An early look at Freespire

Filed under: Linux

An early look at Freespire

by Jordan Running Aug 2nd 2006

The first release of Freespire, the community-driven (a la Red Hat's Fedora) Linux distribution from Linspire, is due in a couple of weeks, but the first release candidate is now available and DesktopLinux.com is running an early look at it, which gives a good overview of what we can expect in the new platform. Out of the box, Freespire has support for a wide variety of media formats, including proprietary ones like Windows Media, QuickTime, and Real. One of its stand-out features is the Click-and-Run (CNR) system, which lets you install a wide variety of software with one click over the internet. CNR costs $20 per year to use and includes both commercial (for which you pay) and open source software. Linspire has a modified KDE desktop which is designed to be comfortable for Windows converts. DesktopLinux.com says concludes that Freespire is "a fine Windows replacement desktop for home users," but could use better Network support. Click through for the full review.

Tags: freespire, linspire, linux, rc1, releasecandidate, review

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