Maybe someone already pointed this out, stopped reading about halfway through the thread when the same arguments had been used several times over.

I myself haven't even tried Lindows and probably won't, I'm perfectly satisfied with Slackware, but what I want to emphasize the target group of Lindows. I don't think Lindows is primarily aimed toward Linux gurus but rather toward ordinary home users that doesn't know anything about computers but having enough sense in thinking about migrating from Windows to Linux. With this in mind I think most people clearly see why the Lindows business model isn't all that bad, providing ease of use at a fair price. More experienced Linux users can always get a free copy of Lindows if it's available and install all the applications the old fashioned way, or simply use any other distro they like.

Bottom line is, experienced Linux users should't complain about how they think Lindows is the worst ever distro, instead just let the people who like Lindows use it however they want. Not everyone can be as computer savvy as many of the LQ members are but wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone just stopped using Microsoft products.

That's my opinion anyway.

// Narooze

I'm not sure because I never used Lindows. Didn't someone else say that they charge extra for software that is free elsewhere. For example to download Xine you don't just pay for your click and run membership., but also an additional charge as well. I see no problem with charging for your download service. After all people are paying for the convenience. But if they are charging for programs that are free elsewhere. Couldn't they get in trouble with the programs designers? After all they are making money off of other peoples hard work.

It's true that they charge extra for every application you download with CNR, but nothing says that you have to use CNR, Lindows is like every other distro, you can download the source of any application and compile it, or you can download precompiled binaries and hope for them to work, and since Lindows built from Debian I think most Debian packages should work flawlessly.

According the GNU GPL, under which most Linux applications are released, anyone can do almost anything they want with the application, change bits of it, put it up for download on webpages or sell it as is, providing they follow the license, that's the beauty of open source and also exactly what Lindows is doing. Actually, all distro does this, cause a distro is nothing but a collection of applications distributed as a bundle, most distributions you can even buy if you like, others you have to buy if you want to use them, but that's a whole other topic.

// Narooze

You'll need to find out which version of Debian Lindows is built from to know what packages will work. There's just the two I know of: Woody (stable) or Sarge (testing). If you do it this way though, you'll also need to figure out what can be done about not breaking dependencies. There are tools like Synaptic that work really well for this. In Xandros you can add sources for apt and use pinning to ensure that the dependencies aren't broken.

As many longtime Deb users will tell you, if you break it then it's not going to work!

If you're a debian user already you probably now how to use sources.list and how to pin packages. Do this right and you'll have no problems.
Of course Lindows isn't made for this kind of use though - it's made for Click-N-Run, which is the centre of the business model.

If you like the simpleness of Lindows (drivers get set up, app installations are a one click etc) I can highly recommend you to visit choicepc.com where you can get a lifetime access to Click-N-Run for $100! Once you have a CNR license you'll get every version of LindowsOS for free as well!

1. You don't like Lindows -- so don't use it. You don't see LindowsOS users hanging out in Mandrake forums or SuSe forums bashing their OS. LindowsOS users CHOOSE to run LindowsOS and most of them are quite happy. Lindows.com is not trying to trick you into buying their products. If you don't want to buy or use it -- don't.

2. You don't understand why the LindowsDVD player costs money.

The DVD player uses a LICENSED, COMMERCIAL decoder that has been paid for. There is no reverse engineering done to get the DVD player to work. Lindows.com paid a licensing fee to use the DVD decoder. As far as I know, LindowsDVD player and LinDVD, are the only legal, and licensed players for Linux (I could be wrong about this though). You might be using "libdvdcss" but, who paid for the license for DVD decoding? Most CSS decryption software is left to external libraries which must be obtained elsewhere and stand on legally shaky ground. The only way to buy a license is to go through the DVD CCA (http://www.dvdcca.org/).

Hi,

Currently there is a list of resellers located on this site:
http://www.lindows.com/lindows_feature_reseller.php#usa

I'm not sure if you have stores like Fry's in Miami though? The best way to obtain a demo of LindowsOS is to do a search on a P2P network and download a file called "lindowslive".

You can get BitTorrent from here:

http://bitconjurer.org/BitTorrent/download.html

Then, go to SuprNova (http://www.suprnova.org/) and click on Apps > Linux and search for LIndowsLive! in the list. Then, click to download it.

Once you download the ISO you can burn it to a CD and have a demo of LindowsOS that you can test out on your machine. Since it runs from the CD -- you won't have any worries about it wiping out your existing setup.

Hope this helps.

hmmm where ever you go people fighting over distros and this and that.

Personally I a mandrake man but also have xandros suse lindows slackware win2k and xp all on the same pc.

as of late I spend more time in lindows however It will grow old and Then I will go back to what ever

point being is linux is linux is linux with few differences from distro to distro by bashing one distro all we acomplish is bringing the rest of them down as well.The point of it all is to have a choice in what you do or use.And thats what linux stands for no matter what distro it is.So please instead of bashing learn the good points and emphasize those.....

atokad

Excellent point. When people choose to run Linux most of them switch and stop using Microsoft Windows. This means more hardware support, better software, and a greater demand for Linux products. The more people that switch and choose Linux... the better! The field of operating systems has been in dire need of CHOICE for a long, long time and Linux makes that possible. Who really cares what distro you use? If you find something that works for you: use it! The negative comments about other distros are really counterproductive and serve no purpose -- all they do is make the whole Linux community look bad.

Legalities are a funny thing. I paid for my DVD so I really think that I can watch it on any device I feel like. Or wait, is there a law that says I can't watch my DVD on something other than what the DVD manufacturer tells me to watch it on? You'll have to point that one out to me.

As for the comment about not liking Lindows...

I didn't walk into using Lindows thinking I would dislike it. In fact, I thought I'd think it was great. My original post was to point out to would-be Lindows users that there are less expensive alternatives that are as easy or easier to use. Forums are for anyone, so you'll just have to live with those of us who don't like Lindows posting comments.

I have ISO files of Lindows available for anyone wanting to try it. Just email me.

I encourage people to try as many different Linux distros as they can and then choose the one that best meets their needs.

You are entitled to your own opinion. But, you'll never see me (or the majority of other LindowsOS users) hanging out in the Xandros or Libranet forums talking negatively about another distro. It seems pointless. Both of those distros have their good qualities and I just think it would be more productive to focus on the good qualities of Linux and not quarrel over differences of opinion.

I'm not a lawyer so I can't comment on whether you should or should not do something. All I'm saying is that if you get big enough to get "above the radar" the lawyers who work for the media companies will start to pay attention to you. If you have the best selling OS in the world and the media companies think that you are violating some law -- they will come after you whether you believe in it or not.

I agree with everything in your latest post. I too encourage people to try out as many distros as they can to find what they like. I wasn't putting down Lindows for how it functions. Being based off Debian, I expect it runs quite well. My distaste for Lindows comes from the prices for software. I am also not against charging for software and paid $89 for my copy of Xandros. However, I find Lindows prices to be quite inflated. The CNS system utilizes the same software as any distro but places a pricetag on everything.

Linux is free as in freedom, not free as in beer. I forget who said that recently -someone involved in the SCO lawsuit. Lindows is free to charge whatever they like and the users are free to spend their money however they see fit. I really don't see where we're not seeing eye to eye on this. My intent is to point out to newbies (I've stated this several times now) that there are less expensive ways to discover Linux. Lindows has made a name for itself by being easy to use for the former Windows user. There are still less expensive alternatives.

Now onto that issue of DVDs... this is a basic function of a DVD-ROM. If you buy a DVD-ROM then you are licensed to use that device to view DVDs. If you then purchase DVDs you are again licensed to use that device for viewing purposes. The lawsuit over encryption is a joke. The only reason it's an issue with Linux at all is because they can't make money off of each individual user. They don't care that they've already made money from the DVDs, they want control at every level. It's not a crime though to use your devices for what they were intended for.

I could say the same for MP3s. Legally, running XMMS to play MP3s is just as illegal as using libdvdcss. Does Lindows charge for XMMS as well? I know they charge for OpenOffice which can be downloaded directly from www.openoffice.org and installed on any Linux machine without cost.

You can think of these things as OPINIONS but they're based in fact. Lindows isn't a fully functioning system. The prices for software are higher than any distro I can think of. I think that pointing these things out in the Lindows forum makes a lot of sense and I encourage you to do the same with Mandrake, Libranet, or Xandros should you come across similar issues. That's kind of what forums are about.

"Facts" that you seemed to have come up with based on your own personal opinion. My LindowsOS system with a CNR membership is FULLY functional and has been for quite some time. The real issue is that you don't like the prices that Lindows.com is charging. OK. If I go to a resturaunt and I don't like the value of the meal -- I go somewhere else. But, if I like the resturaunt and the meal lives up to my expectations I'm willing to pay for it (regardless of what it costs). So, what might not be a good value to you might be a GREAT value to someone else. Value is a very subjective thing.

Richard Stallman.