Ximian pushes latest Linux desktop apps

Though one might call it a futile effort, Ximian is forging ahead with its struggle against Microsoft’s dominance on the desktop with the release this month of several Linux desktop software products.

Leading the charge is Ximian Desktop 2.0, which is based on the GNOME 2 code running on top of the Linux kernel and base operating system. The software provides users with a Mac/Windows-like environment instead of Linux’s native Unix-like command lines interface.

New features in Ximian Desktop 2.0 include support for the security protocol Kerberos 5, the latest versions of Macromedia Flash and RealPlayer, as well as setup wizards for configuring network printing on Linux PCs (a long-time bane for some Linux desktop enthusiast).

Also included is support for Agfa metric font types, which can allow for easier document editing and Web browsing. The desktop comes with the Ximian edition of OpenOffice, a suite of office productivity tools, such as word processing, presentation and spreadsheet applications based on the open source OpenOffice.org software packages. Documents created in Ximian OpenOffice now come in a default format compatible with Microsoft Office applications.

Realizing that most business networks are Microsoft environments, Ximian also included a new version of its Ximian Evolution groupware package in Ximian Desktop 2. Ximian Evolution 1.4 is an e-mail client, calendar and contact book software. Also available is the Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange, which enables a Linux PC to act as a client attached to a Microsoft Exchange 2000 server.

Ximian Desktop 2 with Ximian Evolution is available now for $99, and is certified to run on Red Hat, SuSE and Mandrake. Ximian Connector for Microsoft Exchange is also available now for $69. A 10-pack costs $600 and a 25-pack costs $1,450.