Gentoo linux install

Lindows has come a long way from our first review of version 2.0. Each release has gotten a little bit slicker and easier to use than the last and version 4.0 continues along those lines.

This latest version of Lindows adds a number of new features designed to help new users get up and running quickly. We were particularly impressed with the slick new flash-based desktop tutorial that lets newbies become immediately comfortable with how things work on the Lindows desktop. Experienced users won't need it, but beginners will find it indispensable.

Also included in this release are Spamsafe and Adsafe – two built-in utilities to help Lindows users avoid spam and ads on the web (Lindows has tweaked the spam filter in Mozilla by turning it on by default and populating it with current spammer information). Lindows.com is also focusing on lower system maintenance with a Zero Maintenance Initiative – which makes it possible for the user to upgrade the OS, apps or drives with one click.

The price of Lindows has been dropped to $49.95 and additional add-ons such as VirusSafe and SurfSafe are now available as separate purchases ($49.95 and $29.95 respectively). The pricing for the Click-N-Run software library has also been changed to $49.95 a year, or $4.95 a month. When you purchase Lindows, your first year of Click-N-Run is free.

We received the shipping version of Lindows 4.0, and installed it on our Linux test machine, a Compaq Presario 6000 (1.6Ghz AMD with 512MB of RAM).

Turn the page to see how Lindows performed in our tests One of the best things about Lindows is that the installation is as painless as it gets – just pop the CD in and go. We didn't need to configure anything; our network, video card, etc. were all detected and configured for us automatically. When we arrived on the Lindows desktop we were ready to use the Net. The only tweaking we did was to the resolution – we opted for 1280 x 1024 instead of the default 1024 x 768. We had no problems with our installation; it was total no-brainer.

The Lindows Desktop Lindows uses KDE 3.01 as its desktop environment. The desktop is very slick and very easy to navigate and use. Newbies should definitely check out the desktop tutorial (don't worry; it loads automatically the first time you start Lindows so you won't miss it).

Unlike Windows XP, the Lindows desktop has a useful selection of icons on it. My Computer, email, networking tools, printers, Click-N-Run and the web are available with one click of the appropriate desktop icon. We really liked the Internet Connection Tools folder -- it contains icons and connection information for some of the more commonly used ISPs such as Earthlink, Juno, and others.

The taskbar also contains icons for Click-N-Run, instant messaging and file management. Lindows now uses a tweaked out version of GAIM (our favorite IM client) as its default instant messaging program. We heartily approve of this choice; GAIM lets you connect simultaneously to your MSN, AOL, Yahoo and ICQ accounts.

The "L" icon at the left side of the taskbar is Lindows' equivalent to the Windows Start button. Clicking on it will pull up a number of choices familiar to Windows users, including Programs, Search, My Documents and Settings. Clicking the Programs button displays a clean breakdown of application categories such as Internet, Utilities, Business & Finance and others. Each of these categories contains pre-installed applications or a link to that category in the Click-N-Run library at Lindows.com.

The Lindows program menu splits applications into convenient categories. You can always get more apps by clicking on Click-N-Run. For more details on how it works, turn the page. Click-N-Run tames one of the biggest headaches of Linux – application installation and maintenance. A user can literally install and run an application with one click. Lindows.com gives away a certain number of applications but if you want access to the vast majority of programs via this easy to use interface, you'll need to sign up as a Click-N-Run member.

There have been some significant pricing changes for Click-N-Run. The cost of a basic Click-N-Run membership is now $49.95. You can either pay it all up front or opt for a monthly payment of $4.95. For your money you get access to about 1500 different applications plus discounts on other products as well as system updates. If you prefer not to subscribe you can simply buy certain applications such as StarOffice ($75) on an ala carte basis.

Opting for Apt If Click-N-Run really turns you off, you can always opt to use apt. Since Lindows is based on Debian, you can just pull up a terminal window and start downloading applications directly. In our tests we downloaded and installed OpenOffice simply by typing "apt-get install openoffice.org" at the terminal prompt.

We do NOT recommend that newbies use apt as a replacement for Click-N-Run. If you don't know what you're doing, apt can destabilize your system – depending on what you decide to download and install. However, for experienced users, apt can be a useful (and cheaper) alternative. Then again, most experienced users won't pay for Lindows in the first place. Distros like Gentoo are much better suited for the DIY crowd than Lindows.

Lindows Problems Lindows is by no means perfect. We'd like to see more applications included in the default installation. However, we also understand the Lindows business model, which is centered on signing up members to the Click-N-Run library. Those who don't want to deal with Click-N-Run should just opt for apt.

Lindows also still lacks a VPN wizard. Windows has had one for ages and it makes no sense for Lindows or any other distro to ignore this feature. Anyone needing to connect to a company network should be able to do so in a couple of clicks. That isn't possible in Lindows right now. A wizard should definitely be added to the Internet Connection Tools before the next release of Lindows.

We recognize that we're a bit jaded after doing so many OS reviews over time. So we sat our mother down in front of the Lindows box and had her use it. We offered no help, no assistance and no advice on how to use Lindows. We simply put her in front of the machine and let it boot to the desktop.

The first thing she saw was the tutorial. She didn't need much coaching for most of the desktop; she's been using Windows for a while so she grokked what most of the icons were for. When she got to the Click-N-Run icon she paused to listen to the audio about what it was and how to use it. A more detailed tutorial of Click-N-Run might be a good idea for new folks like Mom.

After closing out the tutorial she spent some time clicking here and there. She wanted to open an office suite but couldn't initially find how to do it. She eventually put her cursor over the "L" button in the taskbar and opened up the menu. Since we didn't offer any assistance, she was intent on finding Microsoft Office on the box. After a few minutes we had mercy on her and told her that MS Office wasn't available in Lindows but there might be a counterpart to it. At that point she noticed the OpenOffice.org button in the menu (we had installed it earlier when we started this review). So she clicked it and chose Writer to get started writing her documents.

While the lack of MS Office seemed to puzzle her, she didn't have much trouble actually using the Lindows desktop. Interestingly enough, she didn't bother much with Click-N-Run once she found her office suite. But this is less a comment about Click-N-Run than it is about our mother's single-mindedness when completing tasks.

All in all, we feel that Lindows pretty much passed the "Mom Test." It would probably be helpful to Lindows ease of use if OpenOffice was included as part of the default setup (with icons put on the desktop by default) rather than submerged in Click-N-Run. We're not sure how well Mom would have done if we hadn't already installed OpenOffice. She might or might not have realized that Click-N-Run was the place to go to download it.