When I first installed it, I thought it was a big rip-off, with the CNR garbage (basically paying more money than I paid for my copy of WinXp pro to do the same things/run the same type of apps). After I learned to use the apt-get (never bothered with it before, was a big RedHat/Fedora RPM guy) and installed Synaptic, CNR got tossed into the circular file. You can install just about any application you want with Synaptic for free (sorry about the enthusiasm, but I'm sort of new to debian). I like it so much now, I'm ditching M$ for the time being (except for my laptop, not sure how wireless works with Linspire yet). I'm one step closer to a Windows free home. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate windows, but Linspire has caused me to like Linux much more.
BTW... I purchased the non-CNR version.

You reckon? You have two computers, if not more. Is every copy of XP that you have actually paid for? Is every Microsoft application on each computer paid for? Take MS Word, for example, the licence conditions state that you need one paid licence for each computer because there is no portability allowing you to install it on many but but only use it on one as was once the case, many years ago.

Try doing the mathematics even with one, using the street price for legitimate Microsoft software.

And, please, there is no need to be rude about an application that works extremely well if you choose to use it. Many do, for many reasons. If it were "garbage" even those who choose to use it probably wuldn't bother.

Many people prefer the Debian way of doing it to using rpms's... probably that has a bearing on the number of distributions that are based on Debian.

CNR (Click-n-Run) is purely a service that is there as an option to use, without any compulsion if you prefer not to.

One of the things done during the last phase of the beta program on Linspire 5 was to try and resolve as many wireless networking problems as possible. You might like to consider doing a dual boot installation on your laptop to check this out. It may very well work for you.

While my LAN is cat5e 10/100 cable (no wireless), I installed Linspire 5 on my wife's Compaq Evo laptop in order to simplify reinstalling Win2000 on it after the NTFS got corrupted. This was needed because there wasn't a CD or hidden partition with all the drivers needed on it. I used Linspire 5 and its very good network, video, and audio chip recognition to download all the Windows drivers needed, AVG anti-virus, Ad-Aware, Spybot, Gaim, Eudora, Firefox... lol

Indeed I would like to persuade my wife to migrate, but there again I also run Win2000 on a couple of machines, myself

Sorry, but there is no such animal as a non-CNR version of Linspire.

ummm... All Linspire works with CNR in its pristine state; after using other methods of installation, most people find that they are unable to go back to CNR because of what gets broken in the process.

Did you ever actually try CNR?

You may be unaware that you automatically get a free fully working trial version when you first install the OS, so that you can try the simplicity with which it works. It would be interesting, if it is not already too late through using Synaptic and/or other variants, to find what you thought of the one click method.

I like it, mainly because although I have a reasonable amount of technical knowledge, my computers are simply appliances to me. I like to spend as little time as possible "under the hood".

I don't "hate" MS Windows either - I put up with the inconveniences and time-wasting of having to run nasties-checking applications - sometimes a couple of times a day - on each, and their reduced reliability too, because the tasks they do work well. I do find that it still is not as good as Linux (or OS/2 for that matter) in real multi-tasking... they have had long enough to get that right imho.

The great thing about Linux is the level of choice you get about how to use and maintain it. Looks like you enjoy the product. It would be nice for you if the wireless LAN works on your laptop, removing the last need for Mr. Gates alternative system

eagles-lair,
For one, I purchased my winxp pro at a college bookstore (edu. discount). Another thing is that I have been using openoffice for several years now (have only purchased one copy of ms office, back in '99), and also have been using free antivirus and firewall for several years. I used to purchase Madden every year (this year waiting until it went on sale for $15), 3 versions of nba live for $10 dollars each (all legal, by the way), and a slpurge on Halo pc for $40, and MG Substance for $8 (those are the major games... that I'm giving up, btw, for a better Linux world ). Keeping in mind many a filter for "free" license software at download.com to fill my software needs... trust me, if I had to use CNR it was definately not worth the transition, after expecting a better os for less cost (like I said, I'm new to Debian, so I didn't know I didn't have to use the service). The title of my post was, "It gets better!" Cut me some slack. One man's "garbage", another man's treasure .

My wife was open to it after I solved our tv card delima (don't ask me how, because I cheated). The past few years using nothing but openoffice, mozilla (firefox mostly), thunderbird, and dabling with several distros kind of helped matters, also. It takes a little more doing (than windows) at first in Linux to get her desktop to where she will require minimal assistance; but it's fun and it's worth it . I am excited about using Bibletime also (I think that's the name of the Bible study software... been trying to get it to work with redhat distros for years). If I can use my wireless card on my laptop with Linspire, I will have only a 40gb disk (total of 300gb disk space in the house) with windows on a dual boot... so my cousin can use Maya (he's studying in computer animation) to do his class work. After he's done, we will probably be done with Windows. I wouldn't have made the move if it were not for the ease of installation and problem free hardware recognition (except for the dreaded tv card) of Linspire.

Now you are talking

However educational prices are "a sprat to catch a mackerel" as the saying goes... give away enough low cost or free software to hook the user because they become familiar with it, and happy with using it, and bingo! you have another customer prepared to keep paying out for upgrades because they have no choice, lol.

I was stuck in that rut with AutoCAD for years, because Autodesk Inc and Microsoft Inc think very similarly from what I hear!

The last copy of Microsoft Office I bought was the 97 version. Since that time I used Software 602 which came with a paid version as well, which unlocked parts that the free version had but which were not available without a key. Then OOo 1, OOo1.1 and I'm now using the beta of OOo 2 (on MS Windows). I'm not into gaming but I hear negative vibes on certain games from those who do... basically on all types of Linux. The general opinion seems to be to lean on the authors of the games to write a Linux port.

I find the presentation files have a much smaller file size when done in OOo rather than PowerPoint. They also loaded much faster on an old laptop they used for the purpose. I created "overheads" for songs at church for a couple of months and earlier I would save in both formats to get a feel of behaviour. I was very pleased with the OOo way.

I tell a lie about "games". I have two - one DOS, the other Win32; they are both train driving simulators. I haven't even tried either under Linux.

Really, for the dlls to be in the expected location I should reinstall them on a dual boot system, I suppose. That's a lot of work for an academic interest.

The DOS one (RailSim) I wrote a lot of local track and locomotive files for. The Windows one (TrainMaster) is more realistic; both are through the front window views.

I'm looking at ReactOS and FreeDOS for the future of Windows running, I suppose mainly because the integration that allows nasties infection would not be there. A good streamlined minimum footprint Windows can be acchieved with litepc, if you are interested.

Actually it is a darned good OS if you give it half a go, lol! And I like their community too

I used to write reviews for shareware software, and I have a stack of very low-cost or no-cost MS Windows and PC-DOS software.

What TV card did you use? and did you need additional driver support? I'm wanting to create a way to transfer a lot of SVHS tapes I shot to DVD.

I'm not keen on Thunderbird although I've been using it in Windows for 12 months. I like Eudora but they seem to ignore all emails sent to them about a Linux version. Firefox is good, but I note the Windows version does odd things sometimes. The Linux version is solid and dependable, and I greatly prefer it to the bloated Mozilla suite.

I have Bibletime installed in Linspire 4.5 and Linspire 5.0 - but haven't yet worked out how to use it! I have found that a lot of the facilities in my 1995-vintage Quickverse work well in WINE.

There is also a KJV Bible program but have not looked at that for the same reason. My Quickverse has (I think) 5 English language translations, Strongs, and a number of other enhancements. Vine would be nice. But I have a Vines and Strongs in hard copy, though I need a fork-lift for the Strongs, lol.

Not familiar with Maya.

I used it for a little while on my parent's pc, but it ran way to slow, so i removed it.

Linspire is one of the distro's used in our household (and has served as the proving ground for my wifes migration to linux).

I must say that 5.0 is a very, very polished distro. Easy to install and gives you all the basics needed by a modern OS out of the box (though the lack of pre-installed compilers, make, etc was a disappointment...but understandable and easy to remedy).

Though Linspire is not my distro of choice, I can not deny that it is a good distro. Heck, anything that'll turn my wife onto linux (thus giving me an excuse to kill XP) is a good thing.

I used Linspire 5-0 and was very impressed, I'm a college student going for a Linux admin degree, and I have to install programs by hand, but Linspire just makes it so easy, makes me kinda wonder why all software installs arent this easy. Anyways, I installed it on my Dell laptop, it configured everythig perfectly, i thought the sound didnt work, but found that i had it on mute. I'll probably install it on a partition on my home desktop, along with some of my other favorite distros. I just hope Linspire can keep up the good work and maybe come out with a pocket PC version.

you could try emailing them and asking them to do just that. If they don't get asked, likely they won't think there's a market for one.

Old saying by parents to kids:
"Those who don't ask, don't want""

I know Lycoris was going to come out with one, and i waited and waited, and it turned out to be vaporware, but I'll try e mailing them. Thanx, Lair.

Linspire Five-O is too easy. I recently switched from Windows XP to Linspire and after using it for a couple of days, it makes me wonder why I waited!!!!

It's perfect for a newbie like me.

Actually, you can get the "Developer Edition" at the same price as the regular edition. It has compiling tools etc.

The reasoning is simple... the target "audience" is non-technical. It therefore needs to be rock-solid (against user abuse and mistakes, lol) and not have stuff that you can likely break it with.

Gurus and nerds would be more interested in the nerdy stuff like compiling

And Lycoris... well I think it was last week that the merger between Lycoris and Mandriva (the bankrupt Mandrake given a lease of life by merger with Connectiva) was announced.

Maybe we will see a Debian based Mandrake now? Who knows. I found Lycoris easier and nicer to look at than Xandros.

Mandrake filed chapter 11 bankruptcy a looong time ago. they have since recovered and have become one of the richest linux distros. They bought out connectiva a few months ago.

I did try Linspire Live, and I must say that the gui is just beautiful The problem was, though, that there were little glitches everywhere. I'd try to browse to Yahoo, and the Konqueror window would just vanish. There were a few websites that worked, but I had so many "vanishings" that I never put the CD back into the drive again. I'm thinking there must have been some strange hardware issue that I'd probably never be able to track down.

I'm willing to bet, though, with an ideal hardware configuration, the distro would work beautifully for someone else

I have to agree with the folks on how easy Linspire 5.0 loaded. The one main problem I had was Wireless PCMCIA cards, or for that matter the PCMCIA slot itself. I loaded my laptop with Linspire 5.0 as a dual boot with XP. No matter what wireless card I used, Linspire never saw it,,,,not knowing Linux or Linspire that long I searched for ever to find a reference on the net. And finally figured out that Linspire never recognized my PCMCIA slot.

Well, to make things even worse, I obtained a Mini-PCI Internal Wireless card and nothing. Well my nephew decided to work on my PC one nite, and WinXP decided to give me problems, Lucky I have a server in my house with everything backed up. I reloaded the entire machine, with XP and Linspire,,,and walaaaaa. Linspire now sees everything.

And for you Linspire bashers out there, this is the perfect Linux dist. for a non technical user (which I am not by the way), Someone said on an earlier note,,,,,they use their PCs as appliences,,,,same here,,,if it does not work out of the box, why buy it. Linspire has solved all my issues with Linux. Linux is NOT A USER (USER I SAID) friendly OS. If you a geek its fine, if your a USER, stick with Windows or try out Linspire.

Robert

Robert, good post

While some distros seem to have more problems with wireless cards (and from what I understand, Linspire is not one of them there is an inherent problem in all Linuxes with wi-fi for the simple reason that most the various peddlers of wireless LAn interfacing do it a bit differently - because the standards (as I understand it) are draft only.

We may well end up with something like the VHS/Beta wars where the inferior product finally became the standard. Hope that isn't the case, but some commentators appear a bit gloomy.

I use Cat5e cable LAN connections, so have no practical knowledge of this problem.

Yes, the quick recogniition of hardware, and the short installation time is a real plus, as is the "Redetect" mode on earlier Li-Lo and current Grub boot menus is a very handy feature.

Personally I'm having problems with 5.0 and still use 4.5; with a bit of luck 5.1 may fix my problems

In the meantime I tried to download the SuSE 9.2 DVD installation ISO from the SuSE FTP site, but over the last 3 days the bandwidth from there was apalling. One wonders if under the new ownership if it has been throttled.