I've checked around on the Sun site a little and the only JDS download I can find is JDS for Solaris. Is this the correct one? Can someone please post a link, I really would like to try JDS... I don't care if I do have to pay for it...

If you purchace JDS now at http://wwws.sun.com/software/javades...tem/index.html I think you will get the Release 3 for free when it gets released.

I am happy to see that there are some more users interrested in JDS.

Kind Regards,

RIcardo W.

So it is not free?
what sets it apart from the free distributions?

that's what many of us are trying to find out as well. When it first came out it appeared Sun really wanted this to be just like Mandrake and Lycoris because they had it on some computers for sale via wal marts online store but now I'm getting vibes that they are abandoning the marketing push for home use and gearing it for enterprise. If so I don't know how that will work either I've yet to see a company run any recognizable desktop linux. Oh I've seen them run a terminal window inside windows coming from whats more than likely a *nix mainframe but on the desktop client end I've yet to see it (or RedHat or Suse or any other) on any companies client pcs. So unless they are planning a massive marketing campaign at customers of their server and mainframe products to use their client ones as well I just don't see this succeeding.

I'd love to be wrong, it would be truely great to finally have a Linux distro that can actually be an alternative to windows and mac (which I really think will only happen if they truely consider their os an OS and not just another distro, this means evangelizing hardware vendors or building their own pcs for it ala Apple if it can't be done) and I do think Sun or IBM are the only companies that could pull it off, everyone else is too deep in Microsoft's pockets. Heck I've often wondered IBM hasn't done it already with their RISC processors and we'd be back to the days of the IBM PC only better. Apple would probably have a cow but I'd bet G5 IBM made Linux computers would be HUGE and overnight we'd see professional drivers suddenly appear out of nowhere from hardware vendors which is what we've dreamed of. We all love open source for software but we all know nothing beats a simple install for hardware drivers period.

JDS is not free as in beer. It's an enterprise desktop and sold primarily to companies, governments, educational users, etc.

The desktop itself is a combination of components made up of gnome 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6. But, it uses the configuration model of Gnome 2.2.

It comes with support, maintenance and free upgrades. Corporate costs are $25 per desktop and individuals get it for $50. You can put it on up to 5 systems per license.

It's nothing like Lycoris or Mandrake. The underbelly of the product they sell in the US is SLES SuSE and Sun engineers the desktop.

It's a complete GNU/Linux distributions with several non-free items added. It comes with Star Office so you get the Linux distribution and Star Office plus re engineered items for basically $50 (which is less than Star office).

Sun mostly sells the desktop to organizations with 1000 + employees.

They do have a large home user base and that's how JDSHelp.org came into play. About 12 Linux veterans got together and formed a community site. We support home users, gamers, and do our own rpms and upgrades.

I see that.. and it looks pretty cool... I think I may have to give it a try... I especially like Project Looking Glass.. and $50 isn't much at all... SuSE pro is $90... I think it looks great... and I also like StarOffice so that's a plus...

I've seen several reports for various banks and private schools implementing JDS too... so that's cool...

I saw a live demo of JDS and looking glass at the LinuxWorld Expo in London recently and I was really impressed. I considered getting it for my little business and for personal use, but because I can't simply buy it from a retailer or local shop it's really difficult for me (business based in Africa) to switch from my current distro. If SUN made it available for sale in major retail outlets, I bet they would get a lot of customers, not just on an enterprise level, but also desktop customers coz JDS is well integrated, easy to use and shows a lot of potential for future improvement

I'd say Munich, Germany is fairly large....and pretty soon over 14,000 desktops are going to be running SUSE. I'd say that is fairly impressive. Novell is also in the process of moving their internal desktops over to SUSE. I have heard Sun is rolling out JDS with a Linux base for their internal desktops.

tadelste, r u and the other guys who set this forum up affiliated with Sun??? Or are you guys just the maintainers of jdshelp.org?

Interesting info and good point rm I failed to consider non US companies.

tadelste, r u and the other guys who set this forum up affiliated with Sun??? Or are you guys just the maintainers of jdshelp.org?

Yes -- it's me in both cases.

JDS is not free , but do you have e-Mail?

Yes, I have email. How come?

i have e-mail as well... you can use the one right here on LQ... thanks...

Just an additional comment about access to JDS and its state of free-ness.

The best way to get JDS, the full version of the software, is from the Sun Microsystems' Web Store as suggested above for $50 (US):

http://store.sun.com/CMTemplate/CESe...P&catid=110287

Is JDS free?
*************

Some open source pundits and opinion leaders have harshly criticised Sun for JDS's complex and restrictive EULA (End User LIcensing Agreement). The criticism seems to be part of a concerted effort by Sun's competitors (including Red Hat, IBM, Microsoft and others) to shift the general hatred of Microsoft toward Sun, and many innocent free software advocates have taken the bait. They also imply that JDS is a closed system, suffering from proprietary dependencies.

In fact, the JDS license is not as restrictive as they claim since it passes through the open source licenses (GPL, LGPL, Mozilla Public License, and others) of the open source components unadulterated. Most of JDS is open source software, while most of the hazy terms of the EULA were instituted to impact only those proprietary pieces of software which Sun has seen fit to integrate in order to enhance the useability and functionality of JDS past what would be possible if it were relegated to including only Free Software components.

JDS costs $50 and is not downloadable (although the updates to which users are entitled for 1 year are delivered via download), so it is not free (in the sense of BEER); however, composed of mostly Free Software, JDS and its most critical components are subject to all the benefits attending open source software--including openly viewable code, continuous improvement, etc. Those who call the presence of the Java language, for one example, a "proprietary depenency" are strident and impractical Free Software purists who show no respect for end users who favor compromises that enable them to function in a real world where the user must interact with other standards--like Flash, Real Media, Adobe PDF, Java and others--no matter how distasteful they may be.

JDS is targeted as an enterprise product, so its license is written to address the limitations and restrictions that enterprise customers have become accustomed to and in fact demand.

To say JDS is not free is correct. To say it is not Free (out of context) is a misleading and even sladerous remark, as the great majority of software that's integrated in the system is Free and Open Source. Sun has the respect of the open source communities (in which they are the most active of the major software vendors) and good judgement to allow the existing licenses of JDS's open source components to maintain primary status.

-Sam Hiser

terrific... just what I was asking.. I don't mind spending the $50... I just wanted to see if I could get a trial version first to see if I really wanted to migrate to it.. ah well.. I guess I'll buy it anyways...

Also, I think that if is as good as everyone says... Sun ought to consider selling it at Best Buy, CompUSA, etc.. because if I was at Best Buy looking at SuSE Professional 9.1 for $100 and Sun JDS for $50 including StarOffice... I would be picking up JDS in a heartbeat...

:::biased statement since I have already purchased SuSE 9.1::::