Xandros is a distribution of Linux descended from Debian and built on the Debian framework. Unlike Debian though, Xandros is built more with a profiteering mindset, a philosophy that has slowly alienated it from the Linux community, more so lately after their announced affiliation with Microsoft. This is also due to their profit focused vs. the freedom focused development observed by most core Linux distributions. But that’s not to say that Xandros can’t still be a good distribution, even if it breaks with the traditions that made Linux what it is today. But unlike the other mainstream Linux distributions which are free, you’re going to have to pay for this one. The price you pay isn’t Xandros charging you to use Linux, but rather it’s to pay for the licensing of all the bundled proprietary software that they include into their distribution, plus some limited tech support. But enough of that, let’s get down to the bread and butter of this Linux distribution and see what it has to offer those who want to try it out.
Installation

When I first received my review copy of Xandros 4.0 in the mail, I was surprised to find a big shipping box, inside of which was a shrink wrapped package containing a new user booklet and a Xandros software box. Inside the box was an install cd, an applications cd, the ever handy EULA (end user license agreement), some Xandros stickers for your case, a quick start guide, a skype calling card and the installation license key on a sticker. After much fighting to get the small envelope open that contained the install CD’s and other items listed above, (I swear someone went glue happy when they sealed this envelope) I popped the CD into my test station and booted it up. I was greeted by a simple boot prompt that gave me the option to choose if I wanted to boot into the troubleshooting menu or install Xandros. Obviously I chose the latter. After that it continued to boot, initially searching for and detecting all of my hardware, including, surprisingly enough, my video card, and loading all the drivers for it. In some cases it even went so far as to load any proprietary drivers that were included in the distribution for my other hardware. After a few moments to get those loaded I was greeted by a welcome screen with a smiling lady and a picture of a Xandros install cd. A simple click of the “next” button, and a quick click to sign away my first child (I’m kidding, I’m kidding), I was greeted by a screen with two options. Express install and Custom install. Really, unless you have some reason to choose custom install, express seems best to go with because it’s less hassle to deal with and you get the same end result with both. If you’re unfamiliar with which setting does what and which is best for you, the quick start guide (aptly named the “Getting Started Guide”) will tell you all you need to know ranging from installing Xandros along side another OS to installing on a blank machine.

Choosing express install I clicked next. You’re initially asked for an administrator password. Minimum length is 6 characters, so no cheating here by leaving the password field blank. While this is a good start, one bad thing crops up. You can put 123456 as your password and get away with it. So strong password support isn’t there yet. Forcing a user to use a mixture of letters and numbers or something very secure for the root user should always be required. But I’ll leave that up to the developers of Xandros to decide if that should be added. I think it should, but that’s just me and my belief that security should always be first. A quick click next and I was given a summary of what Xandros would do along with a nice warning that I was about to wipe out all data on the drive. So a quick click of the finish button and off we go! From here it went through a series of steps in which it prepped the drive and eventually installed Xandros. Sadly there was no live cd option on this disk to allow me to see if it would run right on my machine, so what I’d end up with after installation was anybody’s guess. Evidently the developers assumed that if you got this far, it probably would.

One interesting thing I did notice about Xandros is that it’s very focused on moving people away from Microsoft Windows and to the Xandros version of the Linux desktop. Ironic given their recent patent agreements with the same company they appear to be trying to defeat, or at the very least undermine in some small way. After a boring 30 minutes of waiting for Xandros to install (this is probably due to the 2+ gigabytes of data and programs it has to install) and several tuna sandwiches later, it was time to get down to business and test the product.Testing the system

Upon first boot I was greeted by a 3 item menu that asked if I wanted to boot into Xandros 4 Professional, safe video mode or expert configuration mode. I chose the first. The other two are troubleshooting and advanced configuration just as the names imply. General bootup time from this point was about two minutes. Nothing really to report home about, but given that it was likely doing last minute configurations, that extra time is forgivable. For reference, boot times from start to gui typically should be no more than 30-45 seconds on most systems. Older systems should be no more than 75 seconds. From login to desktop was another 30 seconds. There were a few �first run� questions it asked such as �how do you use your mouse�, �what country are you in�, etc. One interesting thing I found was how it asked if you wanted to setup any printers. Sadly, I didn�t have any printers I could test with at the time, so I have no idea how easy the printer install is, but I would suspect that it�s fairly painless. Once I finished clicking through the first run questions, some of which were Xandros configuration questions, and others which were KDE configuration questions, I was now on the desktop with a fully installed copy of Xandros.

Oddly, despite having a serial number for the product, I had yet to be asked for it at this point. The desktop itself is a typical KDE setup, minus the pug ugly red wallpaper, eyecandied task bar and Xandros Networks icon. In the system tray was a Xandros security warning message saying my system may be at high risk. Aside from looking like the Windows security center icon, I found that a bit worrying. What could they have done to cause such a high security risk? But we�ll get to that in a second. Next to it was the volume control, a software update manager (it�s for finding and downloading new updates to the system, just like windows update), a network connection icon and a one click icon to lock the desktop. In the quick launch panel I found links for Konsole, Firefox, Groupware Suite, Xandros file manager and the �show desktop� icon. There were two desktops configured for the system, each designated with a different color. One blue, one green. Under the aptly renamed �Launch� menu (formerly the �Kmenu� for KDE) I found something that very much reminded me of something you�d find in Windows XP. Wow, I guess they really did go all out to draw in windows users.

Under the applications section of the Launch menu I found a sub-menu organized somewhat similar to the KDE menu with graphics apps being placed under graphics and so on. One thing that did stand out though was the Crossover menu. Being the curious cat that I am, I explored it. Come to find out, it�s Crossover Linux by Codeweavers. A perfect application for running Windows applications on Linux that you otherwise can�t do without. The documentation suggests that it�s the full version allowing for usage of such Windows programs as Photoshop, Quicken, Lotus Notes, and more. Although there are obviously superior Open Source alternatives to most of the ones listed there, I�m sure this would still be handy for someone who really has no choice but to continue using those Windows applications. The rest of the applications offered seem pretty much in keeping with Xandros �Windows to Linux� theme of end user conversion by including programs such as an organizer, your obvious office staple of solitaire, basic image capture and editing, several mail, web and news apps, including, surprisingly enough, Kmail, and some multimedia applications such as DVD writer and Real Player. There�s even a Xandros audio cd ripper. There is also a number of KDE, 3rd party and Xandros labeled system tools to choose from to provide you with lots of tools to manage your system. There�s even the ability to do remote desktop sharing.

Now since this is KDE, I thought to check the control center while I was in here. Disappointingly enough, it�s only KDE 3.4.2, a much outdated older version of KDE 3.x which, while stable, leaves the user without some great features and benefits that 3.5 offers them. On a positive note, the Control Center is relatively unmolested for the most part, although some cosmetic changes and minor reorganizations have taken place. There�s also some configuration options that appear to be missing. Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. Most appear to simply be items most people wouldn�t use anyways, so that�s no big loss there. On the flipside though, there�s a few extra subsections that aren�t part of the normal KDE Control Center that are there, including a boot manager. So far I have mixed feelings overall about this version of Linux. They do appear to do a good job at the one thing they appear to be focused on, which is converting Windows users to Linux, but at the same time I think they fail at that in several ways by not giving the end user the complete package and letting them decide for themselves what they want to have when they first get into Linux. That�s the reason that the various Linux distributions and associated projects release their software the way they do. It�s intended to provide everyone with the full package and complete choice on what they want and don�t want rather than choosing for the end user.

Now, as mentioned before, I was going to look at that flashing Security Suite icon in the system tray and see what that was all about. Clicking on it revealed a window with five buttons on the left, and four main warnings on the right. The first was a notice that the computer was not protected by an Anti-Virus program. Wait a second. Reality check here. Linux doesn�t need an anti-virus program. At least not at this time or at any time in the near foreseeable future. So if Xandros Linux does need an anti-virus, then they�ve got a real problem with their distribution. That threw up a lot of red flags for me. But at the same time it may just be a way to get you hooked on their free antivirus program in hopes of eventually switching you to a paid version in the future. It wouldn�t be the first time a company has used scare tactics to sell additional fluff products. The second alert was a notice that the firewall wasn�t setup. Ok, I�ll give them that one. Even if Linux is secure enough not to need a firewall to protect it, it�s still good security practice to run one, because you never know when some 3rd party application is going to open up a hole in your system wide enough to drive a truck through. So that alert I�ll agree with.

The third alert was about the System File Protector not being setup and how it could cause your system to be compromised by intruders. Woh, yet another huge red flag right there. I call scare mongering on this one as well unless they�ve somehow opened up their distribution to all the same problems that Windows suffers from. Ironically the security suite said that �no anomalies were detected�. IE, you�re fine and the system is secure. Yup, it�s either scare mongering or Xandros has a lot of really, really bad issues that would make it a Linux distro I wouldn�t touch with a twenty foot poll. Of course if they don�t actually have any vulnerabilities, it�s likely been placed there in preparation for eventually selling them some security product they don�t need in the near future. Hey, why not get people thinking about it now when you don�t have something to sell rather than lose face later on by applying the same scare technique to get them to buy it then. If they�re already aware of it, and they�re already using your tools, what better way is there to get them to upgrade to a paid version and earn a fistful of cash in the process? While it�s mean and spiteful and dishonest from an end user�s perspective, from a business standpoint, it�s brilliant. Dishonest for sure, but it�s still brilliant. The last alert was about Xandros network and it got a passing grade, so no big red X stating that something bad might happen if you don�t use their protection tool.

Digging back into the system, I found the network connection management to be decent, and wireless to be less than good. As for adding additional applications to the system itself, I do have to admit that I was stumped. They did not give you any kind of cue on how to install them. So if you�re not familiar with installing apps in Linux, you�re lost. Sure, you can jump in the console and use apt-get to install what you need, but what new user who�s just converted from Windows to Linux is going to want to jump into the console to do much of anything, or even know about apt-get for that matter. Most windows users are absolutely and completely terrified of the dos prompt. That�s a given. I�ve seen it too much in my job to think otherwise. Unless it�s got a gui, most end users either can�t, or won�t do anything at the command prompt. So asking them to install something with apt-get would be like watching cats fly. It just isn�t going to happen short of a miracle. Sure, the more savvy windows users might have no problem going online and figuring this out, or even using the console for that matter, but based on the type of users Xandros appears to be targeting, mostly novice and semi-experienced Windows users, not having some kind of obvious way to install apps is a quick turnoff resulting in new users quickly giving up on Linux and running back to windows. If that happens, then Xandros will have failed at exactly what they�ve set out to do. Because you can only go so far with a system like this out of the box.

So option one came to mind. The applications CD. It loaded (wow, autorun on a Linux system. I�m impressed!) and gave me a list of applications I could install. Not a lot there, but there�s certainly a few items that could be added if you needed them, including a Citrix client. So for grins and giggles I tried to install something. To my surprise, Xandros Networks came up and installed the package. A little more looking and some diving through the user guide and come to find out, Xandros Networks *IS* the graphical installer for Xandros Linux. Talk about being as unobvious as possible. If they had been smart, Xandros would have added an icon to the desktop that said �click here to install software�. What�s odd about this though is that I�d already been in Xandros Networks earlier poking around and nothing about software install showed up until I put in that applications disk. As far as what was available on Xandros networks, well, the pickings were a bit more plentiful, but not much. So to be balanced and fair, I did an install from the internet as well. In both cases the install was easy, but the lack of software choices offered to the end user was frustrating.

Another big gripe about the Xandros Networks software installer system is that it gives generic names to all the applications you can install. It doesn�t even tell you what program goes with that name. Like XMMS was just labeled as �MP3 player� with no description that gave any HINT of what program was actually being installed. Now as for multimedia support, Xandros did respectably in all my tests, even though the results are nothing to write home about. But given that this version of the distribution is more focused to corporate customers, that in and of itself is not entirely surprising. How many bosses would want their employees watching the latest DVD�s on their desktop instead of doing work? Despite KDE having built in file and print sharing, the Xandros developers appear to have neutered most of it leaving you with a shell of the former SMB file sharing (again, I couldn�t test the print sharing, but given the results of the file sharing, the print sharing wouldn�t have gone much better) that comes included with KDE. So, want to share that 50mb Excel file over the net? Pfft. Good luck. You should eventually succeed, but it�s going to be anything but painless.

And what of the serial number included with this package? Oddly enough, I never did have to use it anywhere during my testing. Ironically though, I did find that they have some odd form of product activation included with the OS, a bane and a curse that I thought only Microsoft dabbled in.Conclusion

Overall I’d consider Xandros Linux 4 Professional a less than decent Linux distribution, definitely nothing to write home about, and certainly nothing I would recommend to anyone seeking to make the switch to Linux.  Especially with the somewhat mediocre job Xandros did with their version and the recent patent contract with Microsoft. I also find it ironic that while they’re very much set on converting Windows users to Linux by the bucketful, they ultimately signed a patent treaty with the same company whom they’re trying to undermine by stealing their users. A pact with the devil that’s sure to come back and haunt them some day.