Corel Linux
Encyclopedia
Corel Linux, also called Corel LinuxOS, was a Debian
-based operating system
made by Corel
that was released in late 1999. Corel later discontinued the distribution, but did not remove the former Corel Open Source Development website until March 2002.
Corel did not use KFM, the standard KDE
file manager
. It instead used its own file manager, CFM. This, along with other modifications Corel made, meant that Corel Linux suffered at being incompatible with other versions of Linux much more so than other competitors in the industry. At a time when there was relatively little Linux software available, this was a serious hurdle for Corel and its users.
Corel LinuxOS Second Edition was released in download, regular and deluxe editions, the latter of which bundled Corel WordPerfect Office
for Linux.
Xandros
purchased the Corel Linux source code and development team when Corel
scrapped its Linux business in August 2001. However, the Corel Corporation is a stockholder of Xandros.
. The file manager provided an integrated Windows SMB network browser.
Corel SmartMove was a part of Corel Linux. This application provided the following:
SmartMove was built around the Wine
libraries to read the Windows registry
settings for the Windows applications and thus be able to migrate them. SmartMove core libraries created a wrapper for the Windows registry to easily look up the settings.
With the death of Corel Linux, this application faded away and is no longer maintained, however similar functionality is now available on at least Ubuntu when installing a dual-boot configuration on a machine that already has Windows on it.
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
-based operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
made by Corel
Corel
Corel Corporation from the abbreviation is a computer software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that specializes in graphics processing, similar to Adobe Systems...
that was released in late 1999. Corel later discontinued the distribution, but did not remove the former Corel Open Source Development website until March 2002.
Corel did not use KFM, the standard KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
file manager
File manager
A file manager or file browser is a computer program that provides a user interface to work with file systems. The most common operations performed on files or groups of files are: create, open, edit, view, print, play, rename, move, copy, delete, search/find, and modify file attributes, properties...
. It instead used its own file manager, CFM. This, along with other modifications Corel made, meant that Corel Linux suffered at being incompatible with other versions of Linux much more so than other competitors in the industry. At a time when there was relatively little Linux software available, this was a serious hurdle for Corel and its users.
Corel LinuxOS Second Edition was released in download, regular and deluxe editions, the latter of which bundled Corel WordPerfect Office
WordPerfect Office
WordPerfect Office is an office suite developed by Corel Corporation. As of March 2010, the latest version is WordPerfect Office X5 , which is available in three editions: Home & Student, Standard and Professional....
for Linux.
Xandros
Xandros
Xandros is the name of both a line of operating systems and Xandros Corporation, the company which creates them. Xandros Desktop was a Linux distribution. The name Xandros is derived from the X Window System and the Greek island of Andros....
purchased the Corel Linux source code and development team when Corel
Corel
Corel Corporation from the abbreviation is a computer software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that specializes in graphics processing, similar to Adobe Systems...
scrapped its Linux business in August 2001. However, the Corel Corporation is a stockholder of Xandros.
Major features
Corel Linux featured a file manager that was very close in look and feel to Windows ExplorerWindows Explorer
This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
. The file manager provided an integrated Windows SMB network browser.
SmartMove
Corel SmartMove was a part of Corel Linux. This application provided the following:
- Migrate Microsoft Windows settings to Corel Linux.
- Automate restoring settings that are changed by SmartMove.
- Provide an easy way to access network folders through Corel Linux.
SmartMove was built around the Wine
Wine (software)
Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
libraries to read the Windows registry
Windows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
settings for the Windows applications and thus be able to migrate them. SmartMove core libraries created a wrapper for the Windows registry to easily look up the settings.
SmartMove looks for existing Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
installations on the machine, looks a little further for individual users, and offers to transfer application settings to analogous programs under Linux. It understands how to deal with Internet ExplorerInternet ExplorerWindows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
and NetscapeNetscapeNetscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
cookies and bookmarks, OutlookMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
, mIRCMIRCmIRC is an Internet Relay Chat client for Microsoft Windows, created in 1995 and developed by Khaled Mardam-Bey. Although it is a fully functional chat utility, its integrated scripting language makes it extensible and versatile....
, and ICQICQICQ is an instant messaging computer program, which was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then bought by America Online, and since April 2010 owned by Mail.ru Group. The name ICQ is a homophone for the phrase "I seek you"...
settings, and a variety of desktop preferences, including wallpaper, color scheme, and even mouse "handedness". We tried it out with a few settings, but since our Windows installation was fairly new, we didn't have much to check against.
With the death of Corel Linux, this application faded away and is no longer maintained, however similar functionality is now available on at least Ubuntu when installing a dual-boot configuration on a machine that already has Windows on it.
Further reading
- WashingtonPost: Microsoft Faces New Antitrust Probe Over Corel Deal
- Slashdot: Microsoft Buys into Corel
- Forbes: Corel Sells Out To Microsoft
- Slashdot: Corel Shuts Down Open Source Development Site
- CNN: Interview: Corel's Linux VP on the Microsoft deal
- Slashdot: Corel Linux Beta License Violates GPL
- Slashdot: Microsoft Gives Xandros Users Patent Protection
- Archived Corel Linux FAQ
- Archived version of OpenSource.Corel.com from Jan 02