Corel has been well-known first for CorelDRAW, and then for WordPerfect, which it purchased. Product specialist Lesley Anderson noted that Corel had been making its products cross-platform, and saw an opportunity to create a total solution by bringing together the desktop interface, the operating system, and the desktop applications.

Lesley gave a brief history of Linux, from the original design by Linus Torvalds, who has made the source code widely available while retaining the right to determine what goes in the software. The involvement of developers around the world has helped make Linus robust and clean.

Lesley Anderson, Product Specialist for Corel, shows us Linux.

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Using Linux, though, could be intimidating. Although it was widely used for Web servers, FTP servers, or file and print servers, it was not often used as a desktop operating system because most average users had no desire to learn the necessary command line prompts.

Although there are multiple "distributions" of Linux available, all share the same core kernel, Anderson said. The various publishers may focus on one area of service: "Red Hat is really good at servers; Debian is known as a developer's sort of Linux. Depending on their focus, they may package different tools, different utilities, different applications to complement the server aspect. They may include a manual. They may package the CD-ROM and service. They bundle it all together and call it a distribution."

Corel got involved to "do what we do best – make GUIs, make user interfaces, put applications to run on this platform that currently did not exist or previously had not existed. We want to be a total solution."

Obtaining Corel's Linux
Corel's Linux is available at their Web site (www.corel.com) "virtually free," Anderson said. "If you want the actual CD, it is $4.95, then there is more packaged with it, if you want the manuals, extras involved in our distribution. We chose to base our distribution on Debian because we did not want to build an operating system from the ground up, and we chose to base it on KDE, which is the desktop. KDE is an existing Windows-like GUI."

One shortcoming Corel saw in the KDE desktop was difficulty of installation, and the firm decided to fill that gap.

"How many of you have installed an alternative operating system – like Windows or Mac? Has anybody installed Linux? Tried it? Is there anybody here who has never installed an operating system? There's a lady right here. Would you like to come help install Linux?"

With that Anderson brought a woman from the audience on stage. "I want Patricia to show us how easy it is to install Linux."

At that point, Patricia had two options: "Number one is to install the standard desktop. The standard desktop is what we recommend because that is where Corel fixed up the desktop. That is where you are going to see the enhancements that I am going to show you in a minute. The second option is the advanced install option. This is where the advanced users would go if you want to customize your install," Anderson said.

"But I want to point out that because we are based on the Debian distribution, by purchasing Corel Linux, you get the Apache web server, FTP server, file and print server. For advanced users who can configure a bit, Corel did not do anything to help you in this department but you can certainly configure it as a web server."

Next came "probably the most intimidating screen that we are going to come across, and this is partitioning." The partitioning screen offers several options. First is to take over the entire disk and use Linux as the only operating system. This is appropriate for older computers with smaller drives and slower processors. The second option is to use free disk space. It will pick up the free space on the disk automatically and install Linux.

The third option is to edit the partition table. "For advanced users, those of you who use Partition Magic, we also provide an Fdisk-type of GUI and walk you through editing your partition table.

"The last option is probably most interesting to us because it will allow us to keep Windows 95/98/NT on the system, but also put Linux on and try it out. If you want to delete it, you can simply delete the folder from the Windows or DOS partition. This option is if you just want to take a look at it.

"Quite frankly, the engineers say to pick one of the first three options if you want it to automatically boot, configure, and set up for you. For now, we are just going to say take over the disk."

She told Patricia to select "Erase everything" and choose "Install." "That's the last screen. We have 4 screens," she said.

Corel has automatically set this up to detect most PCI-based devices. Any hardware in the last five years—mouse, monitor--will automatically be detected and configured."

Corel is aiming at early adopters and technology enthusiasts, but wants to include end users, and those who perhaps want a reasonably priced second computer.

"We have support for USB devices; minimal support for some scanners and mice. Go to our web site because Linux.corel.com will have all the hardware that we do support."

Corel's Linux desktop is very similar to Windows or to a Mac.

Corel aimed at making the desktop easy to use and easy to configure, especially in networked areas. The desktop has icons, and supports right-click menus in different areas. An application startup button, similar to Windows' Start button, is on the bottom left.

Corel also includes some games in its distribution, including graphics packages ("We will be offering PhotoPaint as a free download come summer."); multimedia for CD players; an MP3 player similar to Winamp; Netscape Communicator; and network clients.

WordPerfect Office 2000 is not offered as part of the operating system, standard or deluxe. WordPerfect Office 2000 is available and running on Linux, however. Corel used Wine, a Windows emulator, to get the whole suite running on Linux. "We have actually taken a Windows application and we are running it on Linux, because it is calling up the DLLs and changing the calls to Linux."

Corel's web site for the Linux community site is Linux.corel.com. "We also have Corel printing service, so you can put the grandkids' pictures on a cup or a T-shirt or something like that. There are all sorts of things happening through Corel, on our web site."

"One of the areas that we took from KDE was the control center. This control center is like your control panel in Windows, and this is where you do your configuration. Things like backgrounds can be accessed with just a click. We have a theme manager [like Windows Plus! package. –Ed.]. If you want different languages, the desktop can change into many different languages."

Anderson said some previous problem areas in Linux, like video settings, can now be handled easily through the Corel interface.

Networking in Linux was previously very difficult to do. The Corel GUI allows a user to change the domain name, to set up an IP address with the DHCP server or static IP address, as well as a domain name server. "I do not know of any other distribution that makes it this easy. Some of you will probably be wondering about my being on a network. Can I use the files that I have created on a Windows network? The answer is yes because we have automatically enabled SAMBA. We have taken care of all the complexities of the file systems. You don't have to worry about that because it is all done in this nice GUI for you."

Setting up a printer is also much easier with the Corel GUI, but requires the user to be a superuser. "We were committed to shipping with all the open source drivers. Printing in Linux has been problematic as well, and Corel is working on a new open source project to make more and more services available for printing. We ship with drivers for Apple, Epson, and HP, to name a few." Corel also includes the ability to publish WordPerfect files and Presentation files in Adobe's PDF format.

Corel reengineered the file manager from the ground up. "One of the most asked questions is: can I take files from Windows to Linux. Yes, you can copy, paste, move, etc. And if it is a WordPerfect or a Microsoft document, I am able to take that document and open it in the program on Linux. In the file manager, you can also browse a Windows network. It doesn't need to know you're a Linux user. You can also browse a NFS network (anything that is Unix, Linux).

"To get your CD-ROM and your floppy to show up and be attached to the Linux box previously, you had to mount it, and that was done at the console prompt. Corel Linux does that automatically for you. Thus, you can browse your CD-ROM. You can also browse the web. This is not Netscape Navigator, this is the browser through the file manager. You can also browse an FTP site and bring the information down to your hard drive."

Using a powerful Debian Linux application called the package manager allows a user to install, delete, and update any existing applications. These were formerly command-line tasks.

The deluxe version also comes with backup software, enhanced sound drivers, and a special game called Civilization Call to Power, a cool $60 strategy game.

Two projectors were used to show the setup of the two computers.

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In the Windows environment, Milt said, there are currently two ways of doing this. One is to buy an NT server and a program called proxy server, at about $1000. The other way is to purchase one copy of Windows 98 Second Edition. For example, you can have a Windows 95 machine as the client, when the machine that is actually going to be doing the sharing is Windows 98 Second Edition.

One machine used for the demo ran Windows 98, and had a modem. It was a Pentium 200 with 128 MB RAM and a small little hublet. "If you only have two machines," Milt said, "you don't even need to purchase a hublet. You can actually get what they call a crossover cable; you can hook from one to the other. But hublets are cheap ($59, $79), and relatively available, anywhere."

The other machine was a Pentium 150 running Windows 95. "You can use coax cable if you can find the right Ethernet adapters. You can use USB to USB and hook up two computers that way. It doesn't matter as long as they can see one another and share files back and forth," Milt explained.

Phone Line Networks
Ken added that "You can also use one of the telephone-based systems, where you plug it in and it is running a telephone network. Ten-megabit systems are now available that plug into a phone line, just as if it were an extension phone. But the computers communicate over the phone line, and you can use the phone at the same time. It just puts the computers on a different frequency than we hear. If you don't want to do any wiring to house, you can do it that way."

Another advantage of having a little network, Milt suggested, "is you might have your fast HP printer sitting over there, yet this one has the bigger hard drives. So you can both print to the HP printer over there and you both can map to the same hard drive over here. You can share files and you can share printers using a little connection like this as well."

There are some prerequisites for the network setup, Milt noted. "You have to have a client from Microsoft. You have to have a network card, and you have to have a TCP/IP protocol running on that Ethernet card. This particular scenario asks me to create an IP off what they call a DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) server. The client side has to have obtained an IP address automatically because the machine that is actually doing the sharing gives it the IP."

On the machine that has the actual connection, go into Control Panel, click on add/remove programs, and click on the Windows setup. This gives you the option to do the Internet connection sharing wizard, which is under Internet tools.

Ken pointed out that "We are making one assumption, and that is that you have made the network work and that you can see the two computers from each other."

You'll need a floppy disk to make the client on the host machine, so the other machines that you are going to share with can look at that machine. That will install the client software.

Note that if both machines are downloading lots of files, performance will be poor, Ken said. "The idea behind any sharing is that you are not hitting pages at the same exact instance." And, he added, "This will only work with a dial-up network. This will not work with DSL or satellite unless they use a dial-up network. If you want to share a DSL, I would actually recommend going with one of the new hub systems out."

Technical difficulties prevented connecting to the Internet, so Ken and Milt went on to discussing the network.

"On this machine, it is very, very simple," Milt commented. "You have a client for Microsoft, you have a 3Com card, you're running 2 protocols and file and print sharing capabilities. So it is a very simple scenario right here. Network cards are getting dirt cheap, by the way. But be careful because if you want a good network card, I would stick with an Intel or a 3Com or a good name brand. If you get a clone card, you have to make sure it is on the hardware compatibility list of the Windows Operating System that you're using.

"TCP/IP is what holds the Internet together. It is the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. TCP/IP actually identifies every machine in the Internet with four sets of numbers. For all the machines to talk, they have to be in the same work group. This is not like a domain, like an NT server because that is different. This is the work group connection," Milt explained.

"And every machine has to have a separate name. You can't have two Alices. You have to have an Alice and a George and a Sam and whatever. If it finds a duplicate name or a duplicate TCP/IP address, both machines will show an error, and it will stop the last one that came on line from working on the network until you fix it."

"In your little work group environment here, where you just have a couple of machines, you have to connect them on a share level. Once you get that going, you reboot the machine, make sure the machine on the other end is going and you're connected, and then you should be able to go right down into the Neighborhood Network and see the two machines."

Ken noted that machines don't always show up in the Network Neighborhood unless they have tried to share something.

Milt showed a checkmark by the printer, meaning it is the default printer. "Right click on the printer icon, go into sharing and click on it. Now Ken should be able to connect to this printer by going to add/remove printers."

And with that, the evening ended.