| My Desktop Odyssey Update - Part 3 |
by Michael C. Barnes
Debian 3.0
Debian is not the first choice for the novice user. It is, however, a good toolkit from which to build a custom distribution for your organization that meets your specific requirements. The best part is that Debian is completely free.
There are many free distributions you can choose from. Peanut, Lunar, Slackware, Gentoo and Sorcerer are all free. My version of Debian 3.0 came with seven disks. The installation was far easier than any Debian installation that I had tried in the past. Prior to this Debian 3.0, I would say that Debian had been the most complicated GNU/Linux to install. If you have not been successful bringing up a Debian system before, perhaps it is time to give it another chance.
Debian distributions are stable and complete. Two of my favorite distributions—Knoppix (a CD that boots up into Linux) and Xandros are based on Debian.
Debian is a very good choice for those who want to create their own custom distributions. Debian is a very good distribution to add to your toolkit. Debian is now far easier to use than ever before.
Knoppix Update
The newest version of Knoppix that I tested has integrated LTSP. This allows thin clients to boot from a single server. Knoppix is a fully operational operating system that runs entirely off a CD-ROM. While this feat in itself is pretty amazing, Knoppix also has the distinction of being one of the most stable, best-integrated GNU/Linux distributions I have tested.
I booted Knoppix on my main system and it was able to detect my Nikon 2000 scanner and USB based Web Cam. You can save our configuration to a floppy.
Knoppix is a complete distribution on a single PC. It has all the tools you need to access your data on a hard disk, dial into an ISP, get into a local network, browse the web, edit documents with Open Office, teleconference with Gnome Meeting, and even play games.
I was able to boot five diskless PCs as thin clients from a single CD ROM based PC using Knoppix. This would be ideal for a low cost Internet Cafe or an inexpensive way to provide desktops to schools.
Knoppix is an ideal backup plan. Suppose your system won't boot, Knoppix allows you to be up and working simply by booting off the CD. You can still access files on your main CD ROM. Knoppix easily challenges the very best GNU/Linux distributions. As a GNU/Linux distribution, Knoppix deserves an '8.3', making it one of the very best.
It is possible to move Knoppix onto a hard drive and use it as a standard distribution. I believe that every person who uses computers should have a copy of Knoppix. Knoppix can boot on virtually any x86 computer having the ability to boot from a CD ROM. Knoppix can give you access to a machine even if it does not boot from the hard disk. Knoppix gives you the ability to access and use files on your computer.
ELX Bizdesk 2.0
ELX Bizdesk doesn't include the huge number of applications as Power Desktop. However, it is surprising just how complete Bizdesk is. Bizdesk comes with Open Office, Gnome Meeting, Mozilla, Evolution, and Xsane. Bizdesk is also very nicely integrated and preconfigured.
Power Desktop includes more browsers, more e-mail options, and additional packages such as Mr. Project. Bizdesk has the same level of integration as the Power Pack, but sticks more to the basics. Bizdesk compares very well against Red Hat 8.0. The number of applications is about the same, but Bizdesk is more tightly integrated. Mandrake 9.0 is more complete than Bizdesk, but less complete than ELX Power Desktop. Bizdesk is more tightly integrated than Mandrake 9.0. In terms of integration, functionality and completeness, ELX Bizdesk and Xandros are very similar. Xandros includes Codeweavers Crossover Office and Codeweavers Crossover Plugin. Although ELX Bizdesk does not include Codeweaver's Crossover Office or Codeweaver's Crossover Plugin, the implementation of Wine appears to be the most advanced that I have tested.
I was able to install Photoshop 5.5 (I didn't have a newer version to test), Microsoft Office 2000, and AutoCAD 2000. I was astonished that these programs loaded so handily.
ELX Bizdesk has just the right combination of application and services a business would want. In terms of functionality, it is on par with OEone (which is reviewed below). ELX Bizdesk will be very familiar to those who are quite familiar with Microsoft Windows environments. It isn't that ELX is cosmetically similar. It is that many of the mouse clicks mimic the mouse clicks the experienced Windows user already knows.
From an organization's point-of-view, one of the strong points of both ELX Bizdesk and ELX Power Desktop is that each workstation integrates Webmin. This makes it possible to administer each individual computer on a network remotely. Webmin is included as part of most GNU/Linux distributions but I have never seen another distribution that has done a better job of integrating Webmin as part of the desktop as ELX has ELX Bizdesk equal to ELX Power Desktop in terms of integration, ease of use and functionality. The difference is that ELX Bizdesk is scaled back to provide those applications that would most likely be required in an office environment and not include those applications that might not be welcomed in an office environment.
Lindows 3.0
I first heard of Lindows because they announced they were working on a GNU/Linux distribution that will run Windows applications. This was exciting news. Imagine how powerful this would be to deploy Windows applications without having to pay the cost of a Windows license. Lindows dropped their goal of running Windows applications. Lindows is another choice out of many other GNU/Linux distributions that is best suited to run applications specifically written for Linux.
I initially tested Lindows 2.0 but was able to test out Lindows 3.0 to see if there were any major improvements. I read after I wrote this review that Wine was removed completely in 3.0. I did not have a chance to go back and check this out. Therefore, the statements regarding Wine might not be applicable to Lindows 3.0.
Lindows 3.0 is very attractive but sparse
Lindows 3.0 could have been one of my favorite Linux installations. The strong points for Lindows are many. First of all, it is a very good-looking distribution. Lindows keeps a distinctive KDE look, but the look is very nicely polished with great color schemes, very good looking fonts, good choice of icons and very useful help screens. The base browser is Netscape 7.0. Lindows has done a nice job changing the color scheme of the Orbit theme for Netscape so the look is really very good. The default mail package is also Netscape.
No office suites are installed by default. Lindows does have Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel viewers running under Wine. While this is a very nice feature, it falls far short of the capability you can get by purchasing Codeweaver's Crossover Office.
Lindows provides a capability called “Click and Run”. This will install applications from a library automatically. In order to use this feature, you need to subscribe to Lindows two-year support plan. There are various plans for acquiring Lindows ranging from $99.00 to nearly $300.00. This makes Lindows one of the most expensive GNU/Linux distributions available.
Lindows 2.0 installed the user as Root. Lindows 3.0 allows users to be added after install, but many people will simply operate as the root user.
Lindows installed very fast. I did not time how long it took to install, but I believe it was one of the fastest installs of any distribution. On the other hand, Lindows installs fewer applications than any other GNU/Linux desktop I have tested.
Lindows is a distribution I wish I could recommend. I became familiar with Lindows because they promised to support Microsoft applications directly using Wine. Given that Wine has consistently improved and considering that Codeweaver's Crossover Office and Crossover Plugin make using Wine technology very simple, it is quite surprising to see that Lindows offers no support for Wine “out-of-the-box”. I have run many Microsoft Windows applications on GNU/Linux distributions.
Lindows could have been, and might one day become, the GNU/Linux distribution that will entice Microsoft Windows users to GNU/Linux. I wanted to capture a screen to show how attractive the desktop is. I went to find the KDE screen capture utility and it was nowhere to be found. I would have to download this using the click and run utility.
As I worked with Lindows, I thought about Peanut Linux. This is the same Linux I thought about when I looked at Lycoris. Lycoris is another Linux that comes with very few applications but looks very nice. Lycoris is probably a stronger distribution for several reasons: Lycoris is more reasonably priced; Lycoris has a very good file manager; Lycoris. It has more features after installation; and Lycoris doesn't install users as root.
Peanut Linux is free. Peanut Linux is a very good-looking KDE implementation of Linux. It is very stable and very fast. Peanut Linux offers over 5000 applications from their database that can be downloaded for free.
Lindows comes for free on some low-priced computers. The problem is that the basic install is not very useful. You have to spend nearly as much as you would to buy Microsoft Windows XP to be able to download and install applications. While the “click and run” idea sounds good, Lycoris offers something quite similar and many Linux packages have a feature called apt-get that will allow you to do the same thing.
Lindows is nicely configured and very well integrated. It is cosmetically very attractive. The people who put Lindows together did a remarkably good job. The problems with Lindows are not technical. The problem with Lindows is how it is marketed. Lindows is sold in two pieces. The first piece is the OS and the second piece is the membership to buy the applications. One can point to Microsoft and say that this is how they market. While this is true, Microsoft Windows does have the ability to run either commercial software or Open Software.
Rather than spend the money to download applications, you could purchase one of the other GNU/Linux distributions that include all the required software on install. Lindows has done a lot of solid work creating a very attractive looking desktop.
Lindows has done a lot of configuration work that makes using GNU/Linux more attractive. The problem is that the base installation is of little use and the user must download and install any of the required applications. Even for those with broadband, downloading and installing software is not the same as plug and play. Based on the distribution without adding any of the software, Lindows 2.0 would be the lowest score of any Linux desktop I have ever tested. In all fairness, Lindows 2.0 in its base configuration is the bait to get you to swallow the hook. Given that there are so many options to Lindows 2.0, I see little reason to swallow.
Peanut 9.5
Users have a choice of whether to buy a GNU/Linux distribution, or use a free distribution. Debian and Slackware are two very good GNU/Linux distributions that cost absolutely nothing and can be freely distributed without restriction.
Generally speaking, these free distributions take a bit more expertise to use on the desktop. Both Slackware and Debian are outstanding starting places to create GNU/Linux deployments. However, both of these distributions take a lot of work to make them easy to use desktop solutions.
I downloaded Peanut 9.5 using a dial-in modem. The download is about 230Mb. After downloading Peanut 9.5 and creating the boot up ROM, it takes only about 10 minutes to install Peanut 9.5.
Peanut 9.5 offers a lot of options to install, including an option to install right onto an existing FAT32 partition. The only problem is that there is very little hand holding for installing Peanut 9.5.
If you have ever installed Microsoft Windows from scratch, including using FDISK, then you should not have any problems installing Peanut Linux 9.5. However, if you don't now what a disk partition is, then, you should probably not attempt to install Peanut Linux on your own.
One would guess that as Peanut Linux originates from a 230Mb download, that it would be a very sparse distribution. Surprisingly, Peanut Linux is actually quite rich. This is the first GNU/Linux distribution I have tested with KDE 3.1. The improvements in KDE 3.1 over previous KDE distributions are quite impressive. Most impressive are the improvements in KDE Office. I have previously written that KDE Office is not ready for prime time. I believe that KDE Office has greatly improved and that in another generation or two, distributions with only KDE installed will be quite rich.
Also greatly improved is file management. Peanut Linux uses Konqueror Web browser and file manager. I clicked on the HOME icon so that I could start exploring the improvements in the file manager. Konqueror allows the user to use the file manager to browse the network and perform copy, paste, cut, and delete over the network. Peanut 9.5 does not install Samba, so I did not have an opportunity to test this capability. The improvements in Konqueror are fast approaching the capability that is offered in Lycoris' and Xandors' file managers.
Another feature that looked very interesting is that a remote desktop feature has been added. This allows you to control a computer from another location similar to Microsoft Windows XP. This capability is built on top of VNC, which allows users to export screens from one desktop to another—even one platform to another.
There is a tab that adds Peanut applications. Most of the applications are oriented towards multi-media. Peanut Linux has the feel of something built by college kids for college kids. There are lots of tools for messaging, streaming audio, playing MP3s and recording CDRWs. The people who worked on Peanut Linux have done a really great job.
One of the things I noticed working with Peanut Linux 9.5 is how good the fonts look. I don't know why this is, but text is easy to read and looked very good on my screen. On the other hand, many of the fonts provided are what I would call kid fonts or the type of fonts you would get with Printshop. There are lots of bubble shaped fonts and cursive fonts.
A lot of meticulous work has gone into making Peanut Linux a great distribution. I would not consider Peanut Linux a finished product, but rather a head start in creating a great distribution. Peanut claims to have 5000 applications that you can download for free.
Peanut Linux 9.5 is not designed for people who simply do spreadsheets and word processing every day. It is designed for people who consider computers are natural extensions to humans. It is designed for people who have grown up with computers and believe that life as we know it cannot continue without computers.
For those of us who understand computers and enjoy working with them, Peanut Linux 9.5 fits like a glove. Peanut Linux 9.5 is an example of efficiency. No distribution packs so much into such a small distribution.
I suggest that anyone who hasn't had a chance to look at KDE 3.1 get a copy of Peanut Linux 9.5. I also believe that Peanut Linux might be the ideal GNU/Linux for people with older machines that have smaller disk drives. Start with Peanut Linux 9.5, add Samba and Open Office and you have all that most people need to work in a networked environment.
I score Peanut Linux 9.5 an '8.3,' which ties it with Knoppix 3.1, another free distribution that I regard very highly.
OEone Desktop
OEone is unlike any GNU/Linux distribution I have seen. In this case, it is quite a compliment. OEone is based on a combination of Abiword and Mozilla. The two applications have been very tightly integrated into the desktop and a very simple and easy to use interface has been built around the environment.
OEone is as easy to use as a PDA. In fact, in many ways, the use and feel of OEone is very similar to a PDA. Instead of getting very basic and crude applications, OEone's applications are far richer. For example, their address book allows you to store pictures with the address card.
As I worked on OEone, I thought about how perfect OEone would be for anyone whose primary job is working with contacts and e-mail. No program that I have ever seen is better laid out for this task. OEone is designed to integrate easily with a PDA so that the information can be shared between desktop and PDA. OEone goes one step further by offering a service to store information remotely. This allows users to share data between PDA, laptop, home computer, office computer, and anywhere else.
OEone is ideal for anyone not comfortable working on a computer. Everything is laid out in a simple to use format. I believe that many Microsoft Windows users will find the way that OEone lays out their desktop far easier to use. The user interface is attractive, intuitive and simple.
Behind this simplicity is a lot more power than one would expect. OEone is far richer in applications than Lindows or Lycoris. OEone feels just about right. It has everything that is needed and no fat. A nice touch is that while OEone has its own spreadsheet and word processor, Open Office is also included. This makes it much easier to access complicated files from Microsoft Office.
OEone has one major flaw. The graphic screen resolution is fixed. This is fine for 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600 screens, but there is too much white on screens, which are higher resolution. I spoke to OEone and they said that later versions will be resolution independent.
OEone offers a service that allows you to back up your files on their servers. The charge is very small--$20 per year for 100 MB.. Combining their desktop with the ability to securely access your files from anywhere in the world is a very powerful combination. OEone is the most original GNU/Linux solution I have seen and it is one of the finest systems I have seen for managing personal information.
OEone is unique and because it is unique, it is hard to score it against any other Linux distribution. I thought of Goldilocks and the Three Bears when I was trying out OEone. I could imagine that some users would look at Lindows 2.0 or Lycoris and say that “This Linux is just too incomplete” and they would look at Mandrake 9.0 and say “This Linux has too much”. That person would look at OEone and say “This Linux is just right”. I give OEone an '8.5' -- if you are Goldilocks.
Xandros Desktop 1.0
I tried to order Xandros in December, but I got an e-mail that they could not accept my credit card. I was unable to get around the order entry system and did not think I would have a chance to evaluate Xandros.
I got an e-mail recently telling me that there was a promotion for Xandros because I was a licensed user of Win4Linux. The e-mail explained that the Xandros had partnered with Netraverse and I would be able to install Win4Linux on Xandros.
This time, I was able to place an order using the same credit card that was previously rejected. Although I live in Thailand, Xandros showed up less than a week later.
Xandros came with two disks. One was a Technology Preview, which cautioned “Unsupported for advanced users only; and another disk that was labeled Installation Disk. I only installed the Installation disk. The Technology Preview is based on KDE 3.0 while the standard disk is based on KDE 2.2. Xandros comes with a User Guide that is far better than the manuals I have seen packaged with other GNU/Linux distributions. In the manual, it states that Xandros acquired Corel Linux.
One of the highlights of Xandros is that it comes installed with Codeweavers Crossover Office and Codeweavers Crossover Plugin. These two applications could cost nearly $80 if purchased separately.
The Xandros install process was very straightforward. Xandros is one of the fastest installs available. The first time I installed it, I thought that something was wrong, but the install was complete. The completed install properly recognized all the hardware on my system except my scanner. I wrote Xandros about this problem. It took two days for them to respond. They told me that Xandros does not automatically recognize scanners, but if I told them what scanner I had, they would try to help me.
The look during and after install was very attractive. As I went through the menus, I noted that there were many similarities between Lindows, Lycoris and Xandros. All three are based on Debian. Because of my experience with Knoppix, I already know that Debian can be a very good foundation for GNU/Linux.
Xandros' file manager is the best GNU/Linux file manager I have tested.
I went though my standard checklist to see if Xandros was complete or not. What struck me as I was going through the checklist was how much better Lindows and Lycoris could be if they had installed the same application set as Xandros. Xandros has configured Samba so that a Xandros based systems appears to a Microsoft Windows network as if it were another Microsoft Windows system running on the network. While all GNU/Linux distributions can be configured this way, it is much easier to have all this configuration work done for you during the installation process.
The application set that comes with Xandros is basic, but complete. Many applications can be added after installation by activating the Xandros Network ICON. Applications such as GNU Cash, Tux Racer, and Evolution are available for download. I missed not having Gnome Meeting installed, but as Xandros is a Debian based installation, it should be pretty straightforward to add Gnome Meeting.
It was pretty easy to find applications using the KDE windowing system. Applications were divided logically into menu groups that made sense. Xandros was better organized than any other GNU/Linux distribution I have tested except for ELX. ELX uses launch pads which greatly simplifies finding where applications are.
Xandros has the best file manager I have seen on a GNU/Linux system. The Xandros File Manager (XFM) completely replaces the generic KDE file manager. XFM distinguishes Xandros in that XFM makes many operations that were once complex, quite easy. Files can be copied, deleted and moved with ease not only from one directory to another, but also between systems on the network. XFM also provides a user interface to the printer manager and the ability to access CDROMs and other physical devices, such as thumb drives and digital cameras.
Another unique feature for Xandros is that new users can log into the system without the previous user logging out. This can be quite useful for doing administrative work under root while a process is continuing to function under a given user session.
Xandros is one of the most useful GNU/Linux distributions available.
I bought Xandros Desktop 1.0 because I got e-mail from Netraverse. I had purchased Win4Linux. Netraverse offered a coupon to get a small discount on Xandros, claiming that Xandros was preconfigured to work with Win4Linux. I installed Win4Linux on top of Xandros. I also installed Microsoft Office 2000. I installed all of this on a three year old 800 MHz Pentium III based system with an ATI video card. I was thinking that for someone who has been using the same old computer with the same old software for three years, $99.00 for Xandros is a huge upgrade. Not only do the users get to keep and use their older software, they also have access to a far more modern desktop and access to more modern applications.
I can highly recommend Xandros as a low-cost upgrade to existing system that protects 100% of your existing software investment. Without Codeweavers, Xandros would score about '8.5' on my scale. I believe that Xandros is a very strong platform and like all platforms, it can be enhanced with additional applications as required. Xandros is very impressive and would definitely be on my shortlist of GNU/Linux desktops to be considered.
ELX Powerdesktop 2.0
ELX Powerdesktop 1.0 was my favorite GNU/Linux distribution. ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 has just been released. The new version of ELX benefits greatly from moving to KDE 3.01. KDE provides much better printer support, better file manager support, and improved graphics over the older versions of KDE.
Xandros 1.0 and ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 come closest to providing a complete desktop solution. Some GNU/Linux distributions simply provide a desktop environment. The users then decide how they want to configure their desktop. This provides the user with more flexibility but it requires additional skills from the user and access to applications. Some distributions charge a fee to download these applications.
 ELX Power Desktop 2.0 is the most complete and best organized GNU/Linux distribution
Some distributions include a lot of applications, but they are very poorly integrated into the desktop and in some cases, don't even work. They are included as untested applications.
Xandros, ELX Powerdesktop, and ELX Bizdesk come closest to a complete solution. OEone provides a dramatically different environment, but it is also a complete solution. Any of these distributions give the user a complete environment; with all the applications they are likely to need.
Xandros has a more polished look. ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 is more complete and because of its launch pads, it is better organized. There are many powerful applications that come as part of ELX Powerdesktop 2.0. ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 preconfigures Webmin on each installation. This makes it very easy to administer over a network.
ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 includes many tools that give the system administer or CIO a lot of options. ELX Powerdesktop includes Remote Desktop Environment. This is a utility that turns a GNU/Linux workstation into a thin client that can operate as a Win terminal using a Microsoft based server. Assuming that the Microsoft server is located at 192.168.0.56, the user simply types rdesktop -f 192.168.0.56 and they will see a full screen allowing them to log into a Microsoft Server. The performance is excellent.
Obviously, there are license fees associated with using Microsoft Clients but these are less expensive than having each client boot up from Microsoft XP Professional. As ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 as well as other GNU/Linuxes run fine on older hardware and require less resources, offices can upgrade the server without upgrading the clients.
The two limitations that I have found using Remote Desktop Environment is that you only have 8 bit graphics and you do not have sound on your local machine. This is a small limitation given that users not only have the capability to access Microsoft applications but also administrators now have a tool to remotely manage Microsoft and GNU/Linux systems from a single desktop.
I got an e-mail telling me that ELX had an enhanced version of Wine that allowed ELX Powerdesktop to support many Microsoft Windows applications. One of the applications they claimed to support was Adobe Photoshop 7.0. At first, I could not find my Photoshop 7.0 so I tested Photoshop 5.5. This installed with absolutely no problems. I was then motivated to look harder for Photoshop 7.0. Photoshop 7.0 also installed with no problems. I wrote ELX asking them if they had done anything to enhance Wine. I got the following response:
“The wine in the current ELX is being enhanced by us. We are not yet ready for a public announcement. We want to come with a much more enhanced wine which will run more windows applications. Our goal is to support as many Microsoft Windows applications as possible and when we are satisified, make an announcement.”
 ELX Linux running Photoshop with their enhancd Wine.
ELX groups applications onto launch pads. These launch pads provide an easy way for users to find specific applications. While most Microsoft users are happy to have only Internet Explorer on their desktop, I am the sort of user who wants to have Opera to transfer files, Mozilla for mail, and Phoenix for performance. I find myself using both Abiword and Open Office. I even have StarOffice installed as I think the spell checker is better.
A user such as myself would find that while Xandros is complete, it doesn't offer much choice. ELX Powerdesktop offers many choices and these choices are logically grouped. This makes it very easy to quickly select an application without having to search though layers of menus. In this respect, I find ELX Powerdesktop easier to use than Microsoft Windows XP.
ELX Powerdesktop 2.0 features little touches that makes using GNU/Linux far more pleasant than other GNU/Linux distributions. If I want to e-mail a document, I simply put my cursor over the icon representing the document, click the right mouse button and select “Zip and e-mail” from the menu selection. Selecting this option will create a zip file and attach it to an outgoing e-mail.
ELXPowerdesktop is based on KDE 3.0.1 This gives ELX Powerdesktop a slight advantage over Xandros Power Desktop that is still using KDE 2.2.1.
ELX Linux.
ELX Power Desktop and ELX Bizdesk offer the best compatibility with Microsoft Windows applications that I have seen. Among the applications that I have tested are: AutoCAD 2000, Microsoft Office 2000 (not including IE Explorer or FrontPage), Adobe Photoshop 7.0, and Media Player 6.4.
Go to Conclusion
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