RSSLinspire Goes Five-0
By David Worthington | Published March 18, 2005, 9:42 PM
After a year of development time, Linspire has released version Five-0 of its Linux desktop. The most significant changes were made to the user interface; other changes include better support for laptops and hardware, Internet optimization and an updated catalogue of bundled applications.
Linspire Five-0 is based on the Linux kernel 2.6.10 and KDE desktop environment. Since it is Linux based, Linspire is ready to run more than 2000 available programs from the open source community which are downloadable on demand through Linspire's click and run (CNR) software library.
The standard Linspire configuration preinstalls the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, a cadre of e-mail and instant messaging clients, multimedia viewers, photo and music managers as well as calendaring tools.
A feature called "total system update" helps users keep core operating system components and all installed software up-to-date with upgrade notifications. Updates may be installed by the user or configured to install automatically for added security and reliability.
Some additional security enhancements are included, particularly a pre-configured firewall, VPN support and antivirus protection using the optional VirusSafe service. Linspire also helps protect personal information such as passwords with a new encrypted "wallet."
Linspire has said that the release has "easy plug and play support" for removable media, improved audio and video support, and a one-step diagnostic reporting tool to resolve user encountered hardware related complications.
Further hardware support for Intel Centrino and AMD PowerNow improves laptop compatibility. Mobile users who run Linspire may find it more convenient to locate wireless "hotspots" with the addition of a new access point locator and a wireless control panel to configure available connections.
"For more than a year, we've analyzed and studied the user experience to create a Linux product suitable for the mass market," said Michael Robertson, CEO of Linspire, Inc. "Linspire Five-0 is so easy to use, it finally makes Linux practical for anyone - from a Fortune 500 executive to a kid researching a school essay."
Linspire comes in two flavors: Linspire Five-0 Digital, which costs $49.95 USD, and Linspire Five-0 Digital CNR Edition that runs $89.95 USD. Customers who purchase the CNR edition receive a subscription to the CNR catalog. A detailed list of features and pricing information can be found at the Linspire Web site.
I'm just wondering if anyone has tried Linspire, and has any comment on it? I know it's supposed to be Linux for the ultra beginner, but what do you think?
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|I haven't tried linspire 5.0 yet. I tried 4.5 and and im currently running and I have no complaint, maybe just with ati cards. I seen some snapshot and im impressed how it looks, also i think it is running the latiest kernal? I have tried alot of other linux such as redhat, suse and what i have problem is getting my hardware to work. And installing drivers is a pain of an ass. 4.5, when i first installed the os, it detect all my hardware, includding my 56k lucent winmodem. And with the new linspire version, should detect more hardware. I haven't tried it yet, but Its worth of installing linspire for noobs that doesn't want to config but just install and play.
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|I have been a Linspire Insider since 2002. It has come a very long way! I just downloaded 5.0 and installed it on my HP Pavilion Notebook, and it totally rocks! Yes, it is "brain-dead" easy to install and use for a Windows person, but it is still (actually) Debian Linux, with all the power that implies! If you haven't tried it, you really should! It is the best "desktop and notebook" oriented Linux, and it may be the one that changes die-hard Windows users minds!
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|Thanks for the replys. I was looking for a HCL on the Linspire site, but could not seem to locate one. I just purchased a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop, and I wanted to check if it was compatible w/ Linspire 5.0
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|HCL listing....
www.linspire.com/compatibility
Not sure your hardware is listed.
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|It seems to have improved a great deal.
Personally, for the ultra-beginner, I suggest
http://www.mepis.org
In fact it is what I keep on my laptop...
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|I played with Linspire 5.0 for few hours this weekend. It's incredibly beautiful and very user-friendly. In my opinion it looks and feels superior to any of the Windows line. 5.0 installed in 24 minutes, and I was online surfing right away. My gyration wireless keyboard and mouse worked through the install, and didn't jitter (as most other Linux disros have) once installed. Every application you need for everyday surfing, listening to music, watching videos, uploading images from cameras, printing, scanning, etcetera is there and works great. My only gripe is that with my AMD Athalon 1800 + 512mb ram, it was irritatingly slow. I'm no Linux geek, so I'm merely guessing that the kernel is optimized for the average Intel system, and not for my Athalon?? Or it could be that, as some reviewers point out, Debian based distros tend to run slower. I don't know, and I'm not I prepared to immerse myself in Linux system files to figure out how to optimize it for my machine. --not yet anyways..
But, if 5.0 were faster, I would switch to linspire as of right now. And without reservation I recommend everyone to try it. You never know, it might be fast on your machine.
If only slow on my machine, the release of 5.0 could be the beginning step of mass migration to another operating system..along the lines of the current migration from IE to Firefox...
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