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 Xandros Computer Operating Systems
First let me first say that I'm not a Linux geek. I'm used to Windows-style screens and I don't have time or desire to mess with code. That's why Xandros works for me; it feels like I'm using Windows. A few years ago I decided I'd had enough of all the Windows-specific worms and viruses and of having to download and install every new 'security patch' for each of my computers. Searching for something to replace Windows, I studied the latest crop of Linux-based operating systems. My criteria were simple: A Linux system would have to work properly on both my computers without any code-tweaking that's been far too common with other, previous Linux distributions. I'm not a computer enthusiast. A computer is just a power tool, like an electric typewriter or a belt sander. Time spent tinkering to try to make a balky tool work properly is time wasted; time in which truly productive work the tool should be doing isn't being accomplished. Many versions of Linux were available for free by download, but there was a drawback -- you had to download a whole CD-full of programming and create your own Linux boot disk. I could have done that -- the instructions were simple -- but on a dialup line, a full-CD download would take more time than any "maybe it'll work on your system" freebie is worth. Nope. No time-consuming, high-learning-curve geekware for me. I wanted something that: 1. -Came with a paper manual and pre-made CDs. 2. -Would automatically find and load drivers for all my hardware, and 3. -Had a reasonable chance of working properly right out of the box. I found three commercial Linux packages which claimed to do all those things, and each of them cost enough that I added 'returnability' to my criteria list as I continued studying what they offered. The best 'all in one' package and price deal seemed to be Xandros. When it arrived, all I had to do was put the Xandros CD in and reboot. Half a dozen mouse clicks later, I had both Windows and Xandros on my hard drive with a boot-up menu that let me choose which operating system to use. I created a CD, played music and games, got onto the Internet, and generally tried to find things Xandros wouldn't do for about three hours, but didn't find any. Anything I wanted to do was readily accessible on the desktop or within the Launch Panel (similar to the Start menu in Windows). Xandros came with a full suite of Open Office software, so I was able to immediately work on my chapter files and save the results in several common file formats, including RTF, DOC, TXT, PDF, and my spreadsheet files. I was also able to work with files within the Windows section of the hard drive, and using something called Crossover, I was able to run some Windows programs (ebook format converters) for which I had no Linux versions. Summary: If you want to get away from Windows, check out Xandros. If you want in-depth, independent technical reviews, go here: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=xandros or here: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/ Disclaimer: I'm not a Xandros affiliate, nor do I receive any renumeration from Xandros. |
and pray that those with common sense have power." * Julia Sugarbaker * |