Well I can't remember if it were the older ATI or NVIVDIA driver modules, but when I tried to install them I got a message telling me that installing them would "taint" the kernel.
But anyways since it's mot GPL it doesn't fit in their philosophy (they even waten Mozilla out of the base since the Mozilla license isn't the same as the GPL).

Hmm... yeah, I guess it could be the ATI drivers. I've never had to deal with that install, but I hear it's a HUGE pain. That could very well mean it needs to be integrated into the kernel somehow... yuck. But the ATI drivers for Linux aren't that great anyway. You DO have to have kernel sources for the nvidia driver install, but you need that anytime that you compile a module.

Anyway, Linspire isn't one of the distros that I've tried, so I can't comment on whether or not my suggestion (Mepis) is actually easier than it, but I can compare it to many other user-friendly distros and say that for me it was the easiest to use of the bunch. And it was mainly so easy because of the included tutorials of many of the most used programs (the control center, Synaptic, etc), the easy to use Synaptic package manager with the HUGE database of debian packages available, the easy install from a Live CD (which means that you actually get to install from a fully functional desktop with internet and everything), and some very commonly used software that most distros DON'T come with installed by default (I've already listed most of these). I'm comparing it to Ubuntu, Xandros, Mandriva, Fedora, BeatrIX, and several other easier distros out there.

Yeah, that's kind of the way I feel, also. I've been running Lindows/Linspire since v3.0 but stopped paying the subscription fee last May after 2 years of paying. I've found that updating/upgrading/installing software without that subscription is darned near impossible. Paying a yearly subscription fee for my OS to stay usable feels too much like Micro$oft.

I just purchased another Linspire system this past Thursday. At $160 from Fry's for a Sempron 2200 system it was too good a deal to pass up regardless of the OS. Besides, I figured that buying another Linspire system would automatically get me a new account with CNR. Wrong! I got one free "trial" download, in my case PDF Reader. After that, every selection took me to the paid subscription signup page. By Monday morning, I expect to have either Knoppix, Mepis, or Kubuntu installed in place of Linspire on this machine.

And that brings me back to the point of the quote above. Since Linspire was my introduction to LINUX 2.5 years ago and it came then with a free one year CNR subscription, I'd never realized what a truly crippled distro it is. The tutorial brags that CNR is what sets Linspire apart from all other distros. That's exactly correct but not in the way they'd have you believe. What is unique is that Linspire requires the paid subscription in order to really do anything useful with the computer its running on.

My OS library currently includes Red Hat from v.5.0 to 6.2, Mandrake from 8.0 to 10.1, Mepis 3.3.1 and 3.3.2, Knoppix 3.4, 3.9, and now 4.0.2, Peanut Linux, Damn Small Linux, Linspire 4.5, PCLinuxOS Live, and Kubuntu 5.10. With the sole exception of LInspire, every one of them, even Damn Small and Peanut Linux, include a usable word processor rather than just a "text editor." They all include a spreadsheet application. They have a variety of compilers and development applications. In contrast, Linspire has CRN where I can pay to download the stuff that comes in other distros by default.

Yes, Linspire has a buggy Linspire Suite browser that often crashes when I try to load websites. If I want Firefox I need to subsribe to CNR. Linspire has vi and a simple "Text Editor" word processor; no emacs at all. Every other distro except DSL and Peanut include Open Office as part of the package; I need to buy CNR to get it with Linspire. Linspire included five Windows-style games, KNOPPIX includes more subcategories of games than that, each with one or more really good games.

I could go on and on but you get the picture. In short, all the stuff that normall comes as part of even the most compact Linux distributions is a CNR download with Linspire. No CNR, no software. As I said, this box is not going to stay Linspire much beyond this weekend, if that long. There are too many good, complete distros like UBUNTU (which will even mail you their CDs for FREE!) out there to keep paying ransom to Linspire for the use of my machine.

WOW... so much to comment on... I've looked at ALL them.. knoppix, mepis, xandros.... you name it, I've installed it... Suse 10, Fedora, Redhat 9.0, Debian Sarge, Ubuntu sucked (for me), Mepis is very good, the freespire (using now) has serious video issues, fedora was alright but community sucked (snippy bunch of butt holes)... and there's one from India named Everyones Linux (elx I think)...

<soapbox>
Debian needs to get off their high horse and at least include those 'non-free' packages with their distro. Nobody says they have to INSTALL them by default, but it would save debian users a WHOLE lot of 'Post Install' hassles if they where already available like in a 'non-free' directory or something.. Oh well..
</soapbox>

So, which one would I recommend to a good friend?? I suppose it would have to be Mepis... Not perfect but a very well developed distro with current apps and it upgrades directly from debian sources without any problem (that I'm aware of) using the Synaptic GUI or apt-get/depkg command line tools...

btw: apt and gui synaptic was modified to work with rpm's by Connectiva (out of south america) Its available for Fedora and I used it when I was evaluating FC4. My complaint is, it did not list the installed files in the properties section and I REALLY use that feature a lot.. Anyway, other than that, it seemed to work pretty good ... BUT, with that said, I have to admit I was really impressed with yum!! Definately an apt/dpkg contender!!

On tainting the kernel, I can only think of two things that do that.. There may be more but these are the ones I'm aware of..

1) Any NON-GNU module (like nvidia)
2) drivers (modules) that do not exactly match the loading kernel version
ex: kernel 2.6.10 trying to load psaux.ko for kernel version 2.6.8

From experience, this happened to me with the conexent winmodem driver that I compiled and installed... Complained about the License...

This version of Linspire I'm using now complains about the nvidia driver tainting the kernel too..

You have a good point there, but the people at Debian Legal are just to narrow minded to see it. If you look back a few months you'll see that Debian Legal wanted Mozilla out of the default repositories because the Mozilla License was not 100% compatible with the GPL (they wanted to move it to non-free, that's not a big deal since you can still APT it from the non-free reposiroties but it would mean it would not be installed by default like on most other distro's).

Debian is trying very hard to be 100% GNU/Linux and for them that means some sacrifice.
Since Debian is not realy targetting the newbie market (Debian has always been known as an elite distro) I doubt they realy care about people complaining they need to manually install a non-free package.

Yes, I get the Debian Weekly Newsletter and saw that topic... It's that mindset that'll help keep fueling these debian based distros'... Most of them either install these 'freely available but not truly free' packages by default or put them on the media so they are readily available and don't need to be downloaded.. (just look at the sizes of some of them... java, flashplayer, essentials (the package w/all those useful codecs).. wow...)

I acknowledge there user base as more techie than most, but they did 'finally' give in to the complaints about their install and came up with something users of almost any level of experience can use... Step TWO might be getting them over this hurdle.. :-)

I had the good fortune to get into the Lindows/Linspire program on the ground floor; the OS is particularly useful for persons that just want to "get in & go". I've set up a few senior citizens with inexpensive boxes & used CRT monitors donated by businesses upgrading to TFT/LCD.
The folks wind up with a good dependable system for around $200, and my freezer is full of pies & casseroles taken as "payment" for service calls or extra tutoring.
We're currently expanding into the Latino market with the same program.