Xandros

[spawn157]

I was recently looking at Fry's website at PC Operating Systems and just checking the prices for Windows XP when I came across a PC Operating System called "Xandros Desktop - Home Edition". Can anybody tell me what the difference is between this operating system and Windows XP??? Does this program support all the programs that I would normally have with Windows?

Here is the Link
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/490...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

[leroys1000]

Xandros is a Linux distribution Base on unix.
Linux is not compatable with windows applications,
but there is a program called wine that allows you to run
some windows applications under Linux.

There is a free 30 day trial if you want to try it.
Free trial

[spawn157]

So I wouldnt be able to run and download normal programs like Windows Media Player and such? So what makes Linux so different and cheaper than Windows and is it worth buying over windows?

[leroys1000]

Linux uses a different code base.
Media player won't work,but it has applications that
that do the same thing.
There aren't a lot of games programmed for linux.
If you wan't to run linux and get more information,
Try Here.
There are many free distros you can try.

[kage]

Spawn157, linux is cheaper then Windows (normally free) because it is open source, or rather, it is openly developed by the community of users that support it. Windows generally is expensive due to the programming, development, and shipping charges.

There are both Commercial and Free distributions of Linux, all having their own distinct advantages/disadvantages. Check the link leroys1000 posted for more information, and also look into http://www.distrowatch.com for a listing of many popular linux distributions, many that can be downloaded for free. There are also 'Linux live-cds' which are bootable installations of linux that run completely from the cdrom, with no hard drive installation required. These include knoppix, slax, and dsl, to name a few.