Linspire's New Partnership with Canonical and Ubuntu

Linspire and Canonical, the lead sponsor of the popular
Ubuntu operating system, announced a technology partnership that
will integrate core competencies from each company into the other's
open source Linux offerings. This is very exciting news for both
Linspire and Ubuntu users. Through this sharing of technology and
working together, all users will benefit from quicker release cycles
and expanded features, products and services.

Linspire is well known for the quality of the CNR technology, and
Ubuntu is the most successful community Linux project to date. The
marriage of these two efforts will greatly strengthen desktop Linux
in its fight for broader adoption. Both of these distributions will
improve significantly through this collaboration.

I'm sure many of you will have questions about this recent
announcement. Therefore, in addition to the press release which I
hope you'll take a minute to read here, I wanted to try to answer
some of the additional questions many of you might have.

General FAQs About The Linspire/Canonical Partnership

What are the main points of this partnership?
There are two main components to this partnership: 1> Linspire will
immediately transition from Debian to Ubuntu as the base for their
Linspire and Freespire operating systems, and 2> Canonical will utilize
Linspire's CNR technology for aspects of Ubuntu's software delivery
system

How long have Linspire and Canonical been working on this partnership?
Linspire and Ubuntu first started casual discussions about ways to work
together a few years back, but started more formal discussions on ways
to work together over the past year.

Take a look at the Linux OS building Chart

Why do Linspire and Canonical want to work together?
For the benefit of synergy - each can get farther, faster by working
together than continuing to work individually. Each group does certain
things well and there's also a fair amount of overlap in what both have
been doing. The less time, energy and resources Canonical, Ubuntu,
Linspire, Freespire, and others spend duplicating efforts on the common
challenges that face all of desktop Linux, the faster desktop Linux as
a whole can advance. The partnership also frees up resources for each to
dedicate to unique improvements and innovation that are important to
their specific users and market segments.

But aren't Canonical and Linspire competitors?

While both companies, and their respective projects, do compete at
certain levels, they each have their own objectives and specialties.
Both are interested in seeing greater desktop Linux adoption and
growth. By joining forces they can work together to focus more attention
on addressing common challenges Linux faces in a world dominated by
Microsoft Windows, as well as having more resources to devote to their
unique opportunities.

FAQs About Linspire/Freespire Using Ubuntu As Their Linux Baseline

What does it mean that Linspire and Freespire will transition their
core from Debian to Ubuntu? 

As with all Linux distributions, Linspire and Freespire are created
from the work of hundreds of individuals and open source projects
Linspire takes this baseline of work, and then supplements it with
thousands of lines of additional code to glue everything together in
a way consistent with their intended audience. In the past, the
Linspire and Freespire operating systems have been based directly on
the Debian Linux distribution. With this new partnership, both
Linspire and Freespire will start using Ubuntu as their baseline.
Because Ubuntu is a Debian-based distribution, Linspire will continue
to have access to all the same core functionality as before, but with
the additional work Ubuntu adds to the process. In other words, the
Linspire and Freespire operating systems will benefit from all the
good work of Debian, Ubuntu, and Linspire. (See the chart that explains
the Linux OS building blocks.)

Why are Linspire and Freespire making this change?
Simply put - to get farther, faster. As mentioned previously, Linux
distributions are simply variations on core Linux packages and
technology. The Ubuntu community has done an exceptional job of
utilizing the Debian system and creating a solid foundation for
desktop Linux, with fast-paced development cycles, significant
programming tools, and an active developer community. By basing on
Ubuntu, the Linspire and Freespire operating systems gain from the
extra work that this strong community is doing, freeing up Linspire's
time and resources to be more additive, rather than redundant. This
allows Linspire to spend more time improving and innovating in other
unique areas, rather than overlapping the same efforts.

Does this mean Linspire and Freespire will start looking and behaving
like the Ubuntu distribution?
No...not any more than Linspire/Freespire looks like a pure Debian
distribution now. Linspire will continue doing all the unique things
that are important to its target users (ease of use, CNR, proprietary
drivers and codecs, OEM program, etc.). This change is more at the
underlying, core level rather than the UI. By working together with
the Ubuntu community, we can better focus our collective resources on
the common issues of hardware support, networking, installing,
applications, etc.

But isn't Ubuntu GNOME based? Will Linspire and Freespire remain
KDE based?
Ubuntu defaults to GNOME, but also supports KDE. (Kubuntu is a
KDE-based version of Ubuntu.) Linspire still prefers, and will continue
defaulting to, the KDE desktop environment for target users of the
Linspire and Freespire operating systems. Linspire will also continue
making the numerous enhancements it does to KDE that make it more
ideal for their target users.

What are some of the ways Linspire and Freespire will be different
from Ubuntu?

Here are just a few of the key differences:

    * Linspire and Freespire are designed exclusively for desktop use.
     (Ubuntu is also designed to work for servers.)
    * Linspire and Freespire designed their user interface to feel
     comfortable for users familiar with or migrating from Microsoft Windows.
    * Linspire and Freespire include proprietary codecs, drivers and
     applications for out-of-the-box hardware and multimedia support.
    * Linspire and Freespire are targeted at non-technical users and
     accordingly take ease of use to an extreme.
    * Linspire and Freespire fully incorporate CNR throughout. (Ubuntu
     will be incorporating aspects of CNR technology in the future.)
    * Linspire is designed to be pre-installed on PCs, with OEMs in
     mind, and includes a revenue sharing OEM program.
    * Linspire and Freespire are KDE based (rather than GNOME).

Does this mean the Freespire community will go away?

Not at all. While there will likely be more collaboration between the Ubuntu
and Freespire communities, as we try to address certain core problems
together, Freespire will remain very much a unique project with its own
goals, objectives, and community.

When will Linspire and Freespire move to a Ubuntu baseline?

Work on the changeover will begin immediately. The current versions of both
Freespire (ver. 2.x) and Linspire (ver. 6.x) are based on Ubuntu.

Will Freespire and Linspire release schedules start to coincide more closely
with Ubuntu releases?
Yes. The Linspire/Freespire Roadmaps will be updated in the near future to
reflect any expected changes.

FAQs About Ubuntu Using CNR Technology

When will CNR be available for Ubuntu?
Beginning with Ubuntu 7.04, CNR will be available to Ubuntu users
from within Ubuntu. (An Ubuntu CNR plugin will also be available from
www.CNR.com.)

How will CNR be supported in Ubuntu?
Beginning with Ubuntu 7.04, Ubuntu users will be able to use CNR to access
commercial programs and proprietary drivers with one click of the mouse. In
subsequent releases CNR technology will be integrated to provide an even
better desktop user experience for getting commercial software.

Will the CNR plugin ever be shipped by default in Ubuntu?
Canonical plans to integrate aspects of the open source CNR technology into
Ubuntu's software management system starting with Ubuntu's Feisty +1 release
expected in October 2007.

Will Ubuntu users have to use CNR when running Ubuntu?
No, they will still have access to all the same systems for downloading and
installing software they enjoy now, including: apt-get, Synaptic, etc.

Is the CNR Service free?
Yes, the basic CNR Service is available to all, free of charge. In addition
to the free service and products, users may also use CNR to access commercial
products and services as well as proprietary drivers, but it's entirely up
to them. There are commercial programs in many popular categories including:
personal and business productivity, communication, media players, games,
drivers, etc.

Is the CNR Plugin open source and are the web services it uses published
publicly?
Yes and yes.

How is CNR different from apt-get and other methods of installing software
on Ubuntu?

CNR is different from most other software management system in many ways:

     * One-click graphical install and uninstall of thousands of programs.
     * Automatic update notification and one-click updating of OS components
        and software applications.
     * Program and services management.
     * One-click access to proprietary codecs, drivers and software.
     * Allows you to buy dozens of different commercial programs, such as DVD
        Player, StarOffice, games, accounting programs, Win4Lin, Crossover Office,
        Cedega, etc.
     * Menu entries and desktop icons (optionally) are automatically added
        when installing and removed when uninstalling.
     * "Charts" to easily find the most popular software programs by category.
     * Search feature to easily find software programs by name, category,
        keywords, similar programs, author, etc.
     * Clear, easy-to-understand product pages, including:
        o Screenshots of programs
        o User reviews of the programs
        o Description, versions, specs, file size, source, etc.
        o User support and help by program
        o Release Notes
        o Screenshots
    *"Aisles" to group applications together for one-click install of
       multiple applications.
    * Dedicated, high-speed server farms with huge bandwidth pipes for
       fast downloads.
    * Friendly naming shown alongside normal package name.
    *"Voting Booth" where users help prioritize new software to be
       added or updated.
    * Automated, on-line Publisher Program where anyone can submit
       software to be QA-ed and tested for inclusion in the CNR Warehouse.
    * Automatically retries and fixes any problem downloads.
    * CNR has a better than 98% success rate. (The < 2% failures are
       usually a result of modem dropoffs, in which case CNR will can
       automatically resume when connected, providing the user with a successful
       install.)
    * Many of the most popular applications are enhanced and improved
       before adding them to the CNR Warehouse.
    * Products and services which are found exclusively in the CNR
       Warehouse.
    * Tracks problem packages on the server automatically, 24/7, and
       immediately hides the product from CNR users and instantly notifies
       the maintainer when a problem occurs.
    * Easy, one-click access to a program's source code.
    * User profiles based upon machine for managing multiple machines
       per user.
    * Local or networked software repository for quick install of same 
       programs on multiple computers on the same network or from a CD.

How does CNR work technically with the Ubuntu system?
CNR is added to the standard Ubuntu software installation method to
complement existing functionality and provide Ubuntu users with easy
access to commercial products and proprietary drivers. Since CNR
adheres to and works in parallel with standard Ubuntu software
installation methods, users can choose to use Ubuntu's standard
installation method, CNR, or a combination of them to download and
install thousands of additional programs and packages. To see a
visual representation of how CNR works in parallel with Ubuntu's
current system, view this diagram.

Where can I learn more about CNR and CNR.com?
Learn more here.  www.CNR.com

This technology partnership goes a long way in advancing and unifying
the Linux desktop. Linux faces many challenges as it competes in a
world historically dominated by Microsoft Windows, so there is plenty
of work to go around and Linspire is pleased to be able to offer
differentiation and choice, while reducing fragmentation. We are very
excited to be working side by side with Canonical to integrate each
of our technologies for the benefit of Linux users worldwide. I think
history will show this to be a very important partnership for the
success of desktop Linux.

- Kevin  (the former CEO of Linspire)

Purchase your next Workstation or server here at our secure on-line store.

This article has been reformatted and printed from the original article
on www.linspire.com, dated February 8th, 2007 and written by Mr. Kevin
Carmony, the then President/CEO Linspire Inc