MY LATEST ADVENTURE IN PENGUINLAND
A few weeks ago it became apparent that one of the computers in the church office needed to be replaced. It had become unstable and would need a clean Windows install. But it was an old Windows ME machine so I decided that I'd simply replace it with a second-hand Dell (with XP professional) that someone had donated to us.

That left us with an extra Pentium 3 with an archaic operating system that was screaming out for experimentation. Would it be possible to salvage the machine by replacing the operating system with a less consuming, more secure, and more stable Linux system?

I had read good things about the latest release of Xandros -- an easy install and interface -- my kind of operating system. So I ordered a boxed version (the deluxe) so I could have a hefty manual in case I ran into trouble (plus a few of the other bells and whistles). They gave us a 45% discount as a non-profit organization so we paid about $60 (including shipping). The 3.0 version sans documentation, technical assistance, and the extras will probably be available for free as an open-circulation download later this year. (To upgrade Windows to XP it would have cost $100 from a discounter such as Amazon.com. Besides I've had to deal with lots of little software quirks since the release of the Service Pack 2 and I'm not a fully satisfied Windows customer right now).

The installation was a breeze -- as such things go. I had to change the boot sequence on the machine since it went to Windows before it checked the CD drive. The average user would have not known what to do with that. But that wasn't a Xandros problem. That was an issue with the way that particular machine had been set-up.

I chose to completely override the old operating system and used the express set-up (that is, the set-up for dimwits like me). It worked great and within a half hour the system was up and running. I didn't need to do any voodoo to set-up peripherals such as the printer or the mouse. Very nice.

The interface itself is pleasant -- with a smooth feel. The machine runs noticiable faster than it did on the old Windows ME system and a Windows user should have little trouble figuring out how the thing works. It's still Linux with a "root" system -- the kind of thing which gets buried in Windows -- but which makes configurations easier in Linux. It's not that intimidating.

I did have a little trouble getting the Real Player to work. But that was because I had assumed that it was an automatic set-up with the software. I just had to go in and turn the application on. No biggie -- once I figured out that this was still a hold-over from the less-user friendly Linux days.

I also decided to download the Mozilla Firefox 1.0 web-browser. The download manager in that browser makes it an improvement on the Mozilla browser which came with the operating system. I tried to do the download directly off the Firefox website but ended up doing it through the Xandros Command Center because I couldn't find where the download had gone so that I could open it. This is really a small matter in the overall scheme of things and I'm sure that with a few days of use these things which I see as quirks will be seen as assets. But it might be a hair frustrating for the average consumer who is trying to set a system up. It's very close to being out-of-the-box perfect but you might consider having a geek on stand-by just in case.

Within the next few days I'm going to start working with the Open Office office suite which came with it (also a free download off the web -- even for Windows and Mac users). I've used it in Windows and it is nothing to sneeze at -- especially for the price.

So far I'm very optimistic that this could continue to be a viable alternative (even an improvement) to the Windows operating system for home and office users. Non-profits and churches will find the cost very attractive. There are even places where you can buy a new computer with Xandros already installed -- avoiding the "Microsoft tax" -- saving not only on the operating system but also on the applications.

More later as I wade further into the water...