We will be resuming normal operations on July 6, 2020.
Until such time you will still see some delays in product delivery.
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Tax Season with Linspire and TurboTax
Tax season is upon us folks and with Linspire, you can now get your taxes completed effectively and efficiently. This year like with the last 4 years we are pleased that we will be continuing to partner with Intuit and have tested Linspire with their online portal. No more swapping computers, no more having to guess whether you can complete your taxes hassle-free and without any questions of support with Linspire 8.x. PC/OpenSystems LLC has worked with Intuit and with H&R Block longer than ANY Linux distributor to ensure that Americans everywhere can safely and securely complete the process of filing your taxes on time.
Our Lead System designer and developer Roberto Dohnert had this to say, " With the retirement of Windows 7 and many tax experts questioning the safety and security of using older Windows systems to complete this delicate yet important task; Linspire with its rock-solid performance and up2date software stack ensures that peace of mind that you can transmit your data without fear of having your personal information or identity being compromised or stolen. We are extremely proud of working with Intuit for the last 5 years to ensure our Linux based OS can stand up to the task."
If you are still running Windows 7 on your PC and would like to upgrade you can purchase Linspire here.
If your order the box set over the Digital Download in order notes type "TaxPrep" to ensure 48-hour shipping
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Linspire 8.7 Release
Today the PC/Opensystems Enterprise development team is pleased to announce the release of Linspire 8.7. This is a comprehensive release update to Linspire 8.5, utilizing the Mate desktop to offer a more traditional desktop experience for Windows 7 and Windows 10 users. Spartan but very fulll-featured, MATE offers a path forward for Windows 7 users whose systems may be unable to run Windows 10 effectively / efficiently. For current Linspire users this release offers full security, kernel and graphics drivers updates; for users of our KDE desktop simply update your systems using your preferred method.
Features : Full GUI System – MATE 1.20.1
LTS Server Kernel 5.3.0-40
Rhythmbox
VLC
OnlyOffice
Aisleriot Solitaire
Google Chrome
Software Center for easy application installation
Skype
Ice SSB
Chrome web application framework
Full multimedia playback
Remote Administration capability
Samba
Microsoft Powershell
When you purchase Linspire 8.7 you get 12 months of free upgrades, e-mail, and phone support. The download edition or boxed sets can be purchased here
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD
BOXED SETS
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Windows 7 End Of Life special
As everyone knows Windows 7 has reached its End Of Life. This leaves millions of Windows 7 systems vulnerable to malware, security exploits and bugs that will go unpatched and unfixed. Everyone is scrambling to find a solution. The common thread is to either upgrade to Windows 10 or find an alternative to run on older hardware that may not be Windows 10 compatible.
Enter the 'Windows 7 Refugee Program'. This program is run by PC/OpenSystems LLC and the Linspire team where we are offering Windows 7 users who may be left out in the cold an alternative for those Windows 7 PC's. Linspire 8.5.
Linspire 8.5 is an ideal solution for those Windows 7 users who may not be able to upgrade to Windows 10.
Linspire 8.5 offers the following features:
Familiar user interface
Easy setup and installation
KDE Plasma 5
Google Chrome 79
Ice SSB - Which allows you to turn any web app into a fully functional desktop application
Amarok Music Player
VLC Media Player
OnlyOffice desktop suite - Fully featured office suite which resembles Microsoft Office and saves files in the Microsoft Office file format.
Full multimedia Codecs - Linspire offers playback from Blu-Ray, DVD, Windows Media, Apple Quicktime and more.
Built in Anti-Virus and Firewall controls
From Today until Feb 1st we are offering Linspire 8.5 at a discounted rate. The download Edition will be $19.99 USD. The boxed set with a ready to use and install Live USB drive will be $30.99. Gets yours today.
Enter the 'Windows 7 Refugee Program'. This program is run by PC/OpenSystems LLC and the Linspire team where we are offering Windows 7 users who may be left out in the cold an alternative for those Windows 7 PC's. Linspire 8.5.
Linspire 8.5 is an ideal solution for those Windows 7 users who may not be able to upgrade to Windows 10.
Linspire 8.5 offers the following features:
Familiar user interface
Easy setup and installation
KDE Plasma 5
Google Chrome 79
Ice SSB - Which allows you to turn any web app into a fully functional desktop application
Amarok Music Player
VLC Media Player
OnlyOffice desktop suite - Fully featured office suite which resembles Microsoft Office and saves files in the Microsoft Office file format.
Full multimedia Codecs - Linspire offers playback from Blu-Ray, DVD, Windows Media, Apple Quicktime and more.
Built in Anti-Virus and Firewall controls
From Today until Feb 1st we are offering Linspire 8.5 at a discounted rate. The download Edition will be $19.99 USD. The boxed set with a ready to use and install Live USB drive will be $30.99. Gets yours today.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Linspire Enterprise Server 2019 R2 Released
Today the PC/Opensystems Enterprise development team is pleased to announce the release of Linspire Enterprise Server 2019 R2, our high-performance solution to SMB customers who require constant uptime coupled with reliability, scalability, and flexibility. Since the last release of LES 2019, PC/OpenSystems LLC has been hard at work to ensure LES 2019 R2 is well suited for web, application, file and print services; it can just as easily be deployed as a thin client server or virtual machine host. The LTS server kernel 5.0.0-37 will offer rock-solid performance for any workload you throw at LES 2019 R2.
Features : Full GUI System – XFCE + DWN Tiling Window Manager
LTS Server Kernel 5.0.0-37
Oracle Java 11 Pre-installed
OpenSSH Server and Client
Chrome web application framework
NFS / XFS / JFS / BTRFS / exFAT support
Multimedia support
VirtualBox preinstalled
Remote Administration capability
Biometric Services
Headless support
MongoDB Preinstalled
Samba
LDAP Directory services
Microsoft Powershell
Visual Studio Code
Microsoft SQL integration
Certified/tested hardware : HPE Proliant DL360 / DL380 / DL385 G10
HPE Microserver G10
HPE SGI 8600
Lenovo ThinkSystem SR590 / SR670 / ST550
Lenovo ThinkServer RS160 / TS150
Dell PowerEdge Rack / Tower Servers
IBM Z13/Z14/Z15 and IBM LinuxONE via emulation
24 months Phone, e-mail, and remote support; on-site repair and deployment services available for an additional charge. Contact sales@pc-opensystems.com for details. Mobile System support is very limited; Linspire Enterprise Server was not designed with laptops, notebooks or tablets in mind - your mileage may vary; features such as Bluetooth, wireless and suspend / resume are unsupported. Pricing : Download Edition: $119.99 USD Boxed Set: $299.99 USD - single license / $2999.99 USD unlimited site licensing
Features : Full GUI System – XFCE + DWN Tiling Window Manager
LTS Server Kernel 5.0.0-37
Oracle Java 11 Pre-installed
OpenSSH Server and Client
Chrome web application framework
NFS / XFS / JFS / BTRFS / exFAT support
Multimedia support
VirtualBox preinstalled
Remote Administration capability
Biometric Services
Headless support
MongoDB Preinstalled
Samba
LDAP Directory services
Microsoft Powershell
Visual Studio Code
Microsoft SQL integration
Certified/tested hardware : HPE Proliant DL360 / DL380 / DL385 G10
HPE Microserver G10
HPE SGI 8600
Lenovo ThinkSystem SR590 / SR670 / ST550
Lenovo ThinkServer RS160 / TS150
Dell PowerEdge Rack / Tower Servers
IBM Z13/Z14/Z15 and IBM LinuxONE via emulation
24 months Phone, e-mail, and remote support; on-site repair and deployment services available for an additional charge. Contact sales@pc-opensystems.com for details. Mobile System support is very limited; Linspire Enterprise Server was not designed with laptops, notebooks or tablets in mind - your mileage may vary; features such as Bluetooth, wireless and suspend / resume are unsupported. Pricing : Download Edition: $119.99 USD Boxed Set: $299.99 USD - single license / $2999.99 USD unlimited site licensing
Linspire Workstation 2019 R2 released
Today the PC/Opensystems Enterprise development team is pleased to announce the release of Linspire Workstation 2019 R2. This update to Linspire Embedded Desktop offers unprecedented reliability, predictability, and performance. It also offers more of a traditional workstation environment. Productivity suite and groupware suite as well as a CAD environment and Diagram creation utility. Utilizing the lean MATE desktop environment, Linspire Workstation allows you to maximize the value of your current hardware investments, allowing you to decide what applications you want to run and what role you want your system to provide: multimedia production, productivity, development station, mainframe support or appliance control. Linspire Workstation 2019 R2 provides rock-solid performance and dependability, desktop PC or mobile.
Features : Full GUI System – MATE + DWN Tiling Window Manager
LTS Server Kernel 5.0.0-37
OpenSSH Client
Google Chrome
Ice SSB
QCad
OnlyOffice
Dia
Chrome web application framework NFS / XFS / JFS / BTRFS /exFAT support
Multimedia Codecs
Remote Administration capability
Biometric Services
Samba
LDAP Directory services
Microsoft Powershell
Microsoft SQL integration
Visual Studios Code
24 months Phone, e-mail, and remote support; on-site repair and deployment services available for an additional charge. Contact sales@pc-opensystems.com for details.
Linspire Workstation 2019 offers unprecedented value and capabilities to your organization. Whether deployed on a traditional knowledge worker desktop or on a high-performance developer desktop. Linspire Workstation 2019 R2 is the premiere open-source desktop solution that can handle all of your business needs.
Pricing :Download Edition: $59.99 USD Boxed version $119.99 USD - single license / $2999.99 USD unlimited site licensing
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Linspire 8.5 Released
Happy Halloween. Today the PC/OpenSystems development team is pleased to announce the release of Linspire 8.5 (Swordfish 2) to the general public as well as our faithful user base. This is a major release of Linspire from PC/OpenSystems which furthers our commitment to desktop Linux.
Linspire 8.5 is packed with enhancements and features showcasing its ease of use and polish as one of the industry's leading Linux distributions. As with Freespire our goal was to “trim the fat” on our flagship distro. Many of our users and customers have told us that Linspire / Freespire as a whole were bloated; what we did in response was pick “best of breed” applications that added to the overall simplicity of the system. The software center is loaded with thousands of applications which make YOUR computer work YOUR way.
Linspire 8.5 was designed with an intuitive user interface, making it extremely easy to use; easy enough for any Window or macOS convert to make the switch to desktop Linux seamlessly. Aside from the GUI, there has been a lot of work done under the hood to make the system more stable and secure than previous releases. Multimedia codecs, including some under license, are included so that users can enjoy any audio format and video playback of all types.
Linspire 8.5 contains the following enhancements:
Kernel 5.0.0-31
KDE 5.12.9
Ice 6.0.4
Google Chrome 77
KolourPaint
OnlyOffice Desktop Editors
Amarok
Kpatience
DreamChess
VLC Media Player
Kamerka
Boot Repair
Firewall configurator
Powershell 6.2.3
You can purchase a copy of Linspire 8.5 right now; either self-support or full service.
Below is a Q&A with the Linspire lead system designer and conceptualist.
Q) : What changes are we seeing from Linspire 8 to 8.5 to justify this as a major release?
Linspire 8.5 contains a lot of changes which justify it being labeled major rather than incremental. First, major kernel changes; we moved from the 4.x to the 5.x series. Second, installed applications; we removed many that customers have told us weren’t necessary or that required configuration to make the system operate the way they wanted. Fine tuning was performed per customer requests.
Q) There was a story written a few months ago that Linspire broadcasts information to Microsoft servers. To what level do Linspire and PC/OpenSystems developers communicate with Microsoft? Should customers be concerned that their information is being transmitted without consent to a third party?
Microsoft collects NO customer information, system information or data from PC/OpenSystems LLC and Linspire. Linspire CE Office does use Microsoft Office Online, Outlook, and OneDrive but users have the option to disclose information to Microsoft when they choose to use the release. Linspire comes preinstalled with the Microsoft repositories for Powershell, Skype, .NET Core and VS Code to make it easier for users who wish to use those offerings (NOTE : Skype and Powershell are the ONLY Microsoft applications pre-installed). The ONLY communication Linspire as an OS product has with Microsoft servers is when those applications are updated. Once again, no customer information is transmitted to Microsoft or ANY third-party whatsoever; any claims to the contrary are false.
Q) Who are our customers for Linspire? Who uses Linspire?
Linspire is used in many different environments and by a diverse group of individuals. Home and home office and all kinds of enterprise-level customers. Its also used by educational facilities, law enforcement agencies, military, scientists and by creative professionals. Linspire and Linspire Enterprise continues to grow and thrive from our expertise in enterprise computing.
Q) Does removing applications make the system less attractive to end users? How does that add value for customers?
No, it makes it more attractive. If you look at the current market OS alternatives, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS, they don’t feature tons of software out-of-the-box. Applications are added as necessary to improve the overall experience. Linspire includes an office suite, web browser, audio / video player, and a basic graphics program. Anything else the user may need can be found it in the Software Center and install as needed. For corporate customers who need a custom ISO with specific additional packages, those will be provided when they purchase their license(s). The value added for our customers is ease-of-mind, secure in the knowledge that everything proprietary from Java to BluRay is completely licensed.
Q) How did you choose what software is included in the system and why did you include OnlyOffice vs LibreOffice?
We parsed the available options, looking and opting for simplicity, the least complicated / most immediately intuitive apps we could find. We looked at other OS’ featured in their core lineup. Multimedia, image manipulation, web browsing and a couple of simple games seemed to be the norm; we went one step further and added an office suite. Why did we choose OnlyOffice? What are the common usage scenarios for office suites? Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations are the straightforward options shown on the left when the program is launched. The interface resembles MS Office - most of our users and customers are migrating from that environment and we wanted to make the transition seamless.
Q) Is the main distribution the only one being updated?
No, All of our CE releases are being updated as is our custom education release. Linspre CE, Linspire CE Office 365 and Linspire CE EDU.
Q) Are the Enterprise releases also being updated as well?
No, that update is coming sometime around January 2020.
Linspire 8.5 is packed with enhancements and features showcasing its ease of use and polish as one of the industry's leading Linux distributions. As with Freespire our goal was to “trim the fat” on our flagship distro. Many of our users and customers have told us that Linspire / Freespire as a whole were bloated; what we did in response was pick “best of breed” applications that added to the overall simplicity of the system. The software center is loaded with thousands of applications which make YOUR computer work YOUR way.
Linspire 8.5 was designed with an intuitive user interface, making it extremely easy to use; easy enough for any Window or macOS convert to make the switch to desktop Linux seamlessly. Aside from the GUI, there has been a lot of work done under the hood to make the system more stable and secure than previous releases. Multimedia codecs, including some under license, are included so that users can enjoy any audio format and video playback of all types.
Linspire 8.5 contains the following enhancements:
Kernel 5.0.0-31
KDE 5.12.9
Ice 6.0.4
Google Chrome 77
KolourPaint
OnlyOffice Desktop Editors
Amarok
Kpatience
DreamChess
VLC Media Player
Kamerka
Boot Repair
Firewall configurator
Powershell 6.2.3
You can purchase a copy of Linspire 8.5 right now; either self-support or full service.
Below is a Q&A with the Linspire lead system designer and conceptualist.
Q) : What changes are we seeing from Linspire 8 to 8.5 to justify this as a major release?
Linspire 8.5 contains a lot of changes which justify it being labeled major rather than incremental. First, major kernel changes; we moved from the 4.x to the 5.x series. Second, installed applications; we removed many that customers have told us weren’t necessary or that required configuration to make the system operate the way they wanted. Fine tuning was performed per customer requests.
Q) There was a story written a few months ago that Linspire broadcasts information to Microsoft servers. To what level do Linspire and PC/OpenSystems developers communicate with Microsoft? Should customers be concerned that their information is being transmitted without consent to a third party?
Microsoft collects NO customer information, system information or data from PC/OpenSystems LLC and Linspire. Linspire CE Office does use Microsoft Office Online, Outlook, and OneDrive but users have the option to disclose information to Microsoft when they choose to use the release. Linspire comes preinstalled with the Microsoft repositories for Powershell, Skype, .NET Core and VS Code to make it easier for users who wish to use those offerings (NOTE : Skype and Powershell are the ONLY Microsoft applications pre-installed). The ONLY communication Linspire as an OS product has with Microsoft servers is when those applications are updated. Once again, no customer information is transmitted to Microsoft or ANY third-party whatsoever; any claims to the contrary are false.
Q) Who are our customers for Linspire? Who uses Linspire?
Linspire is used in many different environments and by a diverse group of individuals. Home and home office and all kinds of enterprise-level customers. Its also used by educational facilities, law enforcement agencies, military, scientists and by creative professionals. Linspire and Linspire Enterprise continues to grow and thrive from our expertise in enterprise computing.
Q) Does removing applications make the system less attractive to end users? How does that add value for customers?
No, it makes it more attractive. If you look at the current market OS alternatives, Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS, they don’t feature tons of software out-of-the-box. Applications are added as necessary to improve the overall experience. Linspire includes an office suite, web browser, audio / video player, and a basic graphics program. Anything else the user may need can be found it in the Software Center and install as needed. For corporate customers who need a custom ISO with specific additional packages, those will be provided when they purchase their license(s). The value added for our customers is ease-of-mind, secure in the knowledge that everything proprietary from Java to BluRay is completely licensed.
Q) How did you choose what software is included in the system and why did you include OnlyOffice vs LibreOffice?
We parsed the available options, looking and opting for simplicity, the least complicated / most immediately intuitive apps we could find. We looked at other OS’ featured in their core lineup. Multimedia, image manipulation, web browsing and a couple of simple games seemed to be the norm; we went one step further and added an office suite. Why did we choose OnlyOffice? What are the common usage scenarios for office suites? Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations are the straightforward options shown on the left when the program is launched. The interface resembles MS Office - most of our users and customers are migrating from that environment and we wanted to make the transition seamless.
Q) Is the main distribution the only one being updated?
No, All of our CE releases are being updated as is our custom education release. Linspre CE, Linspire CE Office 365 and Linspire CE EDU.
Q) Are the Enterprise releases also being updated as well?
No, that update is coming sometime around January 2020.
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