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Xandros is both the name of a line of Linux distributions and Xandros Corporation, the company which creates them. Xandros Desktop is a distribution known for its focus on business and mainstream users and for being visually similar to Windows XP. The name Xandros is derived from the X Window System and the Greek island of Andros.[http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=11954&]

Founded in May of 2001, the company is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Their distributions are based on Corel Linux, a Debian-based distribution which was acquired along with the development team behind the product from Corel Corporation in August, 2001 after Corel decided to leave the Linux distribution market.[http://www.xandros.com/about/corporatebackground.html Xandros Corporate Background]. Xandros Corporation. Xandros is also a founding member of the Desktop Linux Consortium.

The current edition of Xandros as of November 28, 2006, is version 4.1.

Products

Xandros makes products for both the consumer and business markets. For more information, please see the external link Xandros Desktop Comparison Matrix.

Commercial Editions

* Xandros Desktop Home Edition comes with full-speed CD/DVD burning and a 30-day trial of Crossover Office. It also includes an "Applications CD" which includes extra programs which can be installed via Xandros Networks. As opposed to Home Edition Premium, the Home Edition does not include the photo manager, music manager, security suite, wireless profiles, or the ability to write to NTFS partitions.

* Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium comes with full-speed CD/DVD burning, a full version of Crossover Office Standard Edition, and a second CD (the "Applications CD") which comes with extra applications which can be installed via Xandros Networks. Contrary to its name, Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium does not include a Xandros Networks Premium Membership. Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium includes a photo manager (powered by DigiKam), an iPod-compatible music manager (powered by Amarok), wireless profiles, an integrated security suite, and the ability to write to NTFS partitions.

Another new feature in Xandros 4.0 is the use of a special "product activation code" similar to the Windows XP product activation code. However, unlike the Windows XP product activation code which is required in order to use Windows XP after 30 days, the Xandros product activation code is used to authorize a copy of Xandros to download programs and updates from Xandros Networks, Xandros' proprietary apt-based download tool similar to Linspire's Click-N-Run. When the OS is first installed, Xandros Networks is disabled; it has to be enabled by using the product activation code. Users must contact Xandros Support for further activation codes after they pass a 10 activation limit. However, it appears that Xandros has abandoned the product activation mechanism with the release of the Service Pack 1 update to Xandros 4.0.[http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=27777&sid=9f5993bdd9861dd83c2299394f25e1bf]

Xandros offers a 30-day trial version of Xandros Home Edition Premium as a free download for evaluation purposes.

* Xandros Desktop Professional (formerly Xandros Desktop Business Edition) is basically the same as Xandros Desktop Home Edition Premium, but it includes the ability to authenticate to Windows PDC and Active Directory Domains, connect to wired and wireless networks, use PPTP VPN to connect remotely to the office, and use broadband wireless connectivity with 3G, GSM and UMTS support. Xandros Desktop Professional was officially released on November 28, 2006.

Free Editions

* Xandros Open Circulation Edition (OCE) is a freely redistributable edition for non-commercial use. This edition has a limited set of additional software. For example: in Xandros File Manager, CD burning speed is limited to the minimum burning speed of the CD drive (usually 4x speed); it comes with a 30-day trial of CrossOver Office instead of the full version included in the Deluxe and Business editions; there is no e-mail support or user guide. As with other versions, the Open Circulation Edition includes Mozilla Corporation's Firefox and Thunderbird web browser and e-mail client. Previous version of Xandros OCE were generally released about 4 months after the release of the commercial versions. However, since a product activation code is now required for Xandros Networks to be functional in the Home Edition and Home Edition Premium version, it is doubtful that an Open Circulation Edition of Xandros Home Edition will ever be released.

Discontinued Editions

* Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition was basically the same as the Open Circulation Edition, but it included full-speed CD/DVD burning. This product has been replaced by Home Edition.

* Xandros Desktop OS Deluxe Edition included an "applications CD" which included extra programs which could be installed via Xandros Networks. This product has been replaced by Home Edition Premium.

* Xandros Desktop OS Surfside Edition was basically the same as Xandros Desktop OS Standard Edition, however the Surfside Edition also included a Plantronics USB headset and 120 minutes of SkypeOut service. This edition has been discontinued.

Server OSs

Xandros Server 1.0 has been released in April 2006.

Xandros Desktop Management Server or xDMS is already available. It easily sets up repositories as it deploys customized Xandros Desktop configurations across a large organization.

Look and feel

The Xandros GUI uses a modified version of the K Desktop Environment (KDE), which includes replacing Konqueror with its own proprietary file manager called XFM. It also uses a package manager known as Xandros Networks, which handles installation of software. Installation of Xandros is done by a wizard that asks questions about partitioning and the administrator (root) password.

The KDE interface has been modified to resemble Microsoft Windows, with a rectangular "launch" button similar to the Windows Start button, modified context menus, and a file manager with a Windows 98 appearance.

The package includes several other themes including KDE, Mac OS 9, and Unix.

It is possible to install and use the GNOME desktop environment on Xandros. In order to install GNOME, "Debian unsupported" must be checkmarked in Xandros Networks' applications sources option, and "pinning" the apt sources is highly recommended. You must use either Xandros Networks or apt-get to download and install GDM and GNOME. After all the necessary files are installed, you must edit /etc/X11/default-display-manager to where the line says /usr/bin/gdm. Reboot, and GDM will show up instead of KDM. GDM will allow you to choose whether to use either GNOME or KDE. Xandros Networks and Xandros File Manager both work with Xandros running GNOME.

Awards

Xandros has won awards for their products, including the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo's Best Front Office Solution, various editor's choice awards in several magazines, and the CNET Editor's Choice award.

Criticism

Free Software

The single largest criticism that people in the Linux community have with Xandros stems from the fact that the distribution includes in-house developed software that is proprietary, thus drawing irksome reviews from those that believe software should be free as in free speech, not as in free beer.[http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html]

Product Activation

Xandros 4.0 Home Edition introduced activation for Xandros
Networks. Activation requires the user to register the product with a
valid serial number and contact e-mail address in order to use the
Xandros Networks application to install new software and updates.

Despite the fact that activation was only required to use Xandros
Networks, not for the use of the operating system, and allowed
installation on multiple machines, Xandros was criticized for
introducing a feature that was reminiscent of the product activation
in Microsoft's Windows XP.

The Service Pack for Xandros 4.0 Home Edition released in November
2006 removes the need for activation. Xandros 4.0 Professional,
released in November 2006, also does not require activation in order
to use Xandros Networks.

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