Review: Linux Options Abound For VARs

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There are more than 300 distributions of Linux available, each with its own idiosyncrasies. For the Test Center, the favorites come in the form of two commercial versions of Linux, Xandros and SUSE, and the freely available Ubuntu Linux.

Xandros Desktop Version 4, which is expected to be available on June 21, offers a host of features that make it an ideal alternative to Windows XP. Xandros has a look and feel similar to Windows XP (or Macintosh if so desired), comes with an office suite (Open Office), a music manager, photo manager, wireless profiles and support for the NTFS file system.

Xandros Desktop Version 4 will retail for around $90. A business version will retail for around $130.

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Xandros offers partner and VAR channel programs, which should reduce initial costs of the product and add another layer of support.

Novell's SLED has a different target for its SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop—users of enterprise desktops seeking Windows Vista. SLED Version 10 is slated to hit the market by mid-July and offers a feature set tuned for the enterprise.

SLED 10 has authentication to Windows domains, Active Directory, E-Directory and LDAP, making the product a good fit for a networked PC. SLED has a price of only about $50.

While Xandros and SLED beat Microsoft on price, nothing beats what Ubuntu brings to the Linux table—it's free. Ubuntu combines some of the best open-source capabilities into a single distribution. The product includes Open Office, Firefox, Evolution e-mail, image editing tools and more. A plethora of open-source applications also are available for download from Ubuntu's Web site.

Simply put, Xandros is the best choice for a desktop user migrating from Windows, SLED 10 is the best choice for the corporate networked desktop and Ubuntu offers the ultimate in price vs. performance.