Xandros isn't exactly a household name, but the little Linux distribution struck it big (well, biggish anyway) last year when Asus decided to slap a customized version of the operating system on its uber-popular Eee PC laptop lineup. And now Xandros appears to be flexing its muscles a bit. The company this week announced that it has purchased Linspire, the company behind the Linspire and Freespire Linux distributions.

Linspire started its life out as Lindows, and was designed to be as much like Windows as possible. The idea behind the Linux distribution was to make the transition from Windows to Linux nearly seamless. That never quite happened, but Microsoft still didn't take too kindly to Lindows and forced the company to change its name to Linspire a few years ago.

While Linspire (like any Linux distro) can run many Windows programs thanks to WINE, the company's primary advantage over other distros is its super-simple "Click'N'Run" (or CNR) repository system which allows users to download and install free and commercial applications.

Xandros has no plans to eliminte the Linspire (which costs $50) and Freespire (the free version of Linspire). But the acquisition will give Xandros access to Linspire's intellectual property like CNR, which means new versions of Xandros could be even easier to use than the version Asus is using for the Eee PC.

[via E-Commerce News]

Say you're intensely curious about the stripped down, customized versions of Linux that are running on the tiny laptops like the Asus Eee PC or Nicholas Negroponte's OLPC project, but you don't feel like spending $400 to pick up a new toy that you might never use. As luck would have it, there are (relatively) easy ways to emulate both the OLPC's Sugar OS and the Eee PC's "easy mode" Xandros Linux interface using Ubuntu Linux. You can probably pull off the same feats using different Linux distros as well, but the best tutorials we've found are written for Ubuntu.

Tom Hoffman has posted some pretty simple instructions for running the OLPC's Sugar OS on Ubuntu. Essentially all you need to do is add a repository to your sources.list and install the Sugar emulator. Odds are the display will be too large for your laptop, but you can follow these instructions for changing the resolution.

There are a few more steps involved in getting the Eee PC interface to run on Ubuntu. First off, you'll probably want to have a copy of the DVD that came with the Eee PC, (which sort of defeats the purpose of trying before you buy, but if you've already got an Eee PC you can safely emulate your desktop environment for experimentation purposes). But Asus has posted most of the source files for the Eee PC on its ftp site, so there might be a way to get build the operating system in emulation mode without that disc.

If you're a little more adventurous (and if you read French), it looks like it's also possible to get the Eee PC interface running in Windows using Microsoft Virtual PC software.

[via Hackszine]

So you're an early adopter and you've run out to buy yourself Asus's $400 Eee PC because it seemed like a great price for a fully functional 2 pound computer that's about the size of a typical hardcover book (and far smaller than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows).

But the innovative easy to use interface might get old pretty quickly if you want to do more than surf the web and create letters, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint style presentations for your friends telling them how cool you are because you have an Eee PC while they don't.

Asus includes instructions for loading Windows XP onto the Eee PC, but it requires an external DVD drive, some drive compression, and you know, a copy of Windows XP. Curiously, Asus does not include any instructions for unlocking the built-in potential of Xandros Linux, the operating system that ships with the Eee PC. But as we mentioned in this week's Squadcast, it just takes a little bit of work to unlock this machine's potential.

If you've got a bit of Linux experience under your belt, it's pretty simple to add some programs, enable an advanced desktop, and tweak the Eee PC to your heart's content. But it turns out that even if you're a Linux noob, the learning curve isn't that steep. Here are some of the most useful Eee hacks/tweaks we've discovered in our first half week of playing with it. Thanks to the Eee User community for helping inspire our hacking.

Sure, the Asus Eee PC comes with a cool new user interface that makes the tiny laptop with the 7 inch screen easy to use even if you know nothing about Linux. But can you play Doom on it? Well yes, we're pretty sure you can, but we didn't try.

What we did try was adding unsupported Debian Linux repositories that let you install a whole slew of applications beside the 40 or so that the Eee PC ships with. In part one of our series we looked at the "easy mode" interface. Now let's take a look at some of the hidden goodies Asus packed into this little box.

For example, you can pull up a terminal, open Konqueror, and use the Synaptic package manager to install programs. Since the Eee PC is based on Xandros Linux, you're probably best off installing applications from Xandros repositories, but you might have some success installing any Debian based packages. For example, I added "deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ stable main" in order to install Audacity.

For more tips on adding repositories and making advanced changes, check out the EeeUser forum and Wiki.

If you have any more questions about the Eee PC interface, feel free to leave them in the comments. In the meantime, here are a few notes:

• The VGA-out port works like magic, and can even power a 1280 x 1024 pixel monitor with ease
• Web applications like Picnik and Snipshot work great in Firefox.
• The battery seems to be good for the stated 3.5 hours.
  
• The keyboard certainly isn't as comfortable for typing as a full sized keyboard, but it sure beats a Treo/BlackBerry/Sidekick/iPhone thumb pad.

November 1st has come and gone, and that means that Asus has begun shipping the Eee PC, a $399 ultra-light laptop that could give both the OLPC and major laptop makers a run for their money.

We're going to focus primarily on the software side of things, but in a nutshell, the first widely available model packs a 900MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of solid state memory. It weighs just 2.1 pounds, has a 3.5 hour battery, and a tiny power adapter, making it a perfect machine for stuffing in your bag whenever you leave the house. But it also has a tiny 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display, which can cause some problems with certain web sites and applications.

For example, Google Reader is almost unreadable in Firefox unless you do a little tweaking. F11 is your friend. Other friends include fullscreen add-ons like FullerScreen and Autohide. We've posted a few photos after the jump to show what a big difference a little Firefox tweaking can make.

Asus has done an excellent job of designing software that makes the hardware as easy to use as possible. The Eee PC runs a custom version of Xandros Linux. The operating system and preloaded applications take up a good 62% of the unit's memory, but you probably weren't going to use the Eee PC for downloading and storing huge video files anyway.

The interface almost looks more like a PDA UI than a computer. There's no start menu. There are tabs with different categories. And you often don't even see an application's full name. For example, to bring up Firefox, you click "Web." But unlike a PDA, the Eee PC can run full desktop applications like Firefox, OpenOffice.org, and Amarok.

Make sure to check out part one of our video series on the Eee PC too.

Asus is set to launch the tiny Eee PC in the US this week. While the US version will cost about twice the $199 price that Asus teased us with this summer, the Eee PC is a full fledged computer in a 2 pound package for under $400, and that's pretty impressive.

What's also impressive is the custom Linux interface Asus threw together to make the Eee PC as useful as possible. Since the machine has a 900MHz celeron processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of solid state memory, it's capable of running Windows, Linux, or pretty much any other operating system you'd care to install. But out of the box, the Eee PC includes a custom version of Xandros Linux that's meant to take the pain out of Linux for novice users.

In fact, it's probable that many customers will never know that the Eee PC runs Linux at all. EeeUser has put together a thorough review of the operating system. In a nutshell:

• The Eee PC starts up and shuts down faster than almost any other computer you've ever used.
• Programs are grouped into tabbed categories: Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings, Favorites, and Help.
• The Internet tab lets you open the Firefox Web browser, connect to your web mail service of choice, use Pidgin for chatting, and Skype for VoIP calls.
• The Work tab lets you use Open Office, Kcalc, Adobe Reader, KDE Personal Information manager, and Thunderbird.
  
• The Play tab includes a few games like Solitare, Soduku, and Penguin Race, as well as SMPlayer media player, a music jukebox, Photo Manager, and Video Manager application

There's also an add/remove programs feature, but there aren't a ton of extra applications available at the moment. Since the Eee PC interface is built on top of Xandros, you could probably add some repositories and install a whole slew of applications on the computer. But part of the beauty of this $400 laptop is that it works out of the box. While it certainly presents a lot of tinkering potential, it's designed for ease of use. And installing unsupported applications can lead to all sorts of problems if you're not already a Linux guru.

Update: jkOnTheRun turned us onto a great website showing off the Eee PC user interface. It's really just a series of interactive screenshots, not an emulator. But it should give you a sense of the EeePC layout.

[via Asus Eee PC Hacks]

Microsoft's been announcing partnerships with Linux distributors left and right over the last few months. First, the company reached an agreement to share intellectual property with Novell, then Xandros, and most recently Linspire.

That's led many to wonder whether Microsoft would be partnering with Canonical anytime soon. Canonical is the company behind Ubuntu, fast becoming one of the most popular Linux distributions, especially among newer Linux users. But while Ubuntu could certainly benefit from improved interoperability with Microsoft programs like Windows Media Player and Office, Canonical CEO Mark Shuttleworth says it just ain't going to happen. Not yet, anyway.

In a nutshell, Shuttleworth says that he has not intention of caving in to Microsoft's threatened lawsuits against the open source community. And while he supports any efforts Microsoft makes towards allowing proprietary software to run better on Linux, he doesn't really believe the company is committed to open standards. He doesn't rule out working with Microsoft in the future, but Shuttleworth sees no reason to do so now.

And here's a key point. Since Microsoft is working with Novell, Xandros, and Linspire, there's every reason to think that the entire Linux community will benefit. Any changes that are made to open source software will by definition be available to all developers, and could therefore be included in future Ubuntu releases.

[via CNet]

Functionally irrelevant but newsworthy nonetheless, Xandros -- the Debian based Linux distribution formerly known as Corel Linux -- has joined Novell in alienating the FOSS community by licensing Microsoft intellectual property and creating an illusion of indemnification against potential MS vs. Linux user lawsuits.

Few details are available about the deal. Microsoft's SVP of Server and Business tools announced the deal at MS' TechEd2007 conference in Orlando, remarking that "[Xandros has] taken the position of helping customers to ensure that when they use open-source software, the IP the industry has created is a part of that."

Microsoft's quiet backroom deals over Linux IP are making some Linux users nervous, while still others have mused that Microsoft's entire strategy may be nothing more than a Fear and Loathing public relations campaign to scare deep-pocketed corporations away from choosing popular Linux flavours in their datacenters

Greetings, DLS readers. I'm reporting from LinuxWorld 2006, in cool & breezy San Francisco. Over the next few days I'll be letting you know about what's new, what's cool, and what's interesting at our annual PenguinCon.

Some of you have probably heard about Xandros Desktop, an attempt to create a Linux distro that's super easy to use and very friendly and inviting for those switching over from Windows. By and large, Xandros succeeds. I'll be honest: if you're a Linux power user, Xandros will quickly drive you absolutely nuts due to its limitations. But if you're looking for a distro easy enough for Grandma Jones or Uncle Larry to use, then Xandros may be just the thing. You can read more about Xandros' desktop offerings for the Home and Business on their web site.

That's the Desktop. What impressed me at LinuxWorld, however, is Xandros Server 1.0. The number tells you it's a new product, but since it's built on existing Xandros products, it's a bit more mature than you might expect. Basically, Xandros Server is a server OS for the small businesses that need a server on premises but really don't have anyone on staff with deep technical knowledge to administer it. With Xandros Server, it's really pretty simple to manage 24 different services - like DNS, Web, DHCP, and even Helix Streaming Server (check out the list in the screenshot) - using a nicely integrated Management Console that should be pretty familiar to anyone who's ever used Microsoft's MMC. If you happen to know enough to manually edit config files, go ahead; the Xandros Management Console will read the changes made to the configs with no problem, and won't blow away your changes. The cost? $449, which ain't bad and sure beats Microsoft on price, especially when you factor in that you don't need to buy any Client Access Licenses for each machine or user accessing the server, one of the oh-so-clever ways that MSFT extracts yet more cash from its customers.

If all this sounds interesting to you, check out the free 30-day trial. Xandros Server is just one more little bit of evidence I'm seeing at LinuxWorld that Linux is getting easier and easier for everyone to use, and that's exciting news. Stay tuned for more from LinuxWorld 2006 later today.