CNR beta: A Review

CNR has finally entered beta stage, and although I never plan on using Linspire/Freespire, I decided to give CNR a shot.

For those who do not know, CNR now supports multiple Linux distros, (Lin/Freespire, Ubuntu, and soon Fedora, Debian, and OpenSUSE). You can download a plugin that allows you to download and install applications on your computer. There are instructions available on the “download” page for CNR.

To begin, I signed up for a free account. The process was easy, almost like signing up for a forum profile. So, after confirming my account, I was in. CNR has gone through a major re-write, as it was previously included in the aging Linspire Five-o and Freespire 1.0. The navigation and installation is the same, but there are some major differences.

The first being the application availability — there are 37,000+ available packages!

CNR includes much of the software available from Ubuntu’s repositories, and many more as well, including commercial applications that you can buy.

Now for some screenshots:

This screenshot shows how the CNR process begins. I have already signed in, and have moused over the eclipse package. A transparent menu allows me to install directly or see more. I chose to double-click on the image to see more information:

Here you can see the product description, screenshot, and if you look below the screenshot on you own, you would find user reviews. The next screenshot shows how .cnr files are downloaded after I click “Install.” If you’ll notice on my taskbar at the top of my screen, you will see the bright green “CNR” button (the one w/ the random guy in mid-run). That is the CNR applet that can be started through Applications > System Tools > CNR.

As you can see, the download is opened with the CNR applet that I mentioned earlier. Now for a screenshot of the CNR applet in action, which occurs after I click “OK” on the above dialog:

The CNR program syncs-up with the CNR repositories. Next, it downloads the program:

After the download has finished, the program is installed:

After installing the program, I get a dialog box with the summary of my installation, as well as a check-box for whether or not I want an icon of the application placed on my desktop:

Comparison to Add/Remove

CNR allows you to place applications you want to install in a “Channel,” which is basically like selecting multiple applications at once. While this process is faster in Add/Remove, there are still more applications available through CNR. There is also a better description, plus user reviews and screenshots. You also get to see which applications are compatible with which system (note: at this point, Linspire/Freespire are based on Ubuntu, all of which are currently supported on CNR). I have found CNR takes longer than Add/Remove, however, the speed really is not much slower. Besides, there are 37,000+ applications and libraries available.

Conclusion

I have mentioned before on my blog that I have no plans to use Linspire/Freespire in the future due to the patent-protection deals made by Linspire and Microsoft. I’ll give credit where due, and I have to say that I am very impressed by CNR. With the support for multiple systems and the insane number of applications available, I can’t wait to see what comes out of the final version — after all, CNR is only in beta at this point.

See CNR here!

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