Window xp emulator for linux

I first became interested in Redmond Linux, now officially known as Lycoris Desktop/LX, back in January, when a new release of the distro was officially announced. I must admit that I wasn't expecting much more than an imitation of other distros, combined with an attempt at Windows XP graphics. To my surprise, I soon found myself using a tailored Linux operating system that was anything but that. As Joseph Cheek, CTO and founder of Lycoris Corp. stated in an interview he gave in December of last year, "Too many times people think that the answer to software usability lies in more software. We disagree with the 'This doesn't work, so let's add something else' attitude. The answer lies in making the same software more useable." I must say Lycoris has succeeded with Lycoris Desktop/LX.

When Joseph Cheek founded the company that developed this distro, it was called Redmond Linux. But since January 19, 2002, Redmond Linux Corp has become Lycoris, and Lycoris' desktop operating system, formerly known as Redmond Linux Personal, has become Lycoris Desktop/LX.

The main Lycoris site is located at www.lycoris.com and the new Lycoris Community site-- the portal to interesting downloads and invaluable advice -- is at www.lycoris.org.

Lycoris Desktop/LX CD is currently priced at just $29.95. This includes 60 days of e-mail support and a 30-page installation guide. Desktop/LX Deluxe, which includes the source code and DevTools on two extra CD's, is currently priced at $39.95.

Normally, the most daunting task associated with Linux is its installation. Frankly, I must state that I hardly noticed the installation of this distribution. It was so trouble free and smooth it can be compared to the installation of an office suite in Windows. Even the "expert" mode is well documented and explained throughout the procedure. As with any good installer, the Desktop/LX installer will let you choose the size of the Windows partition for a double boot situation. If Windows and Desktop/LX were the only two operating systems you plan to have on your hard disk, then I would recommend not being overly generous to the Linux side of the fence. Desktop/LX simply does not need a half of a 40GB hard disk for example. If you plan on downloading and storing much music and graphics on your drive, then go for a bit more than half the disk capacity. I gave mine 7GB and it's more than enough for my needs, even with development apps added, two versions of Star Office, plus Open Office. On a 30 GB disk, 10 GB would be all most people might ever need.

If you remember to read everything presented to you during the installation process, you will have no trouble at all with the installation, even in expert mode. The installation will automatically probe for your mouse, keyboard, and video card. You will be given four choices: whole disk, existing partition, free space, or expert. You can enter the expert mode to feel it out without saving or "writing" any changes. If you feel you are up to it, you can go with it.

After the install process starts, the base installation will take place. You may add additional apps from the CD later. This is a safe and sure method, and believe me, adding apps later is "one click" easy. You will be asked to set up your user name(s) and passwords, networking, printing, DHCP, "not right now," or manual settings. Do not, under any circumstances, forget to make a boot floppy when prompted.

After the first boot, you will be presented with a simplified menu system with clearly labeled entries. If you're a Windows user, you won't be shocked by enigmatic titles and esoteric interfaces. The menu structure is pleasing to the eye and organized more intuitively than on "hard core" distros. This is not, however, an imitation of Windows menus. The initial labeling has merely been simplified or modified to reflect the task at hand. There is no obscurity here. Any user will find his way around nicely.

If you're an experienced Linux user, you may be taken aback until further exploration of the internal file system structure, which is Linux all the way. This is truly Linux, folks. Within, however, there are fewer unnecessary folders and sections (which seem to be so popular with many brand-specific distros). Some distributions are notorious for stashing files in the most hard-to-find places. Not this one. This is a Linux distribution for both new and experienced users seeking simplicity and ease of use. The veteran user will find an environment on which to build a comfortable and powerful workspace, instead of being faced with a system that needs continual tweaking in order to be able to do normal tasks

KDE 2.2.2 is the default desktop environment. Gnome is absent, which in part may explain the simplified folder system. The default Web browser after the base installation is Mozilla 9.7. If you are installing from a CD, you will have to reinsert it (without rebooting) to add the Konqueror web browser and Kmail, which by the way, render fonts better than Mozilla. A pop-up window will ask if you want to browse the CD. There are also many other additional packages in Redhat Package Manager (RPM) format under "rl" > "rpms" > "extras" which you may add according to your needs. RPM installation is done automatically via the KDE package manager simply by clicking on the icon of the rpm one wishes to install. The same process applies for downloaded RPMs that are not from the Lycoris site. After downloading from the FTP site, installations normally occur automatically after root password verification.

The first thing the experienced Linux user will notice is that all the applications work flawlessly. Unfortunately, this is not the case with most Linux distros. Simple things like spelling correctors work properly, and all printing is font perfect. Last but not least, Acrobat Reader is the default pdf viewer and it too prints flawlessly. Normally it takes much reconfiguration and library additions in the typical Linux distribution to get the generic pdf readers to print documents.

Connecting to the Internet is no more difficult than it is to connect a normal Windows system. Wine (WINdows Emulator, which substitutes Unix or X11 calls for Windows API calls, allowing Windows 3.1 and Win32 programs to run) is also included in the distribution and installs automatically by default with no need for user configuration. Surprisingly enough, Wine works well in this distro. Its presence is discreet, and only shows itself when you need it.

The screenshots you see in this article were simply dragged and dropped into my Windows 2000 Pro partition from within Desktop/LX via the Konqueror file browser. I have dragged this text back and forth from one partition to another several times, opening it to work on Star Office in Lycoris in one partition, and on Word 2000 in the other. Access to various Linux and/or Windows partitions is through the "My Linux System" icon found on the desktop.

All the apps in this distro were chosen for their quality, dependability and strength. You will not be obliged to sift through a "dumping" of half-developed applications to find one that "almost" works. Everything in Lycoris Desktop/LX works. Since I installed Lycoris a few weeks ago, I used their automatic updating system once. It works without a hitch and installs everything automatically.

Traditionally, Linux and Windows have had their own methods for networking computers. While they have worked together fairly well, they have never been seamlessly integrated or easy to maneuver together. The Lycoris Desktop/LX Network Browser icon helps bridge the gap between Microsoft and Linux networking by letting you access network resources by browsing to them, similarly to the way Microsoft's Network Neighborhood works. This has got to be the least complicated approach to networking and Internet sharing of any Linux system. Featuresare designed for the typical user who doesn't want to learn advanced networking administration just to connect to one or more PCs using either Linux or Windows operating systems. In other words, you do not have to play the role of ExtremeTech's Network Admin just to share a banal 56K modem connection with the kids.