One of the greatest benefits of CLOS is also one of it's greatest weaknesses; it's install program. A graphical installation interface is sure to be a hit with Windows users because of the familiarity, however, this can also be a severe problem with Linux if your hardware is not detected or supported. It is absolutely essential that you check your hardware brand and statistics against the Corel compatibility list. My Linux test computer runs with a generic video card using the Linux supported Trident 9440 chipset, however, the CLOS installation package failed to recognize my video card and left me staring at a blank screen. Unlike other popular Linux releases such as RedHat, there is no text interface in which a user can specify particular cards or simply set up a basic VGA interface.

At this point I decided to test the support that came with my Deluxe version of CLOS. Telephone support is a toll number that operates from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday. Upon calling, I was put into the waiting bin for tech support. After paying to wait on hold for 20 minutes, I decided to try the e-mail support. I composed my video configuration question to Corel's support team in an e-mail and then waited approximately 24 hours. My e-mail was then returned to me asking for some personal information and my registration number. I added the requested information and re-sent my question to support. To date, I still have not received a response.

After an unsuccessful trek through Corel's "Knowledge Base" and no responses in the Corel supported newsgroup, I finally replaced my video card with one a name brand specifically listed in the Corel "Compatible Hardware" section and managed to get a graphical interface to continue loading CLOS.

Corel does offer an interesting array of installation setups which a novice user will find attractive. Installing into your existing DOS partition is certainly the easiest and is probably the best for those who wish to try out Linux without doing much alteration to their system. Unfortunately this also has the effect of slowing Linux to a crawl and will not give the user a true picture of what the operating system can do. The second offering is perhaps the best for new users, allowing CLOS to do your partitioning for you if you have free, unpartitioned space on your hard drive. This will give the user a good install without tackling one of the more complex problems in configuring Linux. For the experienced user or if your hard drive is set up with a single partition, FIPS is available to allow you to do your own partitioning.

CLOS boots into the K Desktop Environment (KDE), which should provide a familiar setup to current Windows users. A point and click setup for Point to Point Protocol (PPP) will also help new users in the confusing realm of chat scripts and connecting your Linux OS to the internet. However, as with other releases of Linux, I did find it necessary to edit several points in the script in order to get my connection working.

One of the brightest spots with the Deluxe edition of CLOS is the inclusion of Corel WordPerfect Suite 2000. The powerful word processor tied together with the Quattro Pro spreadsheet package is my favorite software package for Linux.

Corel Linux is definitely a step in the right direction for the Linux community. Difficult installation and cryptic command lines have long been a determent for getting Windows users to switch from their current operating systems. Unfortunately, Corel's version is still not the product which will sweep the average user into Linux. Likewise, current Linux users will find the distribution too constricted and limiting in customization to replace current leader RedHat as the primary Linux distribution for desktop users.

Visit Corel Linux for more details.

Pricing Options