Free Linux rides again
Published: 10 Jun 2004 09:00 BST
Xandros, a start-up focused on desktop Linux, has begun offering a stripped-down but free version of its product.
The company released the Open Circulation Edition on Wednesday, a product that resembles the company's regular products but is free, is restricted to personal use and is missing some features.
The version doesn't have email support, an instruction manual, the highest possible CD writing speeds or the CodeWeavers software for running Windows programs on a Linux machine, Xandros said. It also comes with a version of Opera's Web browser that's advertising supported.
Xandros' moves are a new chapter in the private sector's continuing efforts to capitalise on the popularity of Linux and open-source software. Those products by definition can be obtained for free -- though not necessarily in a conveniently packaged form. Many Linux sellers have argued that the act of selecting, certifying and supporting the host of software that comes with Linux is a service worth paying for.
But there can be an incentive for companies to package and give away open-source software: It can lead to popularity, developer support and opportunities to lure users to paid products.
That strategy can only go so far, though. The most successful Linux seller, Red Hat, decided in 2002 that plan didn't provide sufficient revenue.
Red Hat had sold and supported a version of Linux identical to its freely downloadable product. After 2002, though, it split those two versions -- and the supported, corporate product, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, can't be downloaded for free. Instead, it's sold for use on a single server, with Red Hat charging an annual subscription for access to support and service through the Red Hat Network.
Meanwhile, No. 2 seller SuSE Linux was snapped up by Novell, a company that sells proprietary higher-level software. Another contender, Lindows -- now often going by the name Linspire because of a legal tangle with Microsoft -- sells its software for a low price but charges extra for software additions that can be downloaded.
Xandros, like Lindows, concentrates on Linux for desktop PCs rather than the networked server computers on which Novell and Red Hat have focused. Xandros sells three versions: the Standard Edition for $39 (£21.30), the Deluxe Edition for $89 and the Business Edition for $129.
The free version has some money-making options built in, too, though.
For one thing, the software is available only through BitTorrent, software that sets up networks of computers to cooperatively share files; downloading the version directly from Xandros costs $10. For another, users who want the 350-page manual will have to buy it separately or buy the Deluxe or Business editions.
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