"Alex OS" - simplified OS based on Ubuntu

[fluteflute]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/355696/alex-os-aims-to-make-computers-easy

They are charging a £10 a month subscription fee, so it's presumably not open source...

Thought people might like to see.

[Giant Speck]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/355696/alex-os-aims-to-make-computers-easy

They are charging a £10 a month subscription fee, so it's presumably not open source...

Thought people might like to see.

It almost doesn't look real.

Also, just because it costs money doesn't mean it isn't open source.

[fluteflute]

It almost doesn't look real.

Also, just because it costs money doesn't mean it isn't open source.
I know, I think it's unlikely though. We'll see.... :)

Not sure yet if I like the design.

[Barrucadu]

“But we need new people online, and they’re never going to get online with Microsoft.”

Yes, of course, I mean, Windows is so difficult, how can people possibly be expected to use it‽

[motorcity909]

Rory Cellan-Jones has also blogged about this on the BBC -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2010/02/can_alex_bring_linux_to_the_ma.html

[pmlxuser]

well 10 quid it is, i just can't find anything appealing with the O system... it seems to me its a strip down version of google chrome Os coupled together with ubuntu... just my views anyway. thanks for bringing the news though

[Shibblet]

Looks like a great distribution for Netbooks.

[xpod]

If it was "simplified" you wanted then surely they dont come any more simplified than simplicITy (http://www.discount-age.co.uk/simplicity_computers/whatdoesitlooklike/).
Valerie Singleton probably gives it the edge. :lol:

[alexfish]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/355696/alex-os-aims-to-make-computers-easy

They are charging a £10 a month subscription fee, so it's presumably not open source...

Thought people might like to see.

hi
I think the £10 a month could be £10 a week or £39.95

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8522952.stm

I will wait till April 1st

Or is it April now ? £40 a month to get telephone support and to get your system upgraded ! Tut Tut what ever next , looks like broadband companies trying to make money off the backs of other peoples efforts , hope they give the profits back where it Deserved

[wipeout140]

In case you want to read the bbc technology article as well
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8522952.stm

I think its a good idea allowing for simple usage but not really sure bout the monthly payment


More than £2.5m has been invested in developing the product, the company claims.

I don't think that was money well spend

[Nevon]

Oh good God it's ugly! :O Did they even let a single competent designer have a look at this before they decided on not using any kind of color scheme at all, and use gradients that look like the've been cut straight from a '90s website!?

The only thing that would make me want to use that is if they paid me £10 per month; even then, I'd want to poke my eyes out with a hot fork.

[poosietgp]

It is indeed very ugly though, I just hope their Devs would contribute upstream.

[SuperSonic4]

It has to be open source - ubuntu's licencing terms demand it

[chillicampari]

I think I like it. I don't find it *pretty*, but activity-based color schemes seem to make sense with what it's trying to do. It looks intuitive and very usable.

[gjoellee]

it looks like a mockup!

[Kenny_Strawn]

Using a computer should be simple, it should be plain English

This is exactly what Google Chrome OS is!

[fluteflute]

It has to be open source - ubuntu's licencing terms demand it
I don't think that is neccessarily true.

[chucky chuckaluck]

looks like a big phone.

[bunburya]

One thing that annoys me about this quest to make the simplest OS possible is that people have different opinions on what simple is, and so you get a load of different systems with different layouts and structures all purporting to be the simplest, which in fact makes everything more complicated. Ubuntu to me is perfectly simple and easy to operate, so this Alex thing just further complicates things for me because it's a new layout to learn.

[del_diablo]

hi
I think the £10 a month could be £10 a week or £39.95

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8522952.stm

I will wait till April 1st

Or is it April now ? £40 a month to get telephone support and to get your system upgraded ! Tut Tut what ever next , looks like broadband companies trying to make money off the backs of other peoples efforts , hope they give the profits back where it Deserved

.......... Who here has checked the site?
They ship default a 15.4 laptop with a weird brand, but nice design. What you mention in price is what they demand for an USB stick along with some online something. You can buy the computer with the OS, and nothing else-

[Frak]

Alert to designers: What you may see may scar you for a couple of days. You may now proceed to see the article.

Seriously, was there _any_ art direction in this?

[squilookle]

pretty ugly. looks like the entertainment things you get in hospitals, where you pay a ridiculous amount of money and then go on the internet, watch television etc.

[Kai69]

The missus and I are looking for a lappy for her parents to use they are in thier 60s and have never used a computer before obviously new lappys come with windows 7 but I think this will be to much for them. I dont think Alex would even be viable when you work out the cost over a year £25 a month is a lot.
What linux distro would consider to be simple to use but not as restrictive as Alex ??

[NormanFLinux]

I'd recommend Xpud. It uses a kiosk style interface and apps are easy enough to download. And its free!

[Kai69]

Thank you Ill look into XPUD :D

[Kdar]

Just use ArchLinux, it so simple. :)

But seriously, I am not sure this will cut it, interface looks horrible.

[chillicampari]

It doesn't look at all like it's meant for us (us being anyone who's reading here about it), so it's hard to tell whether it will be successful or not yet.

[aklo]

That OS is 1 ugly piece of shyt. Looks worst than win95.

Also many linux is already very easy to use i don't know how they can make it easier? The only thing i can see is they have huge button of "Web", "Print" etc which is equivalent to ICONS. Ok i think most user will be smart enough to find firefox without getting lost in the original ubuntu.

Edit: Worst of all charging money for it?? I call that a crime.

[Old Marcus]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8522952.stm


People confused and frustrated by computers can now turn to a laptop called Alex built just for them.

Based on Linux, the laptop comes with simplified e-mail, web browsing, image editing and office software.
Would this work, do you think? There have been a few attempts at user friendly Linux-based computers in the past, and this could either be another one of those or it could have some sort of future. And if so, would it really bring Linux to the wider market?

[NoaHall]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1410778

[NoaHall]

Just use ArchLinux, it so simple. :)

But seriously, I am not sure this will cut it, interface looks horrible.

Arch Linux is simple, thanks to the guides.

[baddog144]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1410778

This, bro.

[cariboo]

Threads merged.

[DeadSuperHero]

Is it just me, or does the interface look oddly like LCARS?

[BETATEST]

Cough. It looks like something someone squished together over a beer and decided it would be cool to charge people for it to cover the cost of the beer. I think this would drive people to use Windows or Mac OS.

[Gallahhad]

Looks like a cool idea to me.
Another try at a net appliance (http://alternatives.rzero.com/appliance.html).

There was one that people were turning into a very inexpensive PC, but I can not remember the name of it now. It was kinda like or maybe it was the Compaq iPaq.

Heh?, well anyway, cloud computing may resurrect this old idea.

[Viva]

It does look ugly, but I don't think we can judge its usefulness because (i) we haven't used it (ii) It is not aimed at competant users like those on this forum.

I personally think it is a good idea, I wish the interface is a bit more innovative.

[Sand & Mercury]

My god, that looks freaking awful.

[Kdar]

First thought that came to my mind is that this is interface for some kind of morons who can't find where is web or print is. And really, I don't believe everything will work like it is shown on those screenshots (especially about web).
Jee... If someone doesn't know what is print or web is... Hell, he will get lost when he will connected to the Internet. What will this simple OS do for that person than?
And like other people said. Linux is already simple enough. For example the netbook version of Ubuntu. Big icons, simple interface.

[MCVenom]

Oh s---. Great... something to prove to the uneducated consumer just how crappy and useless Linux can be.

Can someone please stop these people? :p

[Kdar]

Oh s---. Great... something to prove to the uneducated consumer just how crappy and useless Linux can be.

Can someone please stop these people? :p

yes. Let them compare that to Windows 7.

[Frak]

yes. Let them compare that to Windows 7.
The point was to make Linux look less crappy.

[mikewhatever]

I think the idea is GREAT, and the choice of Linux only makes it better.

To all the bashers and naysayers, just remember who it is for. The target audience is not some Windows power user with 26 inch dual screens and 8 button mouse, nor is it a computer savvy Linux user, but rather people in their 70s and 80s, who's never used a computer before.
These people are intimidated by even slightly cluttered menus and embedded interfaces. These people have some free time and means, they are still sane and functional, want to, but don't know where to start with computers and the internet. The 10 pound monthly fee is effectively an estimated average for support they might need, which is not much at all. They'll probably need a lot of hand holding.

So, now that you know who it is for, go and compare it with W7 and other such nonsense.

[Berk]

A few years ago my Nan bought herself a computer and taught herself how to use it, me and my Mother spent a few evenings around there to help her out with things she had to ask.

A lot of what confused her was terminology, which is I think where this OS falls down.
home? What does that mean on a computer? Surely the person os normally sat in their home using it.

web? What is this, oh, "internet" of course...
e-mail? I think I have heard of this, nice.
office? What is in here then, I do not work any more.
photo? does this mean I can take photos with my new computer?
people? I wonder if everyone I know is in this bit?
play? My favourite games might be in here.

I admit that most of those will not apply to most people, but after watching my Nan learn to use a PC I know that those were the kind of things she would have had difficulty with.
The interface does not look intuitive, you need to have a background in computers or a handy guide to know what most of the terms mean.

As it is, my Nan probably knows more about Windows than I do now. :D

[Old Marcus]

My bad, should have searched first. ](*,)

[mikewhatever]

A few years ago my Nan bought herself a computer and taught herself how to use it, me and my Mother spent a few evenings around there to help her out with things she had to ask.

......

I suppose not all old people have the luxury of family members tutoring them, and those that do, and already know how to use the computer, will not sign up for the program. Again, the target audience is not those who have and already use computers.

There is more then one way of doing an interface, and I doubt there is one that fits all, but, I think the basic concepts are clear: less clicks to get to tasks, no menus to navigate, reasonably large icons.

I remember my parents' learning, for some reason, it took an few days just to master the mouse.

[Frak]

I still prefer the litl.

[jrusso2]

Who would pay like thirty bucks a month to use this? I think that is where this would go wrong. I would like to build a very simple good looking Linux that was free.

[mikewhatever]

Who would pay like thirty bucks a month to use this? I think that is where this would go wrong. I would like to build a very simple good looking Linux that was free.

Why is it so hard? The OS is designed with elders in mind. The 10 BPS is for support, not the OS, the support potential customers will need.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/laptops/275890/broadband-computer-co-alex


The idea behind it is to provide a laptop with an operating system that's incredibly simple to use for people unfamiliar with computers, and provide the support for £9.99 a month (plus £400 for the laptop). Alternatively, you can pay £25 a month with broadband included. It's subject to a 3GB monthly fair usage policy, which is plenty for normal use. We've seen similar concepts before, but Alex is the first time we've seen it done with any success.

[Kai69]

£10.00 per month every month and internet on top and if you dont pay you lose the OS.
As I said were going to get a lappy for the missus parents and put a simple distro on and pay just for the internet charges ..:P
And it wont need a Latchkey just to confuse them even more..

[toupeiro]

This reminds me a LOT of a modern implementation of what Tandy Deskmate was for DOS...

http://toastytech.com/guis/deskmate.html

[chillicampari]

...

There is more then one way of doing an interface, and I doubt there is one that fits all, but, I think the basic concepts are clear: less clicks to get to tasks, no menus to navigate, reasonably large icons.

...

Yep, agreed. A long while back (before PC's were mainstream), I used to train the people who would then orient new staff (many of them brand new computer users) on what they needed to learn to get up to speed quickly and with a minimum amount of time having to hand-hold after the initial training period. We used a custom window manager on networked computers that wouldn't win any sort of style awards, but worked for the most part (especially with current task or system location by color cues, as it "stuck" better). Something else we had to keep in mind were common forms of color blindness and work around that (a lot of people don't think about that, but they don't really need to). Different situation but I think the concepts are similar.

Adding a bit to what mikewhatever mentioned about the target market, I do think it's difficult for many people to try to switch their perspective and see things as a brand new user. I had trouble with it even then and would test things by finding someone unfamiliar with what we were setting up and give them tasks without telling them how to get there, just to see if they could figure it out and how long it took them.

So, yeah, while this ain't pretty (though I don't see it being as quite as horrible in a "zOMG ugly!" way as it's painted), I think it's a cool idea and maybe something I would have liked to try out.

[Twitch6000]

I know, I think it's unlikely though. We'll see.... :)

Not sure yet if I like the design.

*face palm*

You sir must not know what open source or free software means.

ubuntu is released under the gpl v2. Which means IT IS ALWAYS FREE SOFWARE.

God if there is one thing that I dislike most about the gpl is how people who praise it do not understand it...

Now more on topic: Anything based on something seems to be fail... Atleast some still make their distro from scratch :/.

[fluteflute]

*face palm*

You sir must not know what open source or free software means.

ubuntu is released under the gpl v2. Which means IT IS ALWAYS FREE SOFWARE.

God if there is one thing that I dislike most about the gpl is how people who praise it do not understand it...

Now more on topic: Anything based on something seems to be fail... Atleast some still make their distro from scratch :/.
Twitch6000: no I do (I think).

There is proprietary software for Ubuntu? Yes.
So Alex OS could essentially just be a piece of proprietary software placed on top of (free) Ubuntu. I think this would be perfectly legal under the licensing.

[Johnsie]

sounds like a ripoff to me

[sappermajor]

My neighbour has bought one of these. I'm 58 but he gives me ± 20 years.

He keeps the laptop in the spare room and the dongle in a box - I noted that the usb connector has already been bent. He has had the laptop two weeks and the screen protector film is still firmly in place - and no one had explained the web to him.

It is a simple interface but it is not easy for him to understand.

Too expensive in my view for what it provides.

[Quadunit404]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

[trizrK]

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/355696/alex-os-aims-to-make-computers-easy

They are charging a £10 a month subscription fee, so it's presumably not open source...

Thought people might like to see.
Hah,
I think i'll stick with Ubuntu. It's easy AND free!

[Sef]

Necromancing, so locked.