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Lycoris Desktop/LX review at Extreme Tech


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http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973...3,647820,00.asp

 

Looks like this one has a WinXP look. It looks like some Linux distro's are really making a push for the desktop/personal PC market now (although most seem to be commercial releases/no web download).

 

Unfortunately, Lycoris they did not include either OpenOffice or StarOffice.

 

ExtremeTech still gives ML the nod as the best Linux for the desktop.

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Oh yeah, this is all about bringing people from windoze. Feels like Mandrake with training wheels. I'm sorry, it really does feel more like windows than ML w/training wheels. It hasn't crashed on me..... yet.

 

All in all guys, I hate to say it but this company has made some serious inroads into where a lot of the linux companies would like to be. This is all about the desktop. Yet it is better we face up to it. There are some distros meant for grandma and some that are meant for 3l337i57 like "your average linux user".

 

I hope this works for them. If people start buying $200 Wal-Mart machines with this on it, maybe more software will get written for linux. Anything but M$.

 

Will leave it on and play with it for a while to see if it actually is worth a damn!

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Desktop/LX is the distro that brought me into Linux. I was really impressed after running Win98 for many years. I still have it running on this computer, but don't use it much anymore

Tried Mdk 9 after about a month of Lycoris and I prefer it. Little harder for me to operate, but it's got a much better look-n-feel

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The default screensaver (The Matrix) locked up on me on the first day when using it with SETI on a 450 Cele'. Windows users should feel right at home.

 

:lol:

 

It does feel quite crippled when compared to other distros. Fine for average users though. The less the better for most. Simple and straight forward. Pardon the aesthetics opinion but the boot screen needs some help.

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Yeah, they did a good job emulating the windows experiance, but Linux is not windows. I'm kind of debating with myself if this is actually good for learning Linux. It's a good strategy for drawing windows users, but are not able to use the full power of Linux in Lycoris. So what is there to gain other then using a non-windows OS? From strictly a learning stand-point, it's my opinion that a good distro would be Mandrake or Redhat. You get the user-friendliness available in Linux, plus the full power of Linux.

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Yeah, they did a good job emulating the windows experiance, but Linux is not windows. I'm kind of debating with myself if this is actually good for learning Linux. It's a good strategy for drawing windows users, but are not able to use the full power of Linux in Lycoris. So what is there to gain other then using a non-windows OS? From strictly a learning stand-point, it's my opinion that a good distro would be Mandrake or Redhat. You get the user-friendliness available in Linux, plus the full power of Linux.

 

But do we really want or need people to learn Linux, or, is it just enough for them to use Linux? From what I am reading, in some of these posts, is that it is an either or situation. Either you learn linux and use its full power, or you might as well stick with windows. Is there no place for those people who want a stable, reliable OS that is easy to use and is not Microsoft at the same time?

 

I personally think that Lycoris is on to something here. They are providing an OS that I can install on my parents computer that is easy to use, is stable and reliable, and is free from microsoft's monopolistic EULA. They do not want to learn Linux they simply want to use it.

 

I think one of the problems with Linux and Linux users is that we demand to much from the people who want to use the software. We demand that they learn the OS, that they be able to compile software from source, that they be able to recompile their kernel to support pre-emptive functional calls and IEEE 1394 devices. And we leave no room for people who simply want to use the OS. In order for Linux to make the jump from geek system to the desktop, we need to break from this attitude and allow people to simply use the OS.

 

Red Hat and bluecurve are an excellent example of this. People are up in arms over the fact that RH did, or did not, intentionally break KDE. But how many people are evaluating what they did on the grounds of ease of use and the advantage it creates for the average business desktop user?

 

Yes, linux is a very powerfull operating system. But so is windows, OS X, and BeOS. But for it to compete with windows and OS X, it needs to embody some of the same characteristics: ease of use and transparent operation to the user. It needs to become an OS that people simply use, instead of one that people have to learn.

 

 

(maybe that was a little more then 2 cents worth, but I just had to say it.)

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I agree with Fuzzylizard here. Remember, most computer users (90% at least) make the noobies here look like rocket scientists and brain surgeons. The average user doesn't want to use an OS, they want to use their computer. We want them to use linux because we need the critical mass to get companies to port programs to linux. Therefore, we should be bending over hand and foot to make them feel comfortable. We need them, they don't need us.

 

Glitz.

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I do agree this is a good way to attract windows users, i'm not disputing that. I'm just speaking strictly from a learning standpoint. The benefits of Linux are not fully exposed by using a distro such as Lycoris. I do suppose; however, that most professionals want to just use an OS that is going to work for them without having to learn much about it, but I equate it to driving a Dodge Viper in first gear. You'll get to where you are going, but it will take you longer because you are not using the full power available in that car; but hey, if they use any kind of Linux, that's a slap in the face of M$ and I am all for that.

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Guest urbanotter

Hi,

 

I have to toss my 2 cents behind fuzzylizard as well. As a relative newbie (~4 months), I have approached linux with the desire to run away from windows and actually learn linux. However, I have had a number of hassles along the way. My wife is also tired of windows, but is intimidated by linux after watching me have trouble doing things. Understandibly, she is not interested in having to figure out how things work, she just wants them to with out the blue screen of death. (She'll probably end up getting a Mac.)

 

This is the vast majority of computer users out there. Linux has done a great job at being flexible and giving the user choices, but at some level it is too much for someone who just wants to check email, surf, burn a few cds and occasionally install new software. Distros like Lycoris and Lindows are likely to be frowned upon by Linux die-hards, but in the end even those die-hards will be rewarded if linux becomes a platform that companies are willing to develop for. The market pressure needs to be there for us to be able to leagally (at least in the US) use our dvd and mp3 players with linux.

 

What is really great about Linux is that with distros like Lindows and Lycoris new users can be attracted and then if they want to they can move onto more powerful ones like Mandrake etc.

 

This debate has become a bit silly (not necessarily in this forum, but in others) to the point that people are angry at different distros for "crippling" or not supporting their favorite wm. This is a move that will bring more users to Linux as they wont get bogged down in details. Kudos to Red Hat for making Gnome and KDE look similar. Users get the choice with out the confusion. At the same time, kudos to Mandrake for keeping them separate so that users can have distinct looking desktops. These options are geared toward different types of users. If one of them is not right for you, don't use it. If you are savvy enough to really know the differences between distros and want to use one over the other but don't like the interface set up, then you are probably savvy enough to install that interface yourself and set it up however you want.

 

Linux is about providing choices. There will be distros that will minimize choices in favor of attracting new users, but there will always be distros out there that will provide maximum choice for experienced users. More power to us all.

 

There, I'm done.

 

urbanotter

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