OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• ASIN: B00004RDLS
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 8, 2006
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,585 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 takes Caldera's highly polished distribution of the Linux 2.2 operating system and improves it, adding Internet-handy surfing software. If you're looking for a Linux distribution and want to minimize your risk of getting hung up by a hairy installation problem, you'll be well served by choosing this product.

The fantastically slick Lizard installation software makes OpenLinux eDesktop setup a pleasure. After you select your video monitor (by make and model) from a large list, it prompts you to select a valid screen resolution. Choosing an Ethernet card and modem is easy, and you'll want to have one of the two for the Internet connection when using this package. If you choose to connect via a dialup link, Lizard collects information about the number you dial and (if you want) your user name and password. You can even select a new Internet service provider (ISP) from a geographically organized list. When it's done with its quiz, Lizard lets you play a game of Pac-Man while you wait. (Other editions of OpenLinux give you Tetris--an idea more software manufacturers should follow when planning user-installation routines).

As with all versions of OpenLinux, you should have the Installation CD-ROM in your drive when you first boot from the included floppy. Without it, you'll get an error that says, "Unable to install OpenLinux on this system," and that's all. Our timesaving recommendation: remember to have that CD-ROM in place. Also, make sure your machine is set to look for an operating system on the floppy disk drive before it looks on the hard disk or CD-ROM drive, or you'll get some strange behavior.

Once you've completed installation, you'll be impressed by OpenLinux eDesktop's attractive and easy-to-operate user interface, based on the KDE 1.1.2 graphical environment. The engineers at Caldera have supplemented KDE with the Caldera Open Administration System (COAS), which eases the administration of hardware, background processes, users, and the networking environment. New to this product is Webmin, a utility that enables you to do everything you can do in COAS, but from within a Web browser. It's great for systems that require administration over a network, or even over the Internet, but be careful to make sure your security is strong.

In addition to the Linux kernel, the KDE environment, and the Caldera management enhancements, this distribution ships with full source code. There are also a bunch of applications, including StarOffice, Moneydance, Netscape Communicator, Adobe Acrobat, Macromedia Flash, and RealPlayer 5.0. OpenLinux eDesktop represents a fine Linux value for those who want administrative power without having to sacrifice ease of use. --David Wall

Amazon.com Product Description

OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 is Caldera's OpenLinux operating system optimized for the Internet and bundled with a set of applications that make a desktop system a full-featured Internet workstation. This product offers over 20 Internet-specific applications, open source code, virtual-reality search agent, money-management software, and the Web browser and browser plug-ins are preconfigured. OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 also includes support for not only Unix NFS and Microsoft networking environments, but also Novell Networks with NDS support.