Linpus Linux

Linpus Linux is a Fedora-based operating system created by the Taiwanese firm Linpus Technologies Inc.[1] Linpus was designed specifically to fully support the Asian market, with full Unicode support for the Chinese and Japanese languages. A special version, Linpus Lite, was written to run on devices with lower-cost hardware such as netbooks. It has both an icon and tab-based "Simple mode", designed for new users; and, a conventional style "PC mode" for those wanting a more Microsoft Windows-like interface. It is targeted at handheld devices with smaller screens, and supports resolutions as low as VGA (640×480).[2]

Linpus Linux
Linpus Linux in simple mode.
DeveloperLinpus Technologies
OS familyUnix-like
Source modelMix of open source and closed source
Kernel typeLinux
LicenseMixed GNU GPL with
Shareware, Nagware
Official websitewww.linpus.com

The Acer Aspire One and Norhtec Gecko[3] netbooks come with Linpus Lite Linux pre-installed, there is also a version of the Acer Revo 3610 and 3700 with Linpus Linux pre-installed.

A version for normal desktop computers and servers is also available, as well as a Multimedia version called Linpus Media Center. The Media Center version offers an "Upgrade pack" to purchase patent licenses from MPEG-LA for DVD, MP3, WMV and a few other codecs.

Nagware

The Linpus system contains not only the free and open source operating system, but also Acer-specific "shareware" - users classify this as "nagware," because it asks you to register on Acer's website and purchase a full version. The fact that the Acer distribution contains this software prevents the system from being considered a fully free/open operating system.


References
  1. Linpus Distrowatch article
  2. Screenshots of Linpus Lite's "easy mode" and "desktop mode" Archived 2008-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Low-cost laptop runs Linpus Linux". Archived from the original on 2012-06-30.
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