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LinuxDig.Com : Linux News : Xandros Linux Desktop Business Edition Review
Author: HumanX | Saturday July 31, 2004
In Depth Article... As Linux distrutions mature, we the Linux community benefit from a widening range of products and services that both Commercial and Non-Commerical Linux distros offer. Xandros Business Edition is best in its class with a unique desktop perfected for its niche.
Often times when I review Linux distributions, I do so from the perspective of business. It is ultimately business that has taken Linux from a hobbyist operating system to a mainstream O/S. If IBM had not come along and announced its support for Linux, Linux would not have made the inroads it has. Though sooner or later Linux would have caught on, the proliferation would not have been as fast.
Over the last year the growth of Linux in ISP's, Clustering and the Enterprise has been astonishing. The problem though is that Linux in large part is still nestled in the back-room of most large organizations. But hope is on the way, Linux is slowly gaining ground on the desktop and moving from the back-room and into cubicles and offices. The desktop has been Linux slowest growth area in large part due to the facade that Linux does not offer the same application base as Windows or Mac, which of course is untrue. The problem with the Linux application base is that it has not had the visual appeal or support (also largely fragmented) required to drive home and business. That was then, this is now.
Thanks in part to the efforts of both KDE, Gnome and X we are beginning to see more elegant interfaces, consolidated applications and more. As developers leverage the advantages of KDE and Gnome, what was once fragmented applications becomes more of a united operating system.
The rage these days is the desktop and there is good reason. Linux has matured in the back-room and paving the way for companies to build complete solutions from the server to the client. Some of the companies who have seen the light are Xandros, Sun and Novell (Suse). What about RedHat you ask? They have have announced within the last week they to will begin making inroads on the desktop.
Xandros
Though the actual review was based on Xandros 2.0 business edition, the articles goal is to also give the reader some insights into what Xandros offers and the direction they are taking. To know Xandros though, you have to know the history of Corel.
Corel Linux O/S was one of the first versions of Linux to be built exclusively with the idea that ease and of use would help Linux be embraced by the Business and Home computer users. Corel Linux O/S also provided a platform for Corel to expand its product base and ultimately grow the company. But alas, Corel was ahead of its time, and the vision was not supported by the capital necessary to see the venture through.
From the ashes of Corel comes Xandros, a company working to fulfill Corels promise. Many Linux Distros fail on the desktop because they offer to much. That is right, in the case of software, to much freedom does not equate to popularity. Why? Because most people in the computing world only have a few needs, web, email and a word processor. Note: Digital Media is also seeing a surge of interest and the need for applications to support such media is growing.
Note: Xandros is actually Debian Linux with a KDE Front End.
Xandros : Meeting the Needs of the Desktop
Moving forward, the Xandros Linux Desktop is similar to many of the Linux Distros today. Many of the common items found on other distro desktops will be found in Xandros. The difference in Xandros is the application set. The installation offers a minimal set of applications to the user. This minimal set is precisely what most users require to get through their daily activities. Xandros does not offer multiple application in one arena, example, only one web browser is offered in the menus. Xandros focuses on usability and reduces confusion. Note: Xandros does install multiple applications for one area, but only offers one in the menuing system.
Other Capabilities
Xandros Business Edition also comes with Star Office 7 and Crossover office. Star Office is the commercial version of Open Office which comes with support as well as extra fonts, graphics and so forth. Crossover Office is the commercial version of Wine which allows you to run applications for the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Crossover does not run 100% of the applications for MS Windows, but it does run many of the popular applications like Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer.
My Installation, Hardware
Xandros was installed on a Dell Dimension 4500s with 1 gig of memory, 1.7 Intel Celeron, 20 gig hard drive, CDRom Burner, AC97 audio and Intel Video.
The HP D145 All-in-one printer worked flawlessly. The scanner and printer were both found, installed and available to the operating system.
My Fuji Finepix was detected when plugged into the system. I could connect to the device through the Xandros File Manager and through Digikam. Digikam is a digital image cataloging application which directly connects to digital cameras.
Other Items:
Sound System worked without problem.
X installed with Opengl active.
CDBurner: Detected and I burned an audio cd.
To take the Xandros installation for a test drive and test the video I played a quick game of Chromium at 1024x768 with maximum detail. For those of you who do not have OpenGl on your system, Chromium is un-playable. Chromium is a great open source arcade game for Linux.
What solidified the experience is that everything was detected and installed without my intervention. Clearly, the Xandros team has spent allot of time in the user configuration area ensuring that devices were correctly installed.
Network
This needed a section all to its own, because when you can install a new Linux workstation and have access to not only the internet but windows workstations on the Lan without further modification, you are feeling pretty happy. And Xandros did just that. This feet dates back to Corel and obviously resides till today with Xandros. Xandros also offers the capability for users to easily share folders on there computer with windows workstations, similar to Windows Xp.
Configuration / Installation / Updating
Xandros uses kcontrol (Xandros Control Center) to configure the system, nothing new here. For those of you new to kcontrol it is a menu based system for KDE which allows you to quickly modify / configure most aspects of your system. It centralizes configuration into one window which makes it easy to find and make changes.
The Xandros network update facility reminds me a bit of RedHats up2date. The onscreen menu shows you a list of installed application as well as applications which need updating. Also, Xandros Network has a list of new applications available for download to the system. This makes maintaining the Xandros installation quite easy. The Xandros Network application concentrates all of the users needs into one window, whether you need to update the system or purchase new products, an easy to use interface makes it all happen.
Pricing
Xandros is a commercial Linux OS with pricing ranging for $50-$150 and discounts are available with multi-licensee packs. A free version of Xandros is available which does not contain the commercial versions Star Office or Crossover and also replaces Mozilla with Opera. Opera is both a commercial and non-commercial web browser. It is fast and uses little memory. But hey, it is Linux, and thousands of application are at your finger tips.
Who would want to buy Linux? Anyone sick of paying $200+ dollars for an operating system. Anyone who needs support + additional services. Anyone with basic computing needs in mind and who do not have the desire to become an administrator. Anyone who wants access to thousands of free software applications. Commercial Linux distros have a lot to offer and if basic users are tired of the security nightmare with other operating systems, then they just might be interested in Xandros/Linux as well.
Final Thoughts
My last Linux distribution review covered Suse 9.1 and I must say I was fairly excited about that distro. Xandros I have to say gives Suse a run for its money from the desktop perspective. The two distros cannot be fairly compared because Xandros is really a desktop oriented distribution, where Suse is a swiss army knife.
Both of the distributions can learn from each other. Suse's interface is elegant where Xandros is mediocre. The elegance of a desktop is an important aspect of the overall system, many people will go for the looks over the ease of use. Look at Apple, they attract millions to their hardware and software due to design alone (Apples are easy to use by the way). Lastly, Xandros configurability surpases Suse's and it is an area Suse needs to work on a little (just a little though).
I mainly compare these two distributions because both are in my opinion qualified for desktop use in the home or in the office. Do not get me wrong, most Linux Distro's are as well. But corporations need support, seek support and want a product that is simple for employees to use.
If someone were to ask me today which would I choose? For the enterprise Suse, for the small office and home Xandros. Xandros configures really well, it is focused and easier to use. Suse, backed by Novell, either does or will have the applications in place to support the enterprise.
My complaint about Xandros is that they should follow the lead of Suse when it comes to the design of the desktop. I know that the desktop can be configured in a number of ways, but do new users want or know how to do this. Business level operating systems need to be ready to use out of box and for any Linux distro to make it in the business world it has to be an easy installation with little configuration necessary.
Ratings
Scale 1-5 (5 being the best)
Business Ready: 5
Configuration: 5
Installation: 5
Interface: 3.5 (There are much better looking desktops)
More Information
Xandros
Suse
Novell
Sun
Red Hat
Article: HumanX LinuxDig.Com 2004
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