The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Lindows - For the bookshelf Major Keary |
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Remember MP3.com? The CEO, Michael Robertson, has since (late 2001) started up Lindows, which is a consumer-friendly distribution of Linux. Associated with the operating system, known as LindowsOS, is a digital warehouse of inexpensive applications that will run on Lindows machines. A dual-boot option enables Lindows to coexist with Microsoft Windows, but some Windows-based applications can be run under Wine.
Machines with Lindows preloaded are selling quite cheaply in America, and the hardware/operating system package has been taken up in Japan. A recent publicity release says that "LindowsOS 4.0 will include Java software support from Sun Microsystems . to provide LindowsOS developers with the best investment protection when building . cross platform desktop applications" http://www.lindows.com/preview4.
When Lindows was first announced the emphasis was on its ability to run both Windows and Linux applications. Mention of Windows compatibility has all but faded away, but the Microsoft Office suite is said to operate without problems. At http://www.winehq.com you will find a database of Microsoft Windows applications that run under Linux using Wine. However, the list of applications that have been written for Linux is impressive, and finding alternatives to Microsoft Windows software for a Lindows platform may be an inexpensive option. For example, OpenOffice.org (which reads and writes Microsoft formats) is free and-in my opinion-every bit as good as Microsoft Office. The Lindows site has a catalogue of software available from its warehouse and the first Lindows book has just appeared, which is an indicator of an expanding market.
Lindows Fast & Easy
Lindows fast & easy is published by Premier Press, a division of Course Technology, and distributed in Australia by Woodslane. The fast & easy series is designed "to help readers accomplish tasks as quickly and easily as possible". The style is 'visual tutorial': a minimum of text and maximum use of annotated 'screen shots'. The format works well, making Lindows fast & easy an ideal primer for those who want a user-friendly a product-LindowsOS-that does not require any special knowledge to install and run.
As well as installing and using LindowsOS, the book covers programs that are part of the package and which enable users to play music and videos, burn CDs, play games, and view and manipulate images. There are also a number of utilities, such as a text editor, a clipboard tool, and an archiving tool. Lindows also offers Console, which is a command-line interface.
Installing new software with Lindows' Click-N-Run (CNR) feature is explained; CNR is described as, "Truly the star player in the Lindows lineup . [it] is an innovative, easy-to-use way to install programs onto your Lindows machine. Rather than . [buying software from a shop] . CNR gives you access to hundreds of different programs all at one price. CNR is a subscription service where you pay an annual fee for unlimited downloads of any software in their catalog .". A chapter describes the process of installing programs with CNR, how to find what you want, and how to update LindowsOS.
A substantial section deals with Internet connections, browsing, e-mail, chat sessions, and associated tasks (address books, distribution lists, composing HTML, and so on).
The last part of the book, Advanced Lindows, includes printers and printing, configuring Lindows, understanding directories, changing the boot sequence (LILO), and using the console shell. A final chapter explains how to get help, for which there are a number of options.
If you interested in Linux as a viable alternative to Microsoft Windows, and inexpensive software, then Lindows is well worth investigating-and this book is well worth reading as a getting-started manual.
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Eric Grebler: Lindows fast & easy ISBN 1-59200-060-6 Published by Premier Press, 473 pp., RRP $44.95 incl. GST. |
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Reprinted from the July 2003 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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