting in it being incorrect. In their effort they haven’t simplified it in an uniform manner.
It’s like stating “Internet” when pointing to Mozilla, instead of something like “WWW Browser”. The WWW is not the only part of the internet. Education is a better way thus something like SMB network and then as description: “SMB is the protocol commonly used on MS Windows to share files, share a printer, etc, etc”
they’ve oversimplified the name, resulting in it being incorrect. In their effort they haven’t simplified it in an uniform manner.
Nah, I think it’s fine the way it is. I mean, *technically* it’s not correct, but it’s going to make more sense to people who won’t know any better, who would never care about the difference between Windows and SMB even if it were presented to them. And for the people who actually understand that difference, it’s not like they’re going to be misled.
XFM in fact, actually __is__ based on Konqueror. More indirectly rather than directly however. It uses (and extends) most of Konqueror’s kparts.
Also, the OpenOffice branch they are using isn’t Ximian’s. It’s the default vanilla OpenOffice 1.10, which has a lot of Ximian’s additions, including the icons. In Xandros Desktop 2.1, they are likely to use the OpenOffice KDE NWF stuff ( http://kde.openoffice.org/nwf/index.html )
What I’m impressed about Xandros is that they’re willing to merge in additions from unstable (3.2) KDE. They’ve merged in the newest Crystal (upon which they have their own Windows icons) and plastik. Pretty neat.
Note I did NOT say that it was based off of konqueror, I mearly stated that it reminded me of a very stripped down and very refined version of konqueror.
Saying something reminds me of or looks similar too is not the same as saying it is based off of…
Though the person in the post above me seems correct in saying that it uses a lot of the same kpart as konqueror.
What about NFS then? Sun network? Unix network? Linux network? How are they gonna name WinFS with networking support (it uses a DB which will, i guess, be accessable via network)? Delete NFS for they’re not gonna use it anyway? NFS sounds too technical too then… plus, according to these shots, they haven’t renamed “Samba network” to “Windows network” everywhere which was my point when i was speaking about uniformity.
“Note I did NOT say that it was based off of konqueror, I mearly stated that it reminded me of a very stripped down and very refined version of konqueror.
Saying something reminds me of or looks similar too is not the same as saying it is based off of…
Though the person in the post above me seems correct in saying that it uses a lot of the same kpart as konqueror.”
Keep your fingers crossed. You might get away with it.
Good Luck and change your email.
Barry
I know, its like someone just came up and slapped me right in the face. I can’t express how upset I am that they are using these friendly names, and not technical jargon. This is Linux based, right?
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
don’t worry so much about it barry. a lot of people didn’t like your review becasue it reflected YOUR needs…not xandros’ typical user.
you said what you doing with it from the beginning, so I didn’t get too bent when I read it….and you certainly get credit for following up on the critism…
basically, on behalf of the xandros community, I apoligise. some people take things too far….
oh well…welcome to the wonderful world of linux! LOL
FYI…xandros is my personal favourite as it meets my needs perfectly and works with all my hardware flawlessly.
If Xandros licensed Wordperfect Suite and work with Wine to bring it to Linux once again. When Wordperfect Suite 2000 for Linux arrived, Wine was VERY immature, however, here we are 4 years later and Wine has made huge leaps in terms of win32 compatibility.
That would be a great combo for the home user, Xandros plus Wordperfect Suite for $200-$250. IMHO, that is a great deal when compared to how much one would pay for Office + Windows XP Professional.
You know what … you want to pay for it, then pay for it. You don’t want to pay for it then don’t. Go download a free version of Linux, run it, be happy.
You want to support the Linux community, get involved, download and install it, learn how to use it, write some code if you’re so inclined, work on doc’s, how-to’s, man pages, teach a friend, beta test, put it on your toaster, hell … pay someone or some company for their hard work (there’s a novel idea).
Put your talents/money where your yap is and support Linux if you want to see it succeed. Otherwise shadddaaapppp already and quit being so bloody ‘uber’. We’re all into Linux for the same reason … we like it.
Personally, I think Xandros is better off getting involve with the KDE OpenOffice.org project (making OpenOffice.org feel at home in KDE). They could license WordPerfect for sure, but I don’t see how they would make much money out of it.
One thing that has been the back of my mind: Why not try to license Microsoft Office? It’s worth a try, nobody done it before. So obviously nobody can say it wouldn’t work. If Xandros can manage to license MS Office… boy, do I wish to be one of their investors…
OK…some of what you’re about to read might sound like trolling, but I think someone has to bring up what, if not already, may become a sticky issue…
According to the following page, XFM is a ‘from scratch’ app and has nothing to do with konq.
http://librenix.com/?inode=2589
But…while we’re on the subject of ‘proprietary’ applications (PA) being included with Linux distro’s:
(In the following section, ‘X’ is a so-called ‘proprietary’ application)
* If it was discovered that X includes any GPL’d code, wouldn’t the distributing company then be compelled to license X as GPL?
* Is anyone from outside the company ever given the opportunity to see the code for X to find out if it does or does not include GPL’d code, or is it simply a case of the company stating “There is no GPL code in our app.” and that’s the end of it?
I want to make it clear that I have no issue with Xandros and personally, I’d like to try it out coz it sounds great…but I ain’t paying AU$130 for a Linux distro and just SAYING the phrase “pirated Linux” leaves me cold.
..BUT… if there IS an issue it should be dealt with appropriately. In the case of XFM…are there more than just a few similarities between XFM and konq? Not meant as a troll or spreading FUD… just a simple question. Can anyone answer it?
I’m interested to know what others think about this issue coz it seems to me that lately, all it takes to make a ‘Fee Not Free’ Linux distro like Xandros, Lindows, Lycoris etc. is to combine maybe one ‘proprietary’ application or some original artwork with a free and open Linux distro and BAM – you’re now forced into a EULA stopping you from installing YOUR software on as many machines as YOU want to…or share it with friends…AND you’re now PAYING for the privilege.
Geez..if I wanted THAT scenario I’d use Windows as my sole OS. **shudder**
I look forward to sane responses to these questions
>..BUT… if there IS an issue it should be dealt with appropriately. In the case of XFM…
What issue exactly?
As far as paying for linux. There are plenty of free distros out there. No one is forcing to you to buy one of the for pay distros. If you don’t think they should charge then don’t pay and use one of the free distros instead.
>you’re now forced into a EULA stopping you from installing YOUR software on as many machines as YOU want to…or share it with friends…AND you’re now PAYING for the privilege.
You’re not *forced* into anything. Don’t like it don’t buy it.
One can find out by running strings. For example strings /usr/bin/xfm then either check for a familair string like Konqueror or GPL, or compare that with Konqueror.
MPlayer team knows how to do this very well
http://www.mplayerhq.hu check these stories on what they have find.
Perhaps it *was* written from scratch and it *is* using the QT libraries with a commercial license for Xandros.
One can find out by running strings. For example strings /usr/bin/xfm then either check for a familair string like Konqueror or GPL, or compare that with Konqueror.
MPlayer team knows how to do this very well
http://www.mplayerhq.hu check these stories on what they have find.
Perhaps it *was* written from scratch and it *is* using the QT libraries with a commercial license for Xandros.
It is based off the filemanager created by Corel which was a clean room implementation.
That’s exactly the kind of info I was after!
@Anonymous:
“You’re not *forced* into anything. Don’t like it don’t buy it.”
…that’s fine, as long as you haven’t been supplied with the OS by…say…buying a Seagate hard drive with Lindows , or by buying an el-cheapo PC for $199 with one of these distro’s pre-installed.
My first introduction to Linux was in ’98. The fact that i could do whatever I wanted to with the software, no questions asked, is what opened my eyes to open source. I’ve introduced a lot of people (some of which have gone on to contribute to various GNU projects) to Linux by simply burning them a copy of my chosen distro for them to play with. Unfortunately it’s not quite the same philosophy being conveyed to new users today.
I think that $100 for the bells and whistles version of Xandros is a very fair amount of money considering what it costs to hire a competent programmer/IT person.
It’s one thing to choose to give away free what you’ve created in your spare time as a labor of love. Hell I work what amounts to an unpaid part time job as a staff writer/copy editor on a webzine. Been doing it for 6 years and I love it.
At the same time, in my 8-5 day job, I get paid about $12.56 an hour. I find my job challenging and satisfying.
Looking at the salary schedules list (I’m a state employee where you don’t make what you make in the private sector), I see that the lowest paid position in Systems starts at $15.30 an hour. (Actually right now the lowest paid guy in the Systems department makes $18.15/hr — he got hired the day after I did.)
So I figure that the folks at Xandros are paying their lowest paid programmer no less than $15/hr and I’ll bet some of the people writing code and/or creating entirely new things from scratch are easily in the $25/hr range.
So, if Xandros just gives their distro away and also gives away all the custom coded created from scratch things their employees have created (thus giving away the advantages their distro has over others) please explain to me & other curious minds how the hell Xandros is supposed to pay their employees? (Much less the venture capitalists who funded the launch?)
The Economics Grad Student in the cubicle next to me is extremely curious about the solutions you Linux heads come up with about how to pay labor without taking in any revinue. It could revolutionize his field.
“you’re now forced into a EULA stopping you from installing YOUR software on as many machines as YOU want to…or share it with friends…”
As a matter of fact… Xandros and Lindows do give you the permission in the EULA to install it on as many of your own personal computers as you want, and on 1 (or 2) commercial computers.
>…that’s fine, as long as you haven’t been supplied with the OS by…say…buying a Seagate hard drive with Lindows , or by buying an el-cheapo PC for $199 with one of these distro’s pre-installed
And again, if you don’t want it then don’t buy the cheap pc or the hard-drive. You still aren’t being forced into anything.
Guys, if you still have not got enough of Xandros reviews… just wait for the Bussiness Edition coming out this month (if I recall right). Then you will have the opportunity to read again the same lines…XFM, etc…
:::PROUD TO LIVE IN THE BIRTHLAND OF LINUX:::
Comeone Barry.
You said “It’s Konqueror”. He said “It looks and acts like Konqueror”. I agree with that.
He never stated it *is* Konqueror. He wrote it the way you should have wrote it. You didn’t. You made a false statement. Admit it and get over it so you will not have to make any of those comments anymore and we can all get back to talk about more happy things.
“..Xandros File Manager Xandros File Manager (XFM) is Xandros “killer app.” In the past I will admit that before ever using it I had doubts. It looks and acts very much like Konqueror. In fact it still reminds me of a very stripped down and very refined version of Konqueror (which does not have to be a bad thing)….”
HE SAID THA TIT LOOKS AND ACTS A LOT LIKE KONQUEROR AND HAS THE AIR OF A REFINED KONQUEROR! HE DID NOT SAY IT ACTUALLY WAS IT!
“So, if Xandros just gives their distro away and also gives away all the custom coded created from scratch things their employees have created (thus giving away the advantages their distro has over others) please explain to me & other curious minds how the hell Xandros is supposed to pay their employees? (Much less the venture capitalists who funded the launch?)”
Hmm…I don’t remember saying anything about NOT being able to charge a fee for Linux. You missed my point. If you want the OS in a nice little box with real User Manuals, user support, access to “Click ‘n Run” type software resources, original printed CD’s etc. then of course…they have the right to charge anything they want for it. Let’s face it, the market they’re targeting is more likely to go that route anyway. But to restrict the distro to the point that you’re not allowed to legally share it with friends and family doesn’t seem fair to me since about 95% of what they’re selling was created with the GPL philosophy in mind.
Mandrake & Lycoris don’t have these restrictions. They make it very clear what the benefits are, if you choose to, of paying a fee and getting the full product instead of the unsupported download version. ‘Club’ Memberships, OEM Sales, Retail Sales and Support plans are where you can make your distro generate income.
Also, by the company creating closed source OS components that are found to be better than open source alternatives, then users really have no place better to get that support anyway so there’s still some lock-in for future revenue…particulary if there are corporate contracts involved.
It seems straight forward to me and still holds true to the original idea behind GNU & Linux.
>HE SAID THA TIT LOOKS AND ACTS A LOT LIKE KONQUEROR AND HAS THE AIR OF A REFINED KONQUEROR! HE DID NOT SAY IT ACTUALLY WAS IT!
At least have a clue what you’re yelling about. He was addressing Barry in a different article where the author stated.
“To read the marketing hype, the Xandros File Manager is the crown jewel in the Xandros offering. It’s Konqueror.”
This is my last statement on the issue (if I can possibly help it), here or anywhere else.
I did not make a “false” statement. I made a statement that I thought was true. In fact, as a non-programmer it never occurred to me that anyone would make a proprietary file manager that (to me) looked identical to Konqueror. From some of the responses I have gotten, I am far from the only one who made the same assumption.
So I made a statement that it was Konqueror. It looks like Konqueror, it behaves like a polished version of Konqueror, so I thought it was Konqueror. If it looks like a duck and waddles like a duck and swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, I am usually going to jump to the conclusion that it is a duck.
I was informed in no uncertain terms that XFM wasn’t Konqueror and only a fool would fail to know that. I was also (more than once) called a liar and a troll.
Frankly, I don’t give a care. So I did not debate the issue, I immediately TOOK THEIR WORD FOR IT and posted a correction, both here and on the Xandros forums. Rather than accepting it and going on with everyone’s lives, I was immediately accused of arrogance and received some email that is not fit for public consumption. Apparently making an honest error in observation is far worse than verbally attacking and casting slurs on someone.
I made what was intended to be a wry and joking remark about the matter in this thread. I was trying to pass it off with a laugh. Some people thought it was funny, some did not. Once again, humor is subjective. And now this.
Please leave me alone about this, willya?
I state, once and for all:
1) I did in fact call XFM Konqueror, because I honestly thought it was Konqueror.
2) Upon being informed that I was incorrect, I immediately offered a correction and an apology, both here as well as on the Xandros boards.
3) I still don’t know anything about the code for XFM. I am not a programmer, I have never seen the code for XFM, and I don’t care in the slightest degree if XFM was generated from scratch, was pirated from Konqueror, or was brought down from Heaven by the Archangel Michael on tablets of gold. I. Do. Not. Care. I am willing to take Xandros’ word for the matter.
4) I am tired of being called a liar, and arrogant, and many other things unprintable. I wrote an article that was, to a large extent, highly complimentary of Xandros. I praised Xandros for its smoothness, its ease of use, its ease of networking with Windows boxes. I praised Xandros for its Xandros Networks utility, which I said was better than CnR. I wrote MANY complimentary things about Xandros and I still stand by them.
5) However I did make one more statement that needs correcting. In my article I “falsely” stated that the Xandros community was helpful and friendly. That WAS a false statement. During my testing of Xandros I posted to the Xandros forums and I was savaged fro my opinion even then. However, I decided to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and refrained from mentioning this in my article. I am ashamed of this falsehood and I hereby retract it and issue an apology to anyone who was misled into thinking that the Xandros forums were a friendly and helpful place.
6) I worte two articles about Lindows, both of which had some negative comments. Instead of attacking me, members of the Lindows community praised me and told me they appreciated my forthwrite honesty. Members of the Lindows company privately told me that they are already working on the deficiencies that I mentioned. No one got mad. No one.
7) I wrote a review of MEPIS that also has both good and bad comments. The founder of MEPIS emailed me himself to thank me for taking the time to review his distro and thanking me for my remarks. Other members of the MEPIS reacted in a friendly manner. No one got mad.
8) I wrote an article about Libranet. I made comments both good and bad. Some people that posted here thought that some of my remarks were unfair. But no one attacked me, nor cursed me, nor spammed my email box with hateful messages. NO ONE on the Libranet forums offered any comment that was less than professional and courteous.
9) I wrote an article about Xandros and all hell broke loose. I praised everything about Xandros except two points that I thought improvement. Rather than focus on the long list of things that I liked about Xandros, I was ripped to pieces both here and on the Xandros forums for daring to suggest that Xandros might have flaws.
10) I have been asked by the president of my local LUG to give a presentation at the next meeting about newbie friendly distros such as Lindows and Xandros. I may or may not do this. If I do accept the invitation, you can be certain that I will not be presenting about Xandros.
I would not willingly point any newbie that I liked toward Xandros. Not because of the distro. The distro is beautiful. Not because of the company. I think the company is honestly trying hard and has an excellent technical base to build from. Xandros the comapny and Xandros the distro are both technially superior and striving for excellence.
However, I have been cursed, abused, spammed, insulted, called a liar and generally derogated for nothing more than expressing my opinion once too often. The Xandros community is not a gruop with which I care to associate myself in any way.
Now, I will not mention the matter again, nor will I respond to any further remarks if I can possibly help it.
Please leave me alone.
Barry
Your very first post to the Xandros Forum was an intentional and admitted attempt at trolling. Despite this you were given cheerful and helpful advice from the people you admit were trying to provoke.
You made an incorrect staement about XFM and were corrected on that. Instead of being gracious and saying “Yes, you’re right, my mistake.” You got snarky and sarcastic, and continued in the line throughout all this.
I’ve got no sympathy for you at all. Your attitude was mean-spirited and rude. That’s why people have been reacting negatively. No wonder you were “savaged.”