The Xandros Desktop is already a mature Linux product, thanks to its roots in Corel Linux, several extensive rounds of beta testing from Linux and Corel fans, and the apparent excellence and commitment of the people at Xandros. In the long run, as any technologist knows, a great product isn't a guarantee of success. Differentiation and promotion are the keys to long-term survival in the Linux market.

The Xandros Desktop is an eminently usable distribution aimed at desktop users, not the people who want to run muscle-bound Web, email, or news servers. Xandros' focus on the types of software that end-users want to run and their amazingly tight integration with and support for Microsoft Windows applications gives them an edge over any other end-user desktop Linux distribution that I've encountered.

The whole idea of creating and selling Linux distributions is to make life easier for end users by providing a robust installer, good hardware detection and support, and the applications that your target users need. Xandros has done all of these. Given a few corporate or academic partnerships and relationships with PC hardware vendors who will bundle the Xandros Desktop with their hardware, the future should be incredibly bright for Xandros.

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