Lindows/Linspire/Freespire reborn!

[Jason]

Anybody remember the commercial Linux distribution known as Linspire and it's free community spin-off known as Freespire? It started out as Lindows many years ago and had probably the first super-easy and fast installation of Linux and looked remarkably like Windows. They had to change their name after a trademark dispute with Microsoft. I think it was originally free but they sold certain programs they prepackaged for Linux and then they changed to a commercial model only and because most of the code was GPL, other developers created a free version called Freespire, or maybe they did? I don't recall exactly. After a few years of this the company disappeared as did Freespire later, that is, they didn't keep up work on it. Well, it's back. PC/OpenSystems LLC purchased it and have released new versions of Linspire and Freespire, the second containing only Free programs (like of like Debian, that way) is free of charge. Linspire has more and is available for $80 which seems overly expensive to me, especially for basically what's a new distribution now. Full announcement and link to download Freespire here:

http://www.pc-opensystems.com/2018/01/freespire-30-and-linspire-70-released.html

[ssfc72]

Thanks for the info, Jason! Boy, I remember that Distro, but I can't recall trying it out. That is going back quite a few years.

[Jason]

Yeah, long time ago. I think it was still during the dotcom boom that broke in the early 2000s. I think Freespire was supported by the community for a few years after that.

[Jason]

Distrowatch recently reviewed both the new Freespire and Linspire.

Some rough edges but they both appear to have been derived from Xandros, another old Linux distro from about 11 years ago. Has anybody tried either? I'm curious but not so curious to bother with them right now