Linspire 8.0 RC1 Released

Today we are pleased to release RC1 of Linspire 8. As we approach our December release, huge strides in stability and functionality have been made with the release candidate. Even so, it should be used for testing only, not on production systems

DO NOT USE THIS RELEASE IN PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS

What we have fixed :

 1). Convertible PC docking issues - some users had reported that Linspire 8 tablets detached from the base would work correctly, but when reattached would no longer work. This particular bug has been isolated and fixed.

2). iMac Pro support - has been greatly improved. There were reports of installation issues on that particular model with the latest Linspire.

3). Gdebi - removed; the Linspire software center is fully capable of installing stand-alone packages. As always, power users can still install packages from the command line dpkg -i.

4). Oracle Java now in the repositories - Java 8 and 10 are available due to a bug with Netbeans. If you need Netbeans support you can install Java 8 which is required. Linspire Server 2018 r2 is the ONLY Linux server distribution offering Java as a pre-installed option.

 What we haven’t :

1). Pixelbook support - the RC is not quite ready yet; several lingering issues prevent clean installation.

2). Surface 6 support - not ready in time for the Gold release but possibly with Linspire 8 SP1, later next year. Some users have requested minimal install options.

We will be offering Linspire Core and Linspire together; when purchased, the customer will receive either two USB keys / two links to download. Linspire Core will only come with a Web browser and Cockpit preinstalled - no games, productivity apps or multimedia apps. These can be added through the Software center.

 Linspire 8 RC1 contains the following package improvements :

 Kernel 4.15.0-36
MATE 1.20.1
Libreoffice 6.1.2
Google Chrome 69
Shotwell
Blender
OpenShot
Audio - Video Player
Skype
Cockpit

 Linspire 8 RC2 will be released in November and will be more feature-complete.

You can download RC1 from here

http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre-release/swordfish-8-rc1.iso
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre-release/swordfish-8-rc1.iso.md5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre-release/swordfish-8-rc1.iso.sha256

Linspire 8.0 Alpha 5 Released

Today we are pleased to announce the release of our newest test build of Linspire 8.0 Alpha which is our upcoming release.  Linspire 8.0 will come in a full desktop release, minimal install and our Cloud Editions.   Linspire 8.0 Alpha 5 is based on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.  Please keep in mind that this beta is a pre-release and NOT RECOMMENDED FOR PRODUCTION USE.

Linspire 8.0 Alpha 5 includes the following updated software packages:

XFCE 4.12.2
kernel 4.15.0-29
Google Chrome 68
Ice SSB
Thunderbird 52.9 with lightning extension
Video Player
Rhythmbox
Maps
GNOME Documents
Weather
GNOME Books
GNOME Photos
RedShift
LibreOffice
Cockpit
XFS support
JFS Support
BTRFS support
Samba
NFS
Nitroshare
Synergy
Software Center with SNAP and Flatpak support
OpenJDK 10

You can download Alpha 5 from our download location

http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre/swordfish-8a5.iso
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre/swordfish-8a5.iso.md5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre/swordfish-8a5.iso.sha256

Linspire 8.0 Alpha 1 Released

Today we have released Linspire 8 Alpha 1.  This release is the beginning stages of our new Linspire release scheduled for a Christmas release.  This is a rudimentary build and some things may not work as intended so expect some bugs.  This release is NOT set in stone and you can expect numerous changes between now and final release.

DO NOT USE THIS RELEASE IN PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS

Linspire 8.0 Alpha 1 has the following advancements

Ubuntu 18.04 Base
New GUI layout
kernel 4.15/0-23
Mate 1.20.1
Google Chrome 67
Thunderbird 52.7
LibreOffice 6.0.4
App Store with Flatpak and Snap support
Dark and light mode

You can download the Alpha from our download servers.

http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre/swordfish-8-a1-x64.iso
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre/swordfish-8-a1-x64.iso.md5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/pre/swordfish-8-a1-x64.iso.sha256

Introducing Linspire CE Office365

Today we are pleased to announce a new release for our Education and business customers.  Linspire 7.0 SP1 CE Office365.  Linspire CE Office365 is our release of Linspire CE (cloud edition) dedicated to Microsoft's online platform..  Linspire CE Office365 is available today from our webstore.

We are providing this release for education facilities and companies that have standardized on the Microsoft Office platform and who need a robust alternative operating system platform for collaboration with existing infrastructure and migration to the web and cloud storage hosting.

Linspire CE Office365 includes the following features from Linspire:

kernel 4.13.0-43
KDE Plasma Desktop environment
Google Chrome
The VLC media player
IceSSB
Biometric support

The following Microsoft app shortcuts are provided out of box:

Bing
OneDrive
Office365 console
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft OneNote
Skype Web
Microsoft Outlook

You can purchase this release from our online store 

More information is available from our live product launch which was recorded

If you have any questions contact:

sales@pc-opensystems.com
support@pc-opensystems.com

Linspire Server 2018 Released

Today we are pleased to announce the release of Linspire Server 2018 to the public.  Linspire Server 2018 is based on Ubuntu Server 16.04.  Linspire Server 2018 is a solution for medium to small businesses as well as education facilities.  Linspire Server 2018 is available today and will be free to download and use under a self support license.  Commercial support is available for customers who want that piece of mind.

Linspire Server 2018 boots by default into a customized XFCE environment for a GUI environment to ease the complexity for customers coming from Windows Server or macOS Server.  We use DWM as a secondary window manager and users can use the server as a command line only environment as well.

Some of the features of Linspire Server 2018 includes:

Kernel 4.13.0-41
Chromium 66
Cockpit'
Web container technology for deploying web applications
Apache
Samba server
Tomcat
MongoDB
XFS support
JFS support

You can download Linspire Server 2018 from here

http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/server/linspire-server-2018-x64.iso
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/server/linspire-server-2018-x64.iso.md5
http://distro.ibiblio.org/blacklab/server/linspire-server-2018-x64.iso.sha256

You can get more information about Linspire Server 2018 here

Changes coming to Linspire and Freespire

Ok guys, some changes that we are making to Freespire and Linspire:

1. Dropping XFCE for Freespire. Freespire will only be delivered in KDE Plasma 5 going forward. It is by far the most popular desktop and has had way more downloads and usage. Linspire will continued to be offered in XFCE and KDE.

2. Linspire Server 2018 will be released next week. We had to work with multiple companies on the next issue. Linspire Server 2018 will be FREE to download and use under a self support license. Commercial support will have license terms as follows: Self support = free Commercial Support = $199.99 USD per physical server. $129.99 USD per virtual server. $79.00 USD for physical media, self support.

3. Linspire Server 2018 will ship with XFCE as the main GUI, and DWM as a secondary. Why a GUI? Many of our customers come from Windows and macOS Server products and we want to make it as comfortable as possible. You can still use it command line only as well.

4. We are currently in SP2 development. Some changes coming in SP2 include ENCFS Manager, Cantata as the audio player, Kmail replaces Thunderbird, we are adding the Spotify client. There are numerous under the hood changes which we will be discussing the closer we get to release.

5. Some have asked if we will offer a minimalistic version like Ubuntu does. The answer is, we already do. People who want a minimalist release of Linspire can use Linspire CE and add whatever apps they want whether they are cloud or traditional desktop apps

Linspire 7.0 Service Pack 1 released

Today we are delivering Linspire 7 SP1 for general release.  With this release we have several fixes and changes that we have made to Linspire.   With this release we have resolved many of the issues that users had with our first release.  Linspire 7 is the only desktop distribution that is supported for 10 years on the desktop.  Linspire is deployed by many companies, government agencies and education facilities for their productivity, design and development workstations.

Resolved Issues

With this release we have resolved the following issues

Installer rebranded for Linspire
All Xubuntu and Kubuntu documentation removed
All Xubuntu and Kubuntu branding removed
iMac wireless and iSight camera drivers now included
Google Pixelbook support
Linspire Server Core 7.0 now supports many HPE, Dell and Lenovo server systems.

Features and Updates

Kernel 4.13.0-38
KDE 5.8.9
XFCE 4.12
LibreOffice 6.0.3
Google Chrome 65
Thunderbird 52.7
Ice SSB 5.2.7
VLC 2.2.8 (3.0 will be coming in our next update)
Skype 8.18.0.6
OpenBoard white board application
All Security updates until April 5, 2018

Availability

Linspire 7.0 SP1 is available today with KDE as our default desktop and XFCE for lower end and older systems.  To acquire XFCE place it in your order notes.

Linspire 7.0 is the most affordable desktop Linux distribution on the market,

Boxed set - $79.99 USD
Digital download - $29.99 USD

Linspire is also available preloaded on hardware.  Linspire comes with 12 months of phone and e-mail support and commercial support also includes remote service and on-site service.

All current subscribers and customers have received a download for the new ISO.

Purchase

You can purchase Linspire from our webstore.

http://www.linspirelinux.com/p/webstore.html

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions contact support@pc-opensystems.com or join our forums.

http://linspire.boards.net