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• Xandros 2.5 Business Edition
  by Clint Tinsley

• Finally a Desktop Linux distribution that serious Windows users can be comfortable with!  Shortly after my return from LinuxWorld 2004 - San Francisco,  I had a copy of Xandros 2.5 Business Edition to play with.
  
  I installed it on a 2 year old PIII laptop and have been very impressed, if not enthralled, by it.  Debian based, it is very stable using a mature operating 2.4 kernel.  CrossOver Office 3.01 is installed as part of the delivered desktop environment.  CrossOver Office 3.01 provides the capability to run Internet Explorer as well as OfficeXP without having to go to a Windows environment such as NeTraverse or dual booting to Windows to run these two applications; more on this later in the article.  I usually hate configuring printing to network printers at the office but this has been a dream as I have easily configured Xandros to print to our large Xerox 460ST DocuCenter Printer, an HP 5550 DTN Color LJ, an HP 4550 Color LJ and a LJ2100 connected via an HP JetDirect external print server, all using either native LPD and IPP printing connections.  At home, I have it printing to my WindowsXP shared HP LJ printer.  Using both IE and Mozilla as delivered, I have been able to view Shockwave multimedia websites in both browsers with both great visual impact and sound.  Xandros Rocks!
  
  Xandros Linux comes in four flavors.  The Open Circulation version 2.0 can be downloaded for free using BitTorrent (file sharing) technology or downloaded via a web browser directly from Xandros for $10.  Open Circulation is a limited (or dare I say “Lite”) version of Xandros.  Moving up the product ladder is found Standard, which is a single CD distribution for $39 which does not include a manual, additional apps or CrossOver Office but does come with 30 days of e-mail support.  OpenOffice 1.1 is the productivity suite of choice for both the Standard and Deluxe Editions. Deluxe, at $89, includes CrossOver Office (A $40 value in itself), as well as the 2nd Applications CD,   Deluxe also provides full support for dual booting with Windows XP, better Windows integration for file and print sharing, and Drag N Drop CD burning along with 60 days of e-mail support. The top rung is where you find the Business Edition ($129), which adds to the Deluxe version, a full commercially supported version of Star Office 7 ($79.95 value), Windows remote desktop clients, the ability to participate in a Windows Active Directory or NT Domain, 64 bit processor support, and 90 days of e-mail support.

  Linux User

  One thing I look for in a Linux distribution, such as Xandros, is to see if all the functionality I need is there, completely.  Xandros 2.5 Business Edition delivers that functionality, completely.  In fact, to some degree, it overdelivers.  Example, if what I needed was Xandros’s special edition of CrossOver Office 3.0.1, available currently only in BE, so I can run OfficeXP, I don’t particularly need StarOffice 7.  However, StarOffice does give me the ability to export office documents to PDF, no extra charge and maybe even, eventually, quit using OfficeXP.  
  
  I take a “User” focus to using Linux, I don’t want to be a techy who has to go out, download, install, configure and fix what might get broken in trying to add an application, I just want to use Linux.  Not only does the Xandros deliver the applications that I need but all those applications have been tweaked to work together seemlessly.  Then add in XFM (Xandro File Manager) Windows like FileManager with its built in CD-ROM burning functionality, the user value of Busines Edition just grows.
  
  One can argue about Xandros’s pricing matrix of its 3 commercial products, but each rung in the ladder brings much more functionality to the table than the added price of admission.  An example here is that in moving from Standard to Deluxe buys you a lot more than just adding CrossOver 2.1; you also get the partitioning tools that allows you resize WindowsXP NTFS partitions during the installation along with better Window integration for file and print sharing, Drag N Drop CD burning and the 350 page plus manual.  Moving from Deluxe to the Business Edition gains you CrossOver Office 3.0.1, StarOffice 7, and additional Windows networking functionalities, much more than the $40 price increment portends.  For more information on the features of each product, I would recommend that you visit the product page on the Xandros web site, open each product page, and then click on the feature page for each product.  To provide the feature list for each product is beyond the scope of this article.

  Features & Benefits

  Integrated CrossOver Office 3.0.1 allows you to install and run many Windows applications including the various versions of Microsoft Office, including XP, as well as Internet Explorer 6.  Xandros comes with Mozilla 1.6, which for most browsing activities, is sufficient.  Unfortunately,  there are times I have to use IE 6 for things such as accessing Hotmail and the IMAP webmail server at work which won’t let me even login using Mozilla!  The full list of supported Windows apps under CrossOver Office 3.0.1:  Adobe Photoshop 6 & 7, Authorware Web Player, Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX and Player, Microsoft Office 97, 2000, XP, SP 1 and 2, Visio, Project 2000/2002, QuickView Plus, Quicken and QuickBooks 2000, and a number of applications I never hear of.  If this is enough, you can also use Win4Lin 5.1 to provide a full WindowsME/98/95 environment (Microsoft licensed copy required), and then run any other Windows applications that you cannot run “natively” in Linux using Wine or CrossOver office.
  
  XFM – Xandros File Manager.  There has been a review written on just this feature alone.  It is not only an integrated file manager but also a web browser and network explorer.  As the graphic shows, not only does it give you a Windows Explorer like experience, but then you add in the CD burning functions, you gain an a real appreciation for this tool.  You might also note the C: drive, this is my Windows2000 partition. It was automatically mounted and accessible from Xandros where I have not only accessed files there but saved files back while working in Xandros.

  

  Printing.  One of my mantra’s is that Printing starts with P because it is a Pain!  That is not the case with Xandros 2.5 Business Edition.  As the graphic shows, I have been able to easily access all the printing resources I need which include both a locally attached LaserJet 6P as well as a Windows network shared 6P from my WindowXP computer.  And then at the office, I have printed successfully to a variety of printers using LPD and IPP printing connections.  I even printed to our big Xerox DocuCenter 460ST, all seamlessly and without having to download one driver.  Life doesn’t get much easier than this.  Windows printing can be much more painful, sometimes requiring medication...

  

  Xandros Networks is the tool of choice for adding applications and updates from the Xandros software repository.  The neat thing about this is that the applications and updates have all been “assembled and tested” on Xandros desktop; no make, configure or install here!  And if you are so inclined, you can also install unsupported .deb and rpm based applications, all at your own risk; don’t blame Xandros if things don’t work after you do this.  In my research on Xandros, I have found those who complain about not having the “latest & greatest” applications and if one wants the “latest & greatest” which can be done, it is not supported by Xandros.  I don’t need “latest & greatest” as I tend to shun the sight of blood, ‘specially my own, and really don’t’ have the time to fix what gets broken by the “latest & greatest.”   All I care about is being able to use Linux and the Xandros Networks provides the assurance that I will be able to do so while keeping my system reasonably up-to-date.

  Parting

  Xandros 2.5 Business Edition has given me a Linux Desktop that I can comfortably use on a daily basis.  I’ve bought and used or at least played with Lindows, SuSE 9.1 Professional, RedHat 9 Professional, downloaded Fedora Core 1 & 2, and other distributions too numerous to mention and none of them have given me the ease of installation, use, and functionality that I have found in this Xandros Linux distribution.  I am not a gamer and I do not recommend it for those that are gamers as there are other distributions better suited.
  
  Xandros is focused on bringing Linux to the corporate desktop and 2.5 Business Edition is their latest release in this initiative.  Xandros has near release, their XDM (Xandros Desktop Management) server which will allow the deployment and management of network connected Linux desktop.  They are also working a corporate enterprise server, to be released next year, which will provide e-mail and other services to the corporate network.
  

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