| Seven Linux distros fight over one old ThinkPad: Freespire snapshot |
(Oct. 5, 2006)
Freespire 1.0.13
Distro overview
Freespire is Linspire's free Linux distribution. It's a Debian-based desktop Linux operating system, which uses the DCC Alliance approach to Debian. It combines open-source software with legally-licensed proprietary drivers, codecs, and applications. For software management, Freespire comes pre-installed with Linspire's commercial CNR (Click N Run) technology, an easy-to-use application download and patching system. Linspire recently transitioned CNR to being a free service, which means no annual subscriptions are required in order to keep Freespire up-to-date.
Observations
Pro's:- CNR ("click-and-run") very easy to use, has lots of available apps, divided into free and commercial/proprietary categories
- CrossOver Office purchase/installation available as a paid CNR option
Con's:- Not a lot of apps are preinstalled, but lots are available via CNR
- New community, but Freespire benefits from Linspire's corporate efforts
- A bit of a challenge to customize to my tastes. Also, desktop arrangement gets messed up by CNR app install, probably due to a bug in screen refresh function (see screenshot, below)
Screenshots
Freespire's default desktop
(Click to enlarge)
Why must these distros insist on rebranding Firefox?
(Click to enlarge)
System configuration tool
(Click to enlarge)
Network configuration tool
(Click to enlarge)
CNR -- an excellent app downloader/installer/updater
(Click to enlarge)
My Freespire desktop, very nearly how I'd like it
(Click to enlarge)
My Freespire desktop, after CNR reshuffles it
(Click to enlarge)
Scorecard
| Freespire Scorecard | | Installation | 5 points | | Customizable | 3 points | | Hardware/multimedia support | 3.5 points | | Apps included/available | 4.5 points | | Total: | 16 points |
Bottom line
Not bad, for a newly released community distro! Plus, the promise of out-of-the-box multimedia/plugins support is particularly alluring. However, like Linspire, this distro is frankly too heavily branded and customized for my tastes. For those seeking a free lightweight Linux distro with a Windows look and feel and ready-to-use multimedia plugins, Freespire should eventually be an ideal option.
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