Customer Reviews

Linspire Five.0 CNR Edition

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read some of the negative reviews by other people here but decided to try it out for myself. I was really glad that I did! These guys must be Linux geeks or Ph.D. students who like running complicated Linux versions. I tried Mandriva and Xandros and Fedora Core and I have to say that they were a nightmare to try to setup.

I popped the Linspire CD into the drive. It installed in about 10 minutes and detected all of my hardware without any trouble. Within about 5 minutes I was up and surfing the web! My broadband Cox cable connection was detected automatically and set itself up. I decided to check out the CNR Warehouse Membership to see if I would be interested.

You can sign up for a free test drive of the software at Linspire's web site and it doesn't cost a dime. After I did the free trial I decided to go with their "full trial" of Click and Run. I gave them my credit card info and they gave me like 15 days to check it out with no obligation. In the end, I decided to sign up for the $20 a year Click and Run Warehouse Membership. They offer two different levels depending on what you want:

1. A $49.95 / yr. plan
2. A $19.95 / yr. plan

The $20 a year plan was perfect for me! I was able to browse for programs that I wanted by category (Audio & MP3, Business & Finance, etc..) and click a button and it installed with no hassles, no questions, no troubles at all. It tried installing programs with Mandriva and Fedora but it was ridiculous. I kept getting errors and it kept failing. I tried to figure out what was going wrong but, I gave up after awhile.

Linux is hard. No matter what these nerds say it's not as easy as they make it sound. I've never been able to just install something on Linux or get it to work correctly -- until I tried Linspire. I recommend this version of Linux to anyone who is looking to get away from Billy Boy and MicroSuck. I recommend that you try other versions of Linux first. Then.... try Linspire. Test out the Click and Run Warehouse and you will see what I mean! I am more than willing to pay someone to help make Linux easier for me to use. I am running Linspire on all 3 of the computers in my house now and I can share files and programs between all of them without any problems.

Thank you to Linspire for finally making a version of Linux for the rest of us!

I use Linspire every day and love it, so I'm a bit partial. So, I thought I'd just post a few of the comments made by Gary Krakow of MSNBC:

* I don't always get excited about what I'm testing. Products can be good but still wind up leaving me flat. That's especially true of a product I've tested a number of times in the past. Incremental upgrades never make my heart skip a beat. Except for this upgrade: Linspire 5.0.

* Linspire calls their product the world's easiest desktop Linux. I cannot disagree. Of the different flavors of Linux that I've tried in the recent past, Linspire is, hands down, the easiest to install, configure and use.

* I've found no such problems with Linspire 5.0. It takes the operating system to new heights.

* The company calls the OS `5-0', like `Hawaii 5-0'. The people at Linspire are trying to convey the fact that their new software is hip. They really don't need slick phrases to do that - all they have to do is get it in people's hands and let the word of mouth spread.

* I was happy to find that everything worked out of the box. Picture, sound, everything. What really amazed me was that Linspire 5-0 not only knew I had a Wi-Fi card in my laptop, but it had it working before I told it the name of my wireless network. This is a first for any Linux distribution I've ever played with.

* During the test period, 5-0 has behaved wonderfully. Even on my older laptop, Linspire is speedy and solid.

* Linspire is becoming a very good, very slick operating system for PCs....Linspire 5-0 is quite capable of handling many of your computing needs. It would be my first choice among the many brands of Linux for non-power users.

To read his full review, visit http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7490041

A lot of people have complained about various features that Linspire offers. The most common being the use of the CNR client. What these people seem to not understand or in their bias against Linspire just plain omit is that there are two versions of the CNR membership.

CNR Basic and CNR Gold.

The second review on here "Why are you paying for free software??" fails to mention the reason this is a pay service. Yes you could use apt-get to install debian packages but CNR goes through the trouble of making sure each package has no dependency issues. While most current users of Linux don't mind a little trouble shooting must users of computers want something that just works.

At the time his review was written Basic was $20a year. It is now free, it is better than apt get in the sense that it is graphical, as in no command line a scary land similar to dos prompt for all the newbies and converts.

CNR offers an aisle system so all the programs you want can be organized and set to install with a single click instead of manually doing each one.

Best of all that so called horrible cost of $50 for CNR Gold well it isn't that bad at all. For one thing you get an unlimitted number of aisles. Two you get discounts on every click and buy program, because like it or not even in debian not every program is free. Believe me, I know. In just the last 4 months my CNR Gold membership has given me over a $80 savings subtract that 50 and I still saved 30. Think of your membership like one for Costco or Sams Club.

It just drives me crazy when people bash this service, it is a time saver and a headache saver. And I am not just some newbie. I have been using Linux for over 5 years now. I started with Redhat 8, I own a copy of Suse 10 and I have been with Linspire ever since they launched Linspire 4.5.

Linspire is a great operating system, easy to use, yet powerful enough for all of your needs. And with the CNR subscription, you will have a one-click access to many programs. It can't get any easier than this. I've been using Linspire full time since January and I am sure there is no way I will ever go back to Windows.

I managed to install Linspire 5.0 on an old Sony laptop and a 2.4 gig P4 desktop. Both installs were quick and easy. Although some complain that this version of Linspire doesn't come with a lot of software it DOES come with the apps you are most likely to actually need.

If you're like me and spend a huge amount of time on the internet, send tons of Email, work with digital images, listen to music, and write papers with a word processor, then Linspire will work just fine.

The install comes with plenty of help files and there is the online forums for additional help if you need it. Personally I haven't had the need. Everything has worked just fine.

If your a serious computer geek then you might prefer a different version of linux. But if you want it to just work then Linspire is great and Big Bill from Redmond hill didn't get a dime.

This review will be brief. If you are they type of person who wants their computer to work for them, than Linspire is for you. No worries about operating system patches or viruses. As long as you stay as a Click-N-Run subscriber you get all system updates, patches, and FUTURE VERSIONS for FREE! It really is a nice operating system and does everything you'd need it to do. If you're a Windows user looking to switch, look no further. If your a linux user tired of trying to install applications or tired of simple things like browser plug-ins not working, than Linspire is for you.

I'm a huge techy and I use Linspire because it just works. No operating system is perfect, including Linspire, but for the price and security, it's worth it's weight in gold. Try it... you'll like it.

Linspire takes a free (as in beer and as in speech) Linux distribution known as Debian, and then charges for the "service" of downloading software from a repository that is about 1/7th the size of the Debian repositories. If you wish ease of use, and adhere to the Debian ideal, get yourself a free-of-charge copy of Ubuntu courtesy of http://shipit.ubuntu.com, and then access the Ubuntu and Debian archives WITHOUT having to subscribe to anything.

Let me first say that the reviews about this distribution easily loading are true. It was up and running in about 10 minutes with no errors and every component recognized. It is also the closest to the Windows experience that I have seen so far, being a previous user of Suse and Redhat. However, this is where the trouble begins:

Much of the software that comes with the other distributions is not present here. Instead, Linspire will guide you to the online software warehouse where you can download "thousands" of software programs. This sounded great. But when you get there, they politely ask for another $49 as an annual fee. I grudgingly paid this expecting to have open access to the latest and greatest programs. I couldn't believe my eyes when I started scrolling through them. The majority of the programs are the same ones most distributions put on disk or just let you download for free on linux websites. Every now and then I came by a program I really did want, such as virus software, only to find out that you still have to pay for it, just at a "member" rate. Give me a break!. Even updating the system will guide you to this warehouse where you have to pay more money. Also, there is only the KDE interface, whereas usually you get a choice between KDE, Windowmaker, Xwindow and others.

In Addition, even though there are tutorials, there is no documentation on how to use Linux that comes with the program. Other distributions, such as Suse, at least sent some books on the basics of Linux that you could reference. Here, you receive a small instruction pamphlet guiding you to go straight to the online software warehouse.

In the end, Linspire seems to want to remove any idea of the opensource concept. It took me forever just to find a Linux terminal to type in commands. It really feels like the freedom that comes with using a Linux distribution is missing here. You pay $99 for a system without the Linux, and then have to pay $49 more to get the basic Linux programs. Bill Gates would be proud.

Update 08/01/05 - Uninstalling - Well, turns out that this version should have come with the 1 year software warehouse subscription. However, everytime I go the CNR site, it wanted me to pay the subscription price. CNR never recognized or allowed me to enter any information showing that I bought the CNR edition. Everytime I tried to get help I would get sent back to the same software warehouse site where I already had to pay to get in. I am uninstalling and just calling this one a learning experience. If you want to experience the benefits of a linux distro then buy a real one. This is a companys attempt to make money off the growing popularity of Linux and nothing more.

The product is great and loads in about 20 min. (except for the CNR activation). It is simpler to use than the latest versions of Windows.

If you buy this product from Linspire, it seems that the activation of CNR is automatic. If you buy it from anyone else you will think you are trying to activate a MICROSOFT PRODUCT OR WORSE. Then after I jumped through all of the hoops, I get this email from the Linspire Team: "It's been several days since you've signed up, and we've noticed that you haven't yet purchased the CNR Service."

A good product - just don't buy it from here!

This is a great Operating System. Linspire makes using a computer fun and enjoyable. With a Linux based system, you can surf the web and use email without fear of getting a virus or having to deal with spyware. Lsongs is perfect for listening to your mp3 collection. Lphoto manages your photo's. Linspire's CNR opens the door to more programs than you will know what to do with with a easy one-click installation. The tutorials are simple and concise. The support from Linspire is excellent. The on-line support of the forums is invaluable.

I have been VERY happy with my Linspire Five-0 system. It is worth every penny!