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LINUX FOR THE MASSES comes courtesy of Lycoris, which, like a certain other software company, is based in Redmond, Wash. In fact, Lycoris used to be called Redmond Linux and that name survives in what pops up on your screen when its operating system, Desktop/LX, begins booting.
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I booted the laptop into Windows XP Home, inserted the Lycoris CD, and rebooted. A few seconds later I was greeted with the install program’s Welcome screen. I pressed the Start button. I was then asked to confirm what the installation had discovered: that I had a 2-button mouse and a standard keyboard with Windows keys. It knew my video card and monitor, asked me to confirm the monitor’s screen resolution and asked where I wanted to install the OS. I chose to use the entire hard drive: erase Windows and start from scratch. The installation begins.
While it’s installing you can choose a log-in name and password and set-up your Ethernet, modems and printer settings. Then, Lycoris lets you play Solitaire until it’s done. A nice touch.
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| The Desktop/LX Control Center allows access to settings that in the old days used to involve a lot more work.
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After that, you’re offered the chance to create a rescue disk. (If you don’t do it now, you can always make one later.) I chose to reboot and, sure enough: the Compaq restarted and, like magic, my laptop had been turned into a perfectly working Linux computer. The screen on the standard KDE desktop was colorful and beautiful. The sound worked. The Ethernet worked. It even knew what to do with the notebook’s 1394/Firewire port. I was very pleased.
Lycoris’ Desktop/LX installs a slew of useful software as standard equipment. It’s quite a list:
KDE 2.2 desktop, Mozilla (developmental Netscape) Web browser, KOffice 1.1.1 office suite, KWord word processor, KSpread spreadsheet, KPresenter presentation software, 10 games (Solitaire, Tetris, Asteroids, etc.), Desktop/lx Update Wizard, Gimp 1.2.2 photo editor, Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.05, RealPlayer 8, Shockwave Flash, Java Runtime Environment 1.3, Kooka scanner program, Desktop/LX network browser, Desktop/LX install wizard, Desktop/LX remote access control, KIT AOL Instant Messenger client, XMMS MPEG/MP3/Ogg Vorbis player, KonCD CD recording software, KAddress Book, KOrganizer calendar, KDict Dictionary client, XawTV television viewer, KMail Email client, KFax fax viewer, KSCD CD player, Xine DVD.DIVX Player, KMail e-mail client, KNode news reader, KSnapshot screencapture, KNapster Napster client.
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| The Desktop/LX pop-up GO menu. I seem to remember using something similar somewhere.
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Of course, like most other installations, there are dozens (hundreds?) of the standard Linux programs inside, too. But the Lycoris desktop comes loaded for work and play: I wrote this review on KDE’s word processor and I’ve been browsing the Web on the latest version of Mozilla (I downloaded and installed the upgrade; it was a cinch). I watch the BBC on RealPlayer. I’m listening to CDs and to MP3s. I’m viewing photos from my digital camera. In short, I’m using Desktop/LX to do exactly what its inventors had planned a desktop user to do.
I found one of the OS’s most interesting features is Lycoris’ network browser. It’s a browser operated version of Windows’ network mapping, a great idea for any Linux distribution that’s trying to appeal to users of the world’s most popular operating system. It also doesn’t hurt that to delete unwanted items you move them to a “trash can.” Everyone can relate to that.
The speed on a Pentium III 700 MHz laptop is pretty quick. And as you’d expect, the speed on a 1.8 GHz Pentium IV was a whole lot faster. I’ve installed Lycoris on 3 computers and found the process to be flawless and speedy. As a matter of fact, the only problem I’ve encountered at all was with the Compaq notebook. Windows or Lycoris didn’t matter, neither can get the 802.11b card to work properly. The Lycoris people believe it’s an IRQ/hardware problem.
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Historically, Windows has been somewhat easier to install on a desktop computer than Linux. (I know I’ll receive a lot of e-mail about this.) In the early days, you had to know a lot about your computer to install either one. Since then, both operating systems have become a lot easier to install, with Windows getting the slight edge in the “pressing-the-button-and-walking-away” category, if not in speed.
Lycoris is available for download on their Web site. You’ll need a fast Internet connection (or a lot of time) and a CD burner. You can also buy a CD with the OS, an instruction manual and 60-days of e-mail support for $29.99. Another $10 gets you a source CD and a developer tools CD as well. Lycoris is even selling a PC ($449) and a laptop ($799) already loaded with Desktop/LX.
Lycoris Linux
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