Xandros, Inc.: Time for Change?

[This article was contributed by Ladislav Bodnar]

While working on a review of Xandros Desktop 1.0, the author of this article happened to replace his Matrox graphics card with a new NVIDIA GeForce one. Anyone who has done a similar hardware upgrade knows that a change like that would not go unnoticed during the next attempt to start the X Window system; in fact, even Microsoft's operating systems would be caught off-guard with likely prompts to install a new driver. So how did Xandros handle the change? In one of the most impressive displays of user-friendliness, the Xandros operating system detected the change, installed the necessary NVIDIA drivers, reconfigured XF86Config and booted into KDE -- without as much as a single prompt!

Needless to say, this experience, together with many other innovative features considerably increased the author's respect for the Xandros distribution. Other reviewers felt similarly; an article in the January 2003 edition of UK's Linux Format magazine concluded:

The above examples illustrate two things. Firstly, the distribution decision makers at Xandros have done some usability studies and came up with a range of unique ideas. The highly useable Xandros File Manager, the ability to resize NTFS partitions, the "switch user" option allowing users to start new X sessions and easily switch between them, the Xandros Help Center and many other features have yet to be surpassed by most other so-called user-friendly distributions -- even now when Xandros Desktop 1.0 is nearly one year old. Secondly, Xandros employs talented developers who are capable of bug-free implementation of these ideas. Surely, a combination like that should assure not only glowing reviews, but also a steady revenue from satisfied and loyal users. Why, then, is Xandros Desktop not the most widely used desktop Linux distribution on earth?

Some will argue that the $100 price tag is a relatively steep admission fee to enjoy the benefits. Especially since there is no way to try the product beforehand, while there is an abundance of other distributions which can be had for no more than the cost of the bandwidth to download them. But is that the only reason? Isn't there something else that Xandros could do to gain a larger customer base? Here are a few ideas that might help:

• Establish retail channels. At the moment, Xandros Desktop is sold almost exclusively through the company's online store and, to some degree, OEM integrators. To increase sales and visibility, Xandros will either have to launch a massive advertising campaign in general publications or will have to get their software out to retail stores. Unfortunately, both solutions require considerable expense. Some might disagree with the latter solution; after all, hasn't Red Hat just discontinued its sales of shrink-wrapped packages in software stores? Yes, but Xandros is a different product; it is designed for an average consumer, rather than a technology enthusiast, while its release schedule of about once per year is more suitable for retail distribution than Red Hat's more rapidly evolving products.
  
  
• Create a community. No Linux distribution has ever become successful without making an effort to create a user community. This means regularly updated web site with new information, tutorials, solutions, tips and tricks and anything that makes users visit the web site daily. Unfortunately, Xandros's site has been static ever since the product launch and, with the exception of an occasional press release, no new content has been published. Another excellent way to keep interest high is active interaction with users on public forums. Mandrake has always been good at this and that's perhaps one of the main reason for its continued popularity. The Lindows.com forums is another superb example of effective and frequent interaction between the company and the users of its products - even the CEO of Lindows.com Michael Robertson doesn't shy away from responding to users' concerns and queries. It is amazing how many commercial distributions neglect this simple form of communication with their users!
  
  
• Release source code. This might sound like a too radical an idea, but releasing some of Xandros's work, such as the Xandros File Manager under GPL will do the company a lot of good. Firstly, it will be loudly applauded by the Linux community as a great contribution to Free Software, as well as the right thing to do from the ideological standpoint. After all, isn't much of Xandros Desktop free code written by other developers? Secondly, the excellent Xandros File Manager would surely find its way into many other distributions and this would carry the company's name and prestige with it. On the surface, the idea seems to conflict with Xandros's commercial interests and the benefits of such a non-tangible action are hard to quantify. But at the very least, it should be given serious consideration.