CorelLinux

Product: Corel Linux Second Edition

Price: Downloadable for free from http://linux.corel.com/download/; available on CD for US$4.95 (+S&H); packaged versions also available

Pros: Easy four-step installation and configuration; elegant user interface, with browser-style file manager and web-based updates. Second Edition Update adds USB support and other enhancements.

Cons: Limited range of commercial-quality applications. Spelling error ("Suppliment Disk") on graphical startup screen. Some complexities remain.
Summary: An impressive attempt at creating a "Linux for the desktop."

Challenging the perception that Linux is difficult to configure and use, Ottawa-based Corel has produced a version of the Linux operating system that's easier to set up than other releases and almost entirely graphical in its configuration options. It's an impressive achievement and, considering the fact that you can download the OS for free or obtain it on CD for a paltry $4.95 (plus a $10 shipping and handling charge), it's well worth exploring.

PC Buyer's Guide tested the downloadable version on the day of its release and, with the help of a Hewlett-Packard CD burner, created a bootable Linux CD from the ISO9660 disk image that Corel has produced.

Extra documentation and programs come with the US$29.99 and US$89.99 "Standard" and "Deluxe" retail versions of CorelLinux.

We used Adaptec's Easy CD Creator to record the 300 MB disk image onto a blank CD. This is a much easier way to install Linux than downloading a gazillion files and directories and the ISO disc image is, in fact, the only way Corel makes its distribution available. In other words, if you don't have access to a CD burner, downloading CorelLinux won't do you any good.

Smooth Installation

We inserted the CD, rebooted our computer and Corel Linux booted from CD. It's a welcome change from the floppy-based procedure required by Windows 95 and 98, and it makes the installation procedure all the more seamlessly smooth. After a few seconds, Corel Linux kicks into a graphical mode and there it says for the entire installation, as it installs the various packages that make up this distribution. Literally, the entire installation took one press of the power button, the typing of one word (a user name) and a few mouse clicks.

Key features

There are literally thousands of components on the disc, but a few key features help distinguish Corel Linux from some of its competitors.
LILO - a boot manager
KDE, a graphical user interface with a look similar to that of MacOS, BeOS or Windows.
Netscape 4.7, a web browser.
numerous other utilities, allowing the mounting of Windows and DOS disks, configuration of network services, etc.
And, at the heart of the CorelLinux distribution, is the code-based from Debian Linux (in the Second Edition version, this is the 2.216 kernel).

New and Enhanced Features in Corel LINUX OS -- SECOND EDITION:

The Second Edition version provides the following enhancements over the original release:

Linux kernel 2.216
glibc 2.1
Universal Serial Bus (USB) support
Connection Wizard
Corel Smart Move
IBM Java Virtual Machine (JVM)
Citrix Client
GraphOnClient
Support for SoftModem modems
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Corel PHOTO-PAINT for Linux
Myth II: Soulblighter Limited Edition
seven demo versions of various games from Loki Entertainment Software

The packaged versions also include a fully functional Linux version of Corel's formidable (and freely downloadable) word processor, WordPerfect 8. A "light" version is part of the $29.99 standard package, and the full version comes in the $89.99 Deluxe edition, along with more complete documentation. In the freely downloadable version of CorelLinux, some navigational capabilities are disabled. For example, the "Related Topics" or "Overview" buttons may not function as expected. Oh, and there's one more bonus in the $79 Deluxe package: a stuffed-toy penguin in the box. Cool.

Where it gets toughOf course, there are easy things to do and there are tough things to do in this, or any operating system. Naturally, we had to find some of each for this review. All was well until we encountered -- after shutting down the system without using the proper "logout" command -- an error message at startup time that said:

fsck failed. Please repair manually and reboot. Please note that the file system is currently mounted read-only. To mount it read-write:

mount -n -o remount,rw /

....and several other instructions.

Try as we might, we could not make this error message go away or fix the disk error using the mysterious fsck ("file system check"), which was, by this time, only a single letter away from another word we were muttering. We eventually gave up, reformatted the hard drive, and began again. We encountered no subsequent problems of this nature.

Corel provides a feature that allows CorelLinux to be installed on and run directly from a Windows-formatted hard drive, with a Linux hard drive image that is essentially just a file on your existing drive, as some other popular distributions (WinLinux 2000, Armed Linux 1.1 beta, Phat Linux 3.2, etc.) can. It also provides an option to install and configure the OS on an unused partition of an existing drive or can, if you prefer, use the entire disk for Linux.

Configuring CorelLinux to run under Windows (in our test, Windows 2000) is possible, but introduces complexity and requires third-party tools. We used VMWare (www.vmware.com) and configured a 2GB drive image for Linux to reside on and ran the installer. As was the case with a standard "fresh" installation, it formatted the virtual drive (in reality, a 2GB file on our Windows 2000 hard drive) and set up the operating system, again in graphical mode. However, upon reboot, it couldn't start the default graphical shell. As we have documented elsewhere, VMWare requires the installation of a 1394K package called "vmware tools," so that the VMWare environment can enable and start the X-Windows graphics mode and K Desktop Environment ("KDE") that CorelLinux uses for its user interface.

Now, in our tests of Red Hat Linux, generally considered one of the easier Linux versions to configure, installing this package was very complicated. Initially, it seemed that CorelLinux would come through with flying colours -- an option on the startup screen allowed us to start in VGA mode, which sent us to a 16-color version of the graphical environment. It also supports the "mdir" command for reading MS-DOS floppies. However, the graphical mode wouldn't restart, and, for unknown reasons, the mdir command didn't seem to produce the results we wanted (and, in fact, the text-mode terminal screen flashed and the keyboard froze every few seconds, making typing almost impossible.) We eventually managed to install the vmware tools "the hard way," (specifying the Linux version as "other") and, soon thereafter, had access to the full-colour graphical environment of CorelLinux. Still, this is clearly not easy enough for the average user -- who, it should be added, wouldn't encounter this problem, anyway, unless they were trying to run CorelLinux under Windows NT or Windows 2000 in a VMWare session.

Plays well with others

Particularly impressive is Corel's implementation of Windows-friendly network connectivity. In our test lab here at PC Buyer's Guide, we configured a pair of machines running Windows 98 and the CorelLinux box with Ethernet cards, connected them with a network hub and cables, and then used the "Windows Network" option in the slick (and very Windows-like) file browser supplied with CorelLinux to access the other machines. It worked like a charm -- CorelLinux could see the Windows machines on the network and share files with them over TCP/IP with no difficulties. The ability to make printers available to Windows users, access WINS servers and serve files to Windows workgroups (via a built-in Samba server) is also provided. CorelLinux was able to access external websites via an ADSL Internet connection with no manual configuration at all.

Downloading and accessing archives was also remarkably easy. The File Browser in CorelLinux makes it unnecessary to manually mount CD-ROM discs, floppies or other media -- they just work, the way Windows users might expect them to. Compressed archives in common Linux formats such as .GZ, .ZIP, .RAR or .TAR (etc.) may be created or extracted in a friendly and intuitive drag-and-drop fashion, with the help of a tool called the Archive Administrator. It, like the other graphical tools in this collection, includes a Windows-like online Help function, if you get stuck.

Conclusion

It's stable, easy and free. Although the relative dearth of commercial quality Linux applications limits its usefulness somewhat, it makes a great platform for web browsing, network file sharing, word processing, and many other computing tasks. If you're fed up with Windows crashes, give this Linux a try.

Full speed ahead for Linux. Ottawa-based Corel announced two deals the week of Dec. 16, 1999 with hardware vendors producing device drivers for its Corel LINUX OS and applications. At that time, Corel said it was developing office and graphics suites for Linux. One half of that promise came to fruition on Aug. 16th, 2000, when the company announced the US$249 CorelDRAW Graphics Suite for Linux.

Some key features of CorelDRAW Graphic Suite for Linux:

File format support including Adobe Illustrator, EPS and native Adobe Photoshop (PSD) files
More than 60 import filters and 40 export filters
Compatibility with GIMP file formats
Text handling features including frames and columns manipulation and full kernel control
Web functionality includes wizard-driven HTML export
Intuitive user interface for ease of use and productivity
Corel PHOTO-PAINT for Linux
Support for standard Web graphics file formats
Ability to work with CPT files across Windows and Mac platforms
Experiment using Live Effects with interactive tools, including Perspective Drop Shadow and Fill
Powerful masking tools
Online tutorials and documentation

Also on December 16, Corel announced a deal with Milpitas, California-based Creative Technology Ltd., the leading provider of multimedia solutions for personal entertainment and productivity, to advance the development of Linux applications for high-quality audio and video. Under the terms of the agreement, Creative will work with Corel to add support for its line of Sound Blaster Live! digital audio solutions and its line of Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE) Internet Solutions that include Internet devices, applications and services.

As part of this collaborative effort, Corel says it will distribute its upcoming Linux-based suite of applications with support for Creative's industry-standard audio solutions and PDE devices bundled in. Based on the agreement, Creative and Corel will collaboratively develop Linux drivers for Creative's branded solutions. Creative's PDE Internet Solutions include the NOMAD line of portable audio devices and the WebCam Go line of portable PC cameras. Sound Blaster Live! drivers for Linux are already available and will, under the agreement, be customized for Corel's distribution.

Only a day earlier, Bitstream Inc. and Corel Corporation announced that Corel has licensed a Linux font server currently being developed by Bitstream. Corel says it will integrate this font server into the office and graphics suites that it is currently developing for Linux.

Bitstream's new Linux font server can render PostScript Type 1 fonts, in addition to TrueType and other industry standard font formats. It also succeeds at making fonts on the Linux OS user friendly by providing robust and intuitive font management that is comparable to what is currently available for the Windows or Macintosh operating systems. The new Bitstream technology, the companies claim, will help the Linux platform overcome one of its most significant barriers to acceptance in the desktop market.

Corel WordPerfect 8 for Linux has been hugely successful as a free download: the office suite for Linux will be available in early 2000. The CorelDRAW graphics suite for Linux will be available in the summer of 2000. Corel is currently integrating the Bitstream font server into both of these suites.

Also on Dec. 15th, Ontario-based ATI announced "full support" for the development of drivers for the Linux Operating System and is endorsing the open source movement by releasing 2D, 3D and multimedia programming specifications for its industry-leading RAGE graphics technology. Recognizing the phenomenal growth and increasing popularity of Linux, ATI says it is committed to ensuring that the open source development community has access to technical development information on all its key components.

ATI has had long standing 2D support for all its current and legacy products through XFree86, a not-for-profit organization that develops a freely distributable implementation of the X-Window system. ATI is aggressively expanding on this support by releasing previously unreleased development information.

This includes:

3D development information for the RAGE Pro and RAGE 128 product families
Video capture and TV-Tuner multimedia development information for the RAGE II, RAGE Pro and RAGE 128 product families.

To spear-head support for Linux, ATI has contracted Precision Insight (PI), a leading edge Linux software development company based in Texas, to develop an open source 2D and 3D driver for the RAGE 128. PI developed the Direct Rendering Infrastructure (DRI) for use with XFree86 and will develop a RAGE
128 driver under this new architecture. DRI will bring 3D features and performance, which were previously only available on expensive workstations. The source code for these drivers will be donated to the OpenSource community and is expected in Spring 2000.

Up-to-date information on ATI's support for Linux can be found at ATI's website at: http://www.ati.com/ca_us/resource_centre/dev_rel/linux.html.

Update: Ottawa-based Corel, on Aug. 29, 2001 sold its Linux desktop OS to Xandros. The month-old Xandros acquires the code to Corel's Linux operating system, including its as-yet unreleased third-generation software and access to Corel's channel, support and sales pipeline, plus all licensing rights, along with an 18-month non-compete agreement. Corel gains about $2 million, plus a 5 percent equity stake in Xandros and a 2 percent stake in Linux Global Partners, which owns the remaining 95 percent of Xandros.

For Further Reading:

11/24/00 WinInfo: Corel Corporation revealed this week that it might sell its Linux business in a bid to remain competitive.
11/20/00 MacCentral: Corel: selling of Linux line just one option
11/15/99 Press Release: Corel LINUX OS Lands On The Desktop
4/20/99 Linux_versions - Red Hat, Caldera Open Linux and SuSE
11/15/99 Linux_versions-pt2 - SuSE 6.1, PPC Live! and Red Hat 6.1
1/29/99 Red_Hat_Linux_5.2.2 - review
5/03/99 Red Hat Linux 6.0 - review
1/29/99 Linux - Salvation for the "anything but Microsoft" crowd.
10/16/99 Linux GUIs - Part 1: GNOME 1.0.
10/29/99 Linux GUIs - Part 2: WinLinux 2000.
02/28/01 No DUH - Infoworld's Nicholas Peterely describes the easy way Debian Linux users can upgrade their system via the command apt-get update, followed by apt-get dist-upgrade.

Resources:

11/27/99 Basilisk II, a freeware Mac emulator for Linux, allows CorelLinux users to run software for Macintosh computers.

Linux Tips

11/16/99 Linux setup tips - Mounting disks, decompressing archives and working with the Linux Command Line.
10/18/99 Linux for Newbies - Part 2: downloading.
9/29/99 Linux under NT? - Yes, thanks to VMWare.

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