 |
| Todays Date:Tuesday February 09, 2010 |
|
|
|||
|
| :: Home :: Commentary :: Reviews :: Tips :: Week in Review :: Linux in Action :: Security :: Screenshots :: Links |
|
By: Brad Chamberlin Date: 01/06/2004 [Introduction] While not as vocal as Lindows, Xandros is the "other" consumer desktop distribution. Both share a lot in common and both have their differences. I never got the chance to try Xandros 1.0 but was never impressed by the screenshots. I have never liked the idea of a company distributing a Linux distribution without, at the very least, having an evaluation version available to download for free. SuSE even lets you do an ftp install several months after the boxed sets have been out, and lets you download a LiveEval CD. I have also never really liked trying to "emulate" or "rip-off" the windows interface, which Xandros 1.0 looked to be doing. After seeing that Xandros 2.0 was soon to be released and that it actually had fairly up to date software, such as KDE 3.1, I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately Xandros does not offer, at this time, an evaluation version so I ended up purchasing the Standard Version. Being impatient I opted for the download version which gives you two links, one for the iso image and one for the pdf "Quick Start Guide". During using (and reading this review on) Xandros you have to keep in mind what its targeted demographic is. Xandros is marketed toward Windows and Mac users, computer novices, and other non-geek's. Currently I would say there are three players in this field: Lindows, Xandros, and Lycoris. At some point ArkLinux will also fill this void with a community friendly (and free) distribution but is currently only in the alpha stages. Another future competitor in this field might come from Bruce Perens UserLinux project. [History] Xandros started out its life as Corel Linux, after Corel's Linux division went under Xandros acquired the rights to Corel's Linux distribution. Corel's Linux distribution was based on Debian, so naturally Xandros is Debian based. As a side note, Lindows licensed Xandros base as a starting point for LindowsOS and Lindows is Debian based. [The Installation] I won't go into great detail about the installer, only because from what I have heard it is relatively unchanged from its previous release. I did not take any screenshots of the installer but I found some of the old 1.0 screenshots on the web which can be found here: http://www.ataglance.co.za/xandros_Installation_screen_shots.htm Unlike Lindows, though I have been told that this has been fixed in the 4.5 release, Xandros requires you to create user accounts and enter a root (administrator) password. For those that have read my previous rants about Lindows you will know that this was one of my major reasons for not being able to suggest it to new users. After using Xandros 2.0 for the last month I can say that the creation of user accounts in no way makes it any harder to use than what Lindows is/was doing. Upon installation and reboot you are greeted with the usual "First Run Wizard." Xandros also has a fairly complete HTML "Quick Start Guide" available. It is not nearly as flashy as Lindows Flash animations but it does the job well. 
[Aesthetics] The fonts in the release are probably the best fonts I have seen in any Linux distribution to date! While this is purely objective, and I am sure someone else will comment that to them they look horrid and that (name-your-distro) is better, to these pair of eyes their is no comparison. Xandros uses the plastic theme as its default. This was a smart move on Xandros part. The Plastic theme is simply gorgeous and will be the default theme in the upcoming KDE 3.2 release. On the downside Gtk apps (GNOME Apps) look totally alien and out of place in the all KDE environment. Most of the other distributions today are using common KDE/GTk themes such as Bluecurve, Keramik/Geramik, or Galaxy in an attempt to make their default desktops appear to be a little more unified, if not they at least try to get two similar themes or color schemes so that they don't look so different. It's really a shame when distributions neglect applications from other toolkits or desktop environments because they have choosen to focus on a single desktop. I usually use KDE but there are plenty of Gtk or Gnome apps that simply rock, like wise there are plenty of KDE apps that are unfortunately overlooked if you primarily run Gnome. But that is a rant for another time... 
Aside from the GTK app problem, the rest of the distribution feels very consistent and has a level of refinement not found in many of the other Linux distributions today. This is party becasue of fact that it only installs a specific set of applications and does a very good job of setting up default configurations. Overall I would say the system seems very responsive, though this will vary depending on the machine it is installed on. I can say though that Xandros 2.0 seems more responsive than some other distributions I have recently tested on this same machine. [Included Applications] Xandros File Manager Xandros File Manager (XFM) is Xandros "killer app." In the past I will admit that before ever using it I had doubts. It looks and acts very much like Konqueror. In fact it still reminds me of a very stripped down and very refined version of Konqueror (which does not have to be a bad thing). 
One of the things I really like about it, in terms of new and inexperienced users, is that it attempts to separate the users file space from the rest of the Linux file structure. The users file space (home folder) is under "My Home" while the root of the Linux file structure is under "All File Systems." Though this adds an extra step for more advanced users it is a great idea for the market Xandros is after. XFM also gives you a central place to access your printers, network file shares, and removable storage devices. By sticking a CD in the CD drive XFM opened automatically displaying the contents of the CD. Xandros CD-Burner A new feature of this release is the Xandros CD-Burner which is built right into XFM. It's simplicity and ease of use are its greatest advantages. Unfortunately the machine I choose to install Xandros on does not currently have a CD-Writer. Although I am a huge fan of K3b, which is probably one of the best CD-Burning applications for Linux, Xandros CD-Burner looks to be just as good. Being built into XFM, by right clicking on a file or folder you have the option to either "Write to Disk" or "Add to CD Project." When you click on CD-Writer in XFM it gives you several options: Create Music CD, Create Data CD, Copy Disc, Blank Disc, and Show Existing Projects. By clicking on one of the tasks you start a "project" and it will show up in XFM under the CD-Writer icon. You can then drag-n-drop files and folders to these projects and XFM will show you how much space it will take to burn the data/music and provides a graphical bar at the bottom representing the amount of used space for the cd, much like other cd-burning software. To delete an existing project simply right click on it and select delete. 
OpenOffice.org One interesting note about the OpenOffice.org that is supplied with Xandors is that it looks a lot like the Ximian branch (http://ooo.ximian.com/) than the stock version. The icons would suggest so and they look many times better than the stock icons. Performance also seems to be very good. 
Default Applicatons Like all distributions in this category Xandros only provides what it feels are the best applications for a given task. here is a list of what Xandros supplies you with as its defaults:
As would be expected from a commercial Linux distribution it comes with the official Nvidia drivers (ATI drivers are included as well) and most browser plugins installed by default. One advantage of the Deluxe version over the Standard is that it comes with CrossOver Office and CrossOver Plugins. Xandros has also done a good job of cleaning up most of the context menus as well, helping to increase KDE's usablity. [Peripheral Support] Printer support has been excellent. I was easily able to setup both my local printer (HP Deskjet 812c) and my Wifes Windows shared printer (HP Deskjet 895cxi) during the first run wizard. You can also configure and monitor printers through XFM. 
My second test for peripheral support involves my digital camera (Kodak DX4330). In the past I have been able to get my camera to work with Linux to varying degrees of difficulty. ArkLinux for example was one of the easiest. Simply plug the camera into the dock and hit the sync button. It would then display a camera icon on the desktop which opened konqueror with the camera io_slave which allowed me to view and download my pictures. No configuration was ever needed. But this isn't ArkLinux, its Xandros and unfortunately I was unable to get it to work, it kept complaining about not being able to initialize the camera? [Xandros Networks] Like Lindows Click-n-Run application, which makes installing software easier for new users, Xandros has Xandros Networks. While you can purchase commercial software through Xandros Networks the selection is limited. At the time I was writing this article only Codeweavers CrossOver Office was available (which is included with the Deluxe version). 
One of the things that set Xandros Networks apart from it's rival Click-n-Run is that it is also an apt front end for other apt repositories. After adding non-Xandros repositories you can click on the "Expert View" option under "Settings" and it will show you all the applications available. After installing third-party Debian packages they appear in a separate menu entry on the menu. While this is not ideal it is much better than what happened in Lindows and nothing appeared in the menu after installing Debian packages via apt-get. 
You also download all Xandros updates, application, security, and driver updates through Xandros Networks and is very much laid out like Windows Update. One thing that I did miss was the systray application on the panel to let me know if there are updates available. It is also worth mentioning that Xandros Networks works in two modes: Administrator Mode On and Off. Any user can launch and update the applications database, but to actually install an application you have to enter into Administrator Mode. [Network Browsing] It has been my long standing opinion that compatibility in Windows networks is of utmost importance. Lets face the facts, Windows (for now) still enjoys a monopoly on the desktop and in many if not most of businesses. Being able to enter into a windows domain or workgroup and browse other computers shared files, folders and printers is something that more distributions should be making work "out-of-the-box". To this day there have been very few distributions that have let me, upon first boot after installation, click on a "Network" icon on the desktop or on the menu and access the shares on the network with out having to do some configuration first. Xandros is one of those distributions! I was easily able to view, copy, and move files between all of the compters on my network with out having to do anything but supply the username and password for that share. [Advanced Users] While this specific distribution is not targeted toward advanced users I always like to comment on how advanced users might find the default setup. During the last month of use I have yet to be able to compile many programs with Xandros? I am usually either missing packages or I get too many errors. Even after downloading ALL of the development related packages through Xandros Network I still can not complete a compile of the latest development version of GIMP. In this testing It also occurred to me that I compile more applications from source than I had previously would have guessed. For the more advanced user coming from Red Hat/Fedora or Mandrake one will probably miss all the third-party repositories readily available via apt/yum/urmpi. Xandros may be based on Debian but I have found that many of the applications in Debians repositories simply will not install due to too many conflicts or dependency issues with official Xandros packages (experiences may vary). [Conclusion] Overall, and more so for its targeted market, Xandros 2.0 is a very well thought out and put together distribution. That's not to say Xandros is perfect, or perfect for everyone, but it is an excellent place to start for people coming from Windows who want to use Linux and don't care about learning all the interworkings of the operating system. Its major downside is that there is no freely downloadable version or evaluation version available. I think it would do Xandros well to create a liveCD for people to demo. Another downside maybe the somewhat limited number of applicatons currently available in Xandros Networks. It would be great to see them add more commercial applications to their store as well as build up thier repositories with more, and more up to date, software packages. In the end though, with its default applications, configurations, pre-installed drivers and plugins, and level of refinement and consistency Xandros 2.0 is one of the best Linux distributions around for new users. More specifically those who just want to use their computer. [Links]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
LinuxReview
All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners. |