Time.com’s Chris Taylor reports that Linux showing up in easier-to-use packages than ever these days. Lindows and Lycoris Desktop LX are lowering the bar a bit when it comes to setting up and using the open-source operating system.
Linux developers have long-strived to make it as easy as possible for users to get the operating system installed on their own PCs, and some have succeeded quite well. Taylor noted that Wal-Mart is now selling a bargain-basement US$299 PC with a Linux variant called Lindows pre-installed. Lycoris Desktop LX, is set to debut at CompUSA for $29.
Taylor said that Lycoris effectively disguises “all the scary jargon” involved in the average installation and presents users with a Windows-like desktop metaphor that’s easy to use. What’s more, it comes with apps that work with Office, Photoshop, and AOL Instant Messenger.
Taylor called Lindows “a work in progress” and said that its developer has backed off from initial claims that it’s wholly Windows-compatible, but the Linux variant can co-exist on the same PC with various Windows versions.
Calling Linux “an acquired taste,” Taylor cautioned prospective users about potential peripheral compatibility problems and sparse tech support. “But what you get in return is a very fast, very cheap, crash-free system that can be installed on as many computers as you like,” he said.