CherryOS

[BJ_M]

one form of linux is fine for most people -- don't laugh , but Linspire 5 (used to be called lindows before M$ sued thier ass and got all hot and bothered about thier name) has become quite mature and is very very stable.

there are also 1000's of apps for it , this is the system they put on the those walmart pc's and a lot of users dont even know the diff. .

i played around with this os
(there is a legal free version on Bittorrent)
a couple of times and i dont see anything wrong with it - it's cheap , its stable , lots of games and apps for it (including all linux stuff) , and there is a windows emulator (i think)...

it also has P2P built in to it -- which might make it not legal under the new "INDUCE Act" in the USofA ..


quote from the pres. of linspire:

Why Linspire 5.0 may be outlawed
in the United States


"Whoever offers to the public a peer-to-peer product... shall be liable as an infringer."
- Proposed text of the "INDUCE Act"


In secret backroom meetings throughout this week, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are deciding the fate of many technology businesses, including Linspire. My sources have provided proposed text to me from the INDUCE Act (which I quoted only a portion of to conceal their identity), which certain Senators are attempting to sneak through passage to appease media company contributors. Depending on the final text, it's possible the upcoming Linspire 5.0 would be outlawed in the United States.

In the past, I have spent time in Washington DC and met personally with many members of the judiciary committee and their chiefs of staff who oversee copyright law. During my visit, I was campaigning for fair use and online storage of personal CD collections. This makes sense because it encourages people to buy more CDs and is a positive way to encourage music purchasing, but my words fell on deaf ears. However, within minutes of my meetings, the text of my upcoming public testimony as well as my personal conversations were relayed from certain senators' offices directly to the RIAA, the enforcement organization of the music companies. It was a disheartening experience because it became clear that some senators had greater allegiances to their lobbyists than the people they were voted to represent. Major media companies spend huge sums of money to keep legislators doing their duty...and it shows.

The chairman of the judiciary committee is Senator Orrin Hatch, and in that role he largely decides which proposed laws make it through the committee to a full Senate vote. His office is trying to push through Senate Bill S. 2560, known as the "INDUCE Act." Since the courts have ruled that file-sharing software is legal, media companies have been desperately looking for a different way to halt P2P (peer-to-peer). But since P2P is now in a wide range of products and using P2P requires hardware and software, it's impossible to outlaw P2P devices or software without also outlawing the wide range of products that have legitimate uses. This brings me back to Linspire.

Early this year, we announced that Linspire had begun experimenting with how we could use P2P software to improve our business. Since that time, we have distributed beta copies of our software to our insiders and tens of thousands of copies of Linspire to new users. All told, we've moved about 25 terabytes of Linux software over P2P systems. Even now, you can get LinspireLive! for free via Bittorrent, this gives anyone the opportunity to try Linspire. P2P has worked so well and has been so cost-effective that we are planning to expand our use of P2P. Linspire 5.0, which we are working on now for release later this year will be the first operating system to have P2P built right in by default. There will be no need for users to install any new software. This will allow us to use P2P to ship not just software, but large legitimate music collections and movies as well.

But Linspire 5.0 may not be legal if the INDUCE Act is passed, since it could be used to "induce" file sharing. And it's not just Linspire that will be affected, since a wide range of both hardware and software devices could be interpreted to induce file sharing. When I started MP3.com, the music industry wanted to outlaw MP3 and portable music players, but the law did not support them. If the INDUCE Act had been law back then, we may never have seen the MP3 market bloom as it has. They would have surely attempted to use this law to stop MP3. I encourage you to find out where your representative stands on the INDUCE Act, and do what you can to prevent it. Visit www.ClickTheVote.org to send a fax to your congressman and find other easy steps you can take to help prevent the INDUCE Act from becoming law. Linspire 5.0 is depending on you!

[Doramius]

Our parent institution uses Linux Workstations and Servers all over the place. Only some of the small branches completely use M$ applications. They are redoing the whole system because most of the workstations are running WinNT and Novell. They want to upgrade to Linux and WinXP type programs across the board. I know several people who have a Linux PC, but they own another 2 or 3 PCs running on M$ OSs or have 1 Mac running OSX.

I'm pretty sure Linux could catch up to MicroSoft if they pushed on it. As time is passing, younger generations are getting smarter with computers. It won't be long before the standard Advanced Computer User is taught as basic level computing.

[Faustus]

I see this has turned somewhat into a Linux debate..

Linux poeple need to face the facts. As long as something as simple as installing a program can require even an advanced Windows/Mac user to read up on webpages, install the product, get an error, look up the error spend 3 hours of reasearch on the error, and FINALY fixing it. All the while not really teaching them anything about the OS that they can use again.

Well as long as Linux is that complicated it doesn't have a chance as a desktop OS. The cost in support for companies selling machines using it alone would go up. For Wintel boxes they can hire some guys off the street give them some training and BOOM your a tech. (sorta anyway) but Linux? nope.

I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable guy, I started back on DOS, was trained in the Beta Material For Windows95 quite extensively, and support both PCs and Macs, and I say Linux is a huge pain in the ass. Sure it has alot of power, what good is that power if only a small percentage of people can figure it out?

[bazooka]

I thought the way you do Flaystus, until I had my admin class on Linux.

I much prefer a gui to the command line junk.

Installing programs are still sometimes a pain in the arse.

[Jayhawk]

The next big thing for LARGE companies will be driverless (no hard drive) workstations that access applications and store data to servers. Only true way to stop the productivity drain of the "personal" computer mindset not to mention the virus / spyware problems. Diskless workstations can be completely locked down, are far cheaper to buy, and require little or no support personnel except to swap out a failed box (just carry it in and get another). Those boxes probably will run Linux or something like it.

[BJ_M]

they have had those for years -- so far not been a big success ...

[BJ_M]

in fact -- this what everything was when companies all ran off terminals

[Doramius]

I think as time goes by, there'll be more people to support Linux. Again, if it gets pushed enough, there will be available the same things that are for Windows. Just because there isn't anything available now, doesn't mean it will automatically fail. People said that about CD player and DVD players. "too many people have VCRs and Cassette players" "there not enough market out there for it to allow compatibility". That'll change if there is enough push. No push and it falls the way of Mac. I still think Mac can power into the industry much heavier, but they don't push it. However, they focus their time in other areas and are leading in certain other technologies. I don't blame them as they're making millions in advanced graphic technologies. If they had done things a little differently, we'd probably all be using Macs today.

[Faustus]

I think as time goes by, there'll be more people to support Linux. Again, if it gets pushed enough, there will be available the same things that are for Windows. Just because there isn't anything available now, doesn't mean it will automatically fail. People said that about CD player and DVD players. "too many people have VCRs and Cassette players" "there not enough market out there for it to allow compatibility". That'll change if there is enough push. No push and it falls the way of Mac. I still think Mac can power into the industry much heavier, but they don't push it. However, they focus their time in other areas and are leading in certain other technologies. I don't blame them as they're making millions in advanced graphic technologies. If they had done things a little differently, we'd probably all be using Macs today.

OSX is based on BSD, as far as Unixy goes it doesn't get much easier then OSX. You dont see it taking over the market.

Pushing Linux isn't going to get people to use it, giving them an OS that they have at least a hope of using without a team of gurus on call would but the modular nerd developed nature of it keeps that from happening.

[808smokey]

Windows 3.1 is still my fav and we still use it at work on a 33mhz with a "Turbo" button 8)

[BJ_M]

uh ah ok --

well one of our people here still use an apple II - as all they do is keep an address list on it and type memo's ..
sad- but true

[bazooka]

Windows 3.1 is still my fav and we still use it at work on a 33mhz with a "Turbo" button 8)

[Doramius]

Windows 3.1 is still my fav and we still use it at work on a 33mhz with a "Turbo" button 8)

uh ah ok --

well one of our people here still use an apple II - as all they do is keep an address list on it and type memo's ..
sad- but true

BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA- ROFLMAO [points at smokey's post] [looks again remembering Apple IIe comps.] [coughing for breath of air] "Turbo button" [snorting snickers tring to calm self down] ...............

[DereX888]

Well, one of the old boxes that Ive paid for with my own monies (hehe) was PentiumMMX 0.16 GHz with 0.12GB of SIMM RAM (top desktop design back then, even had 2 USB ports LOL). It cost me ~$3000 back in 1997 and Im not going to throw it away until it dies LOL
I still have good use for it :P It is running as home server/answering machine/fax/etc etc *right now* hehe

[Doramius]

Remember, it's a "high end" fax, voicemail, and home server.

[Scottie]

I had a iMac 450 DV about 2 years ago and personly I didn't like it that much I had OSX Jagur when it first came out never crashed neither did OS 9 I just didn't care for it being a Windows user for about 6 years now and I've tried Lunix before also and did really get into that much either.

I thought the iMac was cool looking but that's it not being to upgrade and the price of it, and lack of software made me sell it.

I've been using XP since it came out and I'm really happy with it.

[Garibaldi]

There is a whole bunch of info about Cherry OS at the forum at:
www.pearpc.net
I use pear pc, which is an opensource mac OS X emulator, and I think its great! It comes in handy for doing the Ken Burns effects in iMovie (where you zoom in and out on a picture, creating a video). So far I have not heard of any windows version of the Ken Burns effects. If anyone else has, please let me know!

[BJ_M]

vegas can do the ken burns effects very very easy -- you can download a free script or follow one of the several tutorials on how to do it ..

you can also follow the guide here which uses memories on tv to do it also ..

[Jayhawk]

they have had those for years -- so far not been a big success ...

I know, I installed diskless workstations in the late 80's, and uninstalled them in the early 90's. Bad server technology, fights over Ethernet versus Token Ring, slow links, no GUI's, users hated them.

They're back because times have changed. The large companies I spoke of have huge centralized server farms and gigabit Ethernet. Applications are a whole lot cheaper (and controllable) if they're server-based and the charges are not for a desktop, it's for a user. Don't bite the bullet for laid off people, workstation in storage, etc. When I worked for Company-X last year we ran a sweep to find out the "program mix" on the company's "personal computers". Top 2 were screensavers, next was Quicken, then a game and a stock ticker program follow by a weather program. Had to go to number 7 just to find an authorized company application. Throw in the virus / spyware issues, 145 technicians, and a Help Desk with 200 reps. Then there's the $1,300 equipment cost versus the $400 diskless workstation cost.

The company I worked for has 75,000 desktops. By year end 25,000 of them will be diskless workstations.

[BJ_M]

i could see it working well in that application - specially since the 80's the server capibilities and bandwidth have increased a fair amount ..

ibm , dell and others all sell them and i think for office applications, accounting, d-base, and other such things they are the way to go - some design applications are being run this way also for group ware.

[Doramius]

I'm working on a similar setup at home. I just don't have the right cables and connectors. I'm working with my father who a retired electronics engineer. We're trying to design a possible wireless circuit or hard wire into a building ports for items for a diskless workstation. I had another thread that described it better. I'll have to post the link if I can find it. I have created a mini tower that just has room for 2 optical drives and 1 floppy drive. There will be a connector that plugs into a walloutlet. The wall outlet will also have USB, PS2 Firewire, Video & Audio ports with a Reset/Power switch. The tower will be in another room. This way I can link as many towers directly together and have as many hard drives as I want together in a LAN. they would all connect to a Main Server in the same room that would have the proxy firewall etc. I keep it all in one temp. controlled room with fewer UPS units. I honestly could make a tower that can hold 4-6 motherboards (like a wall). I have a custom made power supply that could power the whole thing. And I can create a rack for 20-30 HDDs. I'll try and post some generic paint shop images of what I'm doing to give you a better idea. The reason for this is so I can make 1 central liquid cooling system that feeds to all of the units. Rather than the standard radiator and fans, I might be able to integrate a light refrigeration to cool the liquid down. Having this large of an application may make it cost effective and cheaper. If not, it was a good experiment.