[Wylug-discuss] Linspire

Sun Aug 14 22:43:13 BST 2005

On Wylug Announce David Morton writes:

> --=_NextPart_Lycos_36681819287669_ID
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> <html><head><style type="text/css">body{font:12px
> Arial;margin:3px;overflow-y:auto;overflow-x:auto}p{margin:0px;}blockquote,
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> <body><div style="display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size:
> 12px;">Has anybody had any experience/ got any thoughts on
> Linspire?

I've never used it, but I don't think it's suitable for anybody
interested in Linux.  It sounds more like a Windows-alternative OS which
just happens to have Linux underneath.  For example, it's single-user
(and that user is root), which is no more dangerous than, say Windows
98, and it does make sense that if you just want a really cheap PC from
Wal-Mart that you could use Linspire instead of Windows.

But if you want to tinker with Linux then it's likely to be constraining
and confusing, by not doing some things in ways that most Linux users
wouldn't expect.

I've moved this from Wylug Announce to Wylug Discuss, since it's a
discussion.  Wylug Announce is only supposed to be used for
announcements of meetings and the like.

> <br> Does it play by normal open-source rules?<br>

I believe there's a subscription service for downloading optional extra
packages, but I don't think that's subverting any software libre 'rules'
as such.

> David Morton<br></br><p
> style="margin-top:11px;padding-top:3px;background-image:
> url(http://mail.lycos.co.uk/Images/Mail/_content/dot.gif);background-repeat:
> repeat-x;background-position: 0px 0px;">Lycos email has now 300
> Megabytes of free storage... Get it now at <a
> href="http://mail.lycos.co.uk">mail.lycos.co.uk</a></div></body></html>
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> --=_NextPart_Lycos_36681819287669_ID--

I'm beginning to have some thoughts on 'Lycos email' too.  I admit that
HTML messages have their uses, but taking a purely textual message with
no formatting in it whatsoever, wrapping it up in all of that gunk (some
of which isn't even used for anything), and then attaching a plain text
"alternative" part but leaving the plain text content empty is just
ridiculous!

Smylers
-- 
May God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a
difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done.