Xandros NetworksMy first task was to visit Xandros Networks, which is similar to Ximian's Red Carpet Upgrader or Red Hat Network, to ensure I had all the latest and greatest installed. I was also curious as to how well it would work. The layout is very simple (as is most everything in Xandros), and in a few seconds I was installing Tux Racer and TuxKart, two OpenGL games for Linux. After a quick download (well, I'm on a T1, so it was quick for me), the games were downloaded, installed and I was gliding down the mountain as Tux. I never broke a sweat as I continued downloading and installing new and upgraded apps. Anyone who knows how to use a web interface will have no problem at all downloading and installing apps via Xandros Networks.There were a couple of things I didn't like about Xandros Networks. First, the selection of programs was extremely limited. AxY FTP (similar to the Windows WSFTP) is not what I was looking to use for my graphical FTP client. Ximian Evolution, a superb Linux email client, was version 1.0.5, not the latest version. Also, you can't select more than one program at a time to download and install - you have to do them one at a time. Finally, Xandros Networks stopped working for me after playing around with my system for a day or so, a problem that I've referred to Xandros tech support. (ed. note: I figured this one out on my own. Xandros Networks uses an 'unrequested window' to work, so be sure to allow them in Mozilla preferences)As Xandros Networks is not a finished version (it's online to gather customer feedback and direction), another option is the Debian 'apt-get' function, supported by Xandros. Unfortunately, the folks at Xandros commented out the Debian servers, but you can easily open a console window, or use the GUI Xandros Update function, and fix that, opening yourself up to a wealth of Debian Linux apps. I should point out that is is certainly possible to 'break' some of the Xandros goodness by installing 3rd-party apps. YMMV.