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After being chided more
than once by one of our SIG leaders (who shall remain nameless) about
how I am still using the rather outdated Red Hat 8 on my laptop, I
decided to try something new. If you haunt the magazine section at the
bookstore like I do, looking for interesting reading, you've seen the
British magazine Linux Format. On my last trip to Borders, I noticed a
more technical version called Linux User & Developer. Both magazines
are a fun read, as they put a distinctly different slant on the news
and issues surrounding Linux and open source software. What makes Linux
Format stand out on the shelf is the two or three CD-ROMs attached to
each issue. Issue 39 of Linux User & Developer (I guess they don't
use months over there) came with two full Linux desktop distributions.
The one that caught my eye, and got me to cough up the $11.99 price, is
the business-oriented Xandros Desktop OS 2.
Xandros Desktop is a Debian-based distribution
that has two really key differences from all of the Linux variants I
have tried: (1) it's not free and (2) it actually works. Here is what I
found when I did the install:
It installed without a hitch on my many-years old 300MHz
Winbook. X-windows worked from the get-go, although I had to move the
mouse from the PS/2 port to USB. Since this is a pretty new laser mouse
and it was plugged in thru a USB to PS/2 adapter, the switch was not a
big deal. This was the only hardware issue!
The CD is a 30-day trial which is not noted anywhere on the
magazine. It is on the CD in very small type. Actually this was my first
clue that things would be different.
I could actually print to my network printer on the first try!
This is something I've been able to accomplish only once before in many,
many, many tries.
Installing and configuring wireless networking took a couple of pokes to find the right place to do the configuration.
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Windows networking actually works right
"out of the box". After walking thru the network setup wizard, I was
able to browse the other computers on the network and copy files back
and forth. Cool!
The Linux machine could even join Active Directory domain on my
network so that file permissions became automatic when opening files
over the network-just like Windows. And a directory share on Xandros
opens up from Windows as well, although I don't have the file
permissions quite right yet.
Their update facility, called Xandros Networks, is almost as
easy to use as Windows Update and seems to work just as well. This alone
is worth the price.
Using StarOffice 7 on Xandros, I was able to open this very
document from the server, continue writing and then save it back to the
server - just as if I were using Microsoft Word® on Windows. Now I'm
back on my other laptop running XP Pro to finish up.
The Xandros CD includes Crossover Office which is supposed to
let you run Microsoft Office on Linux. I haven't tried that yet. The
distribution does include a really cool version of classic solitaire,
the only computer game I actually play, and this version plays way
better than the Windows version.
So is this distribution good enough to pay
for? So far, I think so. There are several versions available on the
Xandros web site (www.xandros.com)
ranging from a free "Open Circulation" version (free when using a
BitTorent download only) to $96.75 for the Business Edition, which is
what is on the trial CD I installed.
Jim Scheef is president of DACS.
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