Lindows 4.0

At the end of Lindows setup, you have the option to create user accounts. Also, after setup, the standard KDE tool for managing users, KUser, is available in the Settings menu as User Manager. It's simple to create non-root users with this tool. Then, after the computer boots up, the KDM login manager prompts for a user name and password.

I highly recommend that you create a separate account for each person who will use the Lindows computer. For more on managing user accounts in Lindows, see my companion article on the Linux Journal Web site (www.linuxjournal.com/article/7166).

The Lindows Family License permits Lindows customers to install Lindows on multiple computers, as long as all the computers are in the customer's household. Click-N-Run has a section, My Products, that shows all software installed by the Click-N-Run user; this includes proprietary software licensed by the user. Any software the user has installed with Click-N-Run on a different computer is listed in a dim-grey font, while software installed on the current computer is shown in black. It's easy to click on grey packages and select them for downloading and installing on the current computer.

Thus, any proprietary software purchased using Click-N-Run actually is licensed for all Lindows computers in the purchaser's household. If you run proprietary software and your household has multiple computers, this license potentially could be a good deal.

Click-N-Run is the slickest package installation system I have seen yet in a Linux distribution, but you must pay a minimum of $50 per year to use it. The Lindows system is mostly smooth and polished, but a few rough edges remain.

If you read Linux Journal, it is unlikely that you will want to run Lindows on your own computer. But, it is a possibility that family members or friends would appreciate a Linux system designed for newbies. As long as you set them up to not run as root all the time, Lindows is a good choice.