A
Review of Linspire Beta 2 - (Continued)
Conclusions
First, I clearly recognize that this beta version of Linspire is just
that, beta, for testing purposes only. It should be
considered to have some bugs and should not be installed in your main
production box. That being said, Linux distro junkies and Linspire
followers will find the changes made in this version interesting and
intriguing. Of course, you may want to explore the potentials of this
beta version and see what one can get out of this build. There are
definite improvements that have been made in this beta build and it
contains the latest and greatest of what Linux has to offer. What
impressed me was that Linspire has added packages and enhancements that
many
users have asked
for, some real tools and useful packages, that have added considerable
enhancements this distro. This trend should please novice users,
as
well as some of
the more hard core Linux disciples, looking for a good starting point
to
expand on.
Clearly, there are some weak points to this version of Linspire, most
notably the sluggishness of the overall interface. But, with the
addition of more of the features that Linspire users and
insiders
have asked for, it will be exiting to see what the final release will
bring.
The Linspire team seems to be listening to it's core users, which
include both novice users looking for a distro that will work
"out--of-the-box," as well as more experienced users who are looking
for advanced features and a distro that keeps up with the improvements
that Linux has made with hardware recognition and ease of use (a viable
alternative to Windows). Hopefully, Linspire will be able to balance
the needs of what they have always considered their "target" market
(everyday
users with little or no Linux experience, looking for an easy distro to
learn), as well as their very demanding insiders, who have contributed
a
great deal to the development of Linspire over the last several years.
Lastly, a note on Linspire support. Linspire relies heavily on it's
community support forum. This forum also includes several ways taht
insiders can report their experiences
with beta testing and issues, but available to registered insiders
only.
However, this strategy has proved to be a tremendous asset to Linspire.
A multitude of eager users and Linspire staff frequent the forums,
answering questions and sharing solutions asked by novice users and
Linux junkies alike. I just learned from searching the forums that the
kernel-source packages for kernel 2.6.10 will be available soon. This
is good news for users like me who must fiddle with my
installation. A list of other Linspire support options (faq,
knowledge base and search options) can be
found on the Linspire
Support Page.
As I explore this version of Linspire and gain more knowledge with it,
I will post updates about my experiences with what I consider a
promising build of Linspire.