Amazon.com: Linspire Five.0: Software

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12 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
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4.1 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Imprisoned Linux: Good for $ Novice, Not So Much For Everyone Else, November 10, 2005

By	Johannes Kepler (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

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Quick Summary:
Linspire is a linux based OS that provides an easy means of converting from a Windows platform. Installing and getting application software is made easy through a database named CNR (Click-N-Run) and installing those programs is streamlined. It is great for people unfamiliar with Linux but may not be the best distro for people looking to become knowledgable in Linux. There are other Linux OS's that are free of charge, more open (less restraints) and have a number of forums for support. Linspire charges you for software that may be free! outside of Linspire's Click-N-Pay system. Linspire comments out or limits package repositories - which is essentially trying to make you use their way of doing things - and make an educated decision before purchase. If you want the easiest possible transition from Windows to Linux and don't mind the restraints - go Linspire.

More Details:

PRO's:
If you're a beginner to Linux - don't know much about Operating Systems - and don't plan on learning a whole lot about them - then Linspire is probably your best choice. It offers the stability and security of a Linux system with the familiar Windows atmosphere. Install is easy and getting around will be as well. You can find a lot of software in their Click-N-Run database and program install is painless. If your familiar with Linux or OS's - or you are willing to learn and you will work around the restraints in Linspire - then go for it! BUT...

CON's:
If you want to learn Linux, tweak the system and enjoy the freedom that is open source OS - then you should check out Ubuntu or SUSE. Both of those are free for download and install (SUSE will even mail you an install CD!). Linspire charges ~$50 for their OS and they keep on charging for all kinds of things. The aformentioned CNR (Click-N-Run) has a lot of the programs which you pay for that are free otherwise! So you pay for a Linux OS (rather than use a free one) then you pay to install programs (rather than download and install the free one yourself). The aim here, other than funding, is to provide people with the easiest means of Linux. The downfall is that you are restrained and seem to pay for things that you could get for free. Slip a DVD into the drive and if you don't have Linspire's commercial DVD player installed - a window opens up and informs you that you'll have to pay Linspire to play DVDs. You'll also notice that every time you put in an application program CD, you get a similar pop-up from Linspire reminding you that you could be paying them money instead of doing things your own way.

I realize the world runs off currency, but I also realize that there's an alternate means to a more stable OS than Windows without a Click-N-Pay backbone. Go Linux! Less intrusive, more stable and secure, more freedom! Choose your distro!

Sidenote: If you get Linspire, you can alter it to be less restrained - as lucidly pointed out by Jem Matzan.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The easiest Linux ever made, August 6, 2005

By	Kendall (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

I installed Linspire Linux on three of my computers at home and I have never been happier! This is the version of Linux that I have been waiting for. It's easy to install and use even for a big dummy like me. You don't have to do any complicated computer geek stuff to get it to work. You just install it and click on buttons to make things work. I purchased a $20 / yr. subscription to their Click and Run warehouse service and I got to say it's worth every penny. You just browse for programs you like and click on them to install. If you are fed up with Windows and are looking to get away from it then I highly recommend giving Linpsire a try!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone's linux, April 20, 2005

By	kde2k "kde2k" - See all my reviews

Have you ever wanted to try Linux but were afraid of the all the techno geek speak you hear about it? Well then grab Linspire five-o and leave all that geek speak behind. This will be one the most exciting and easy computing experiences you have have ever had. installation takes about 15 minutes and just works right out of the box. Once you log in your surfing the Internet, reading e-mail and playing games. linspire makes it easy to install additional software with click and run and offer 1,000's of programs. In fact anything you can do in windows you can do in Linspire Five-O! Looking to do somthing with that old PC?
Give Linspire Five-O a try. You wont regret it.