| Linspire Linux desktop turns Five-0 |
Mar. 17, 2005
Linspire Inc. announced Wednesday that it has released the latest version of its desktop Linux operating system, Linspire "Five-0." The San Diego-based company, which was known as Lindows until reaching a settlement last year with Microsoft over trademark issues, has incorporated nearly 1,200 improvements and enhancements into the new version.
Included with the new version are the latest versions of several well-known open-source applications, including the OpenOffice productivity suite, Lsongs Music Manager and Lphoto Photo Manager, RealPlayer 10 and Lassist Suite, and a contact and email manager. In addition, Five-0 comes with expanded support for popular file formats, including .mp3, .doc, and .pdf, among others.
Although Linspire is positioning its operating system at education and businesses via a professional version launching later this year, the company appears to be pointing Five-0 squarely at the consumer market.
According to Linspire President and COO Kevin Carmony, Wal-Mart, perhaps the company's best-known and largest partner, will most likely upgrade the Microtel white boxes it sells with the Linspire OS to Five-0 within the next 30 days.
Carmony said that while the new version of Linspire offers more business-related features, the company always has made the consumer space a priority in its strategy.
"Right now, [our customer base] is about 70 percent consumer and 30 percent business, and we are getting stronger in business all the time. But businesses have always tended to move more slowly in this area, so rather than wait around, we decided from the beginning to go into the consumer space while businesses catch up," Carmony said.
Linspire is available for immediate download at the company's Web site and is expected to be available in retail-box form later this month. The basic version costs $49.95, while its enhanced CNR ("Click and Run Warehouse") version costs $89.95. Those who buy a new Linspire computer through one of the company's 350 OEM vendors will get free CNR service, which enables users to download and install or upgrade over 2,000 Linux-compatible programs with a single mouse click, for 15 days. After that time has elapsed, users can then purchase the service for $49.95 per year.
According to Carmony, about 80 percent of Linspire Linux users subscribe to CNR despite the added cost because it allows for easy installation. In addition, it allows for easy upgrade of programs and preconfigures such applications as the GIMP image rendering program to make the program more comfortable and familiar to users who, until now, have used more commonly known programs like Adobe Systems Inc.'s Photoshop.
"It's like getting an oil change for your car. You can change the oil yourself, but sometimes it's easier to pay someone else to do it. I'm the president of this company, and I don't know how to install Linux software. I just don't have the time," Carmony said.
While ease-of-use capabilities certainly are a criteria for choosing an OS, they are not the only ones people use when deciding to migrate to a Linux distribution, according to Stacey Quandt, senior business analyst and open-source practice leader at Westport, Conn.-based research firm Robert Francis Group.
Other Linux distributions, such as Mandrake, are known for their ease of use, said Quandt. For her part, the types of certified applications available for a distribution, the distribution's overall relevance for an end user's needs, and the sort of customer support a vendor provides play as important a role as ease of use.
Having said that, Quandt added that Linspire's ability to gain recognition and build its brand through its association with Wal-Mart and other resellers indicates that Linspire's product has captured many people's attention.
If you found this eWEEK.com article by Robyn Weisman informative, be sure to check out eWEEK.com's Linux & Open Source Center for the latest open-source news, reviews, and analysis.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.
Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.
Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.
Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.
Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.
Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.
Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.
SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.
Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.
Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed
