Hey there guys. I love linuxquestions, and have loved this forum and this site since i started using mandrake a year or so ago. Recently I have taken quite an interest in the Lindows Linsipre OS. I really want to have an opinion on it, but I'm really not sure how I feel about it.

In some ways, I think its great that it gives the end users a greater selection of choice. Now it seems we have Apple/Linux/Windows/ and now Linspire. I love using linux and opensource because of the principles the software was created upon. I cant help but feel the closedness of linspire violates this. Does anyone else agree with me on this?

I think Linspire is finally forcing opensource software to realize something. Can you truly provide worldwide support and compatibility in software with out directly asking for money. If lindows takes off and becomes a large percentage of PC's in the home and work place, I think its proving that.

Anyways, my point is of this post was just to see what my fellow linux users and lovers feel about the Linspire Operating system.

This post was purposely posted here becuase I want other distro users to post there feelings about this OS.

Also, read this: www.linspire.com/mm

The idea is good, but there is no trial version, so why should I buy something, just to experience it's not working on my PC (only) ?
(Pig in a poke)

You have been beaten to it - have a look at the LQ Lindows Forum. Many people have already posted their feelings about the OS.

I'm not sure, mainly because I've not tried that one... The idea is good, but I don't agree paying for CNR. What is up with that? Download free-software for a fee?. I'd ratter use something else...

Some new distribution that brought my attention, was Sun JDS (http://wwws.sun.com/software/javades...tem/index.html). I had the "pleasure" to install and configure that in a friend's machine. Terrible: Installation stalls when installing Evolution (you've to kill scrollkeeper-in to continue), over 2GB of useless applications, including Java Media Player, which plays nothing and looks ugly...

And has also anual fees. You might say, but MMX, it's their first attempt with Linux. Actually, Sun JDS2 is out, and the same error during the installation (stall under Evolution) were reported:

http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=7228

and during all your experience with Sun JDS, you see name "Suse" here, there and everywhere. What? Were the engineers at Sun lazy enough to change some Strings?.

Plain and truthfully: The more "easie of use" they try to push Linux to the desktop user, the more buggy it is and the more expensive it gets... it's just like trying to make Windows into a great shell-based Operating System...

Moved to the Distributions - Linspire forum.

Lindows is a good idea because it makes Linux more approachable for newbies. I've been a software engineer since 1964 and in recent years have been involved in embedded systems. Windows has been the desktop of choice for some time. Despite my experience I'm a Linux newbie. Many Unix engineers I have known took great pride in the complexity of their tool -- separated the anointed from the unwashed. The image left is that a lot of effort is required to be able to do anything useful -- Windows sounds easier. Even in my case I didn't want to take the time to re-learn something I could already do. XP pushed me over the edge and Lindows allowed me to use while learing. In the long term I may very well change to another distribution, time will tell -- I am a geek after all. I will always remember Lindows got me there.

George