PIONEER BASIC HOME (Live CD)

For those wanting to run Windows applications. Comes with a licensed copy of CrossOver Standard.

Why Pioneer Basic Home?

• Pioneer Basic allows you to test and try the software before you install to your harddrive
• Pioneer Basic includes the very best business and multimedia programs and free games
• Pioneer Basic features unique hardware detection and configuration superior to any others
• Pioneer Basic allows you to test and try the software before you install to your harddrive
• Pioneer Basic includes the very best business and multimedia programs and free games
• Run Windows applications

See a partial list below of what is installed with Pioneer. Many additional utilities and system tools are included!

Technalign's Pioneer now has a Kubuntu base! Kubuntu Dapper has a 3 year stable release cycle that will enable TaFusion Pioneer to offer its customers a dependable release schedule and updatenigfht s via it's repositories. The combination of the Kubuntu base along with the features of TaFusion Pioneer will enable all users to continue with a look and feel they are accustomed to along with many new functions and features.

Automatix is included!

Automatix2 is a graphical interface for automating the installation (and uninstallation) of the most commonly requested applications in the Pioneer Linux operating systems.

Automatix in Pioneer Linux makes certain sure you are able to easily locate and install the most commonly used software in Linux today. Automatix allows the playing of DVDs or MP3 files or the viewing of Adobe Flash content. Packages that allow the playing of MP3s are available to download from official sources but cannot be included on Pioneer. Automatix enables the playing of DVDs. Adding these manually is possible but can be time consuming. Automatix makes this simple!

Make certain what you load is legal in the country you are installing.

Take your data with you and move around with it on your USB Drive

Yes you can take your data with you and share it with a Windows or Apple system anywhere and anytime. Most older computers have a USB 1.1 port, but you can still copy; it's just slower! You don't need a Technalign USB Key, any key will work. Although ours is pretty cool!

Run your Microsoft Windows applications?

Pioneer Home comes with a complete copy of CodeWeavers's CrossOver Office Standard. As shown on the screenshot to the left, you can continue to run your favorite applications such as Adobe Photoshop!

Want more? You can run Xara Extreme so you can do your illustrations without having to install many different applications available in Windows.

Choosing the right Windows-compatibility solution

Running Pioneer, chances are you need a way to run at least some Windows applications or games that aren't available on your Pioneer desktop. And you have your choice of potential solutions to this problem. This page illustrates some of the key advantages that CrossOver has in relation to the other compatibility solutions.

In a nutshell, you have three main choices:

• Dual-booting: running two separate operating systems on one PC, and switching between them as needed by rebooting. Applications such as Apple's Bootcamp allow this to occur on a Mac OS X machine, for example.
• Running a virtual machine: Emulation products such as VMWare and Parallels allow you to run a full version of the Windows OS inside a program running on your native operating system. The Windows applications essentially run in a separate "box within a box."
• Running Wine or CrossOver: Unlike emulation, Wine is a re-implementation of the Win32 API, allowing applications to run as if natively on the target OS. CrossOver is a commercialized version of Wine.

Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages, as illustrated below:

Feature	Dual-Booting	Virtual Machine Solutions	CrossOver
Can run Windows applications without rebooting	By definition, no.
Can run Windows applications without needing a copy of Windows OS	Requires Windows OS license.	Requires Windows OS license.
Price	$199 for Windows OS	$89 for Parallels, $199 for Windows OS	Price included in the package, and no Windows OS
Can start Windows applications directly from Linux or Mac OS start menu	No. Requires rebooting into Windows.	No. Requires starting emulator, booting or restoring windows, and then running Windows applications within the virtual environment.
Can launch Windows file attachments directly from Linux or Mac OS email	No. Requires saving file to network drive or swap file area, then rebooting and opening under Windows.	No. Requires saving file to local file system, booting emulator, then opening within virtual environment.
Can launch Windows files directly from Linux or Mac OS file browser	No. Requires copying file to shared file system, then rebooting and opening under Windows.	No. Requires copying file to shared file system, booting emulator, then opening within virtual environment.
Runs all Windows applications		No. Some applications which require either video or hardware driver support may not run. This is particularly true for games.	No. Wine currently runs some Windows applications very well, some so-so, and some not at all.
Runs Windows applications at native speed		No. Virtual environment imposes performance penalties.	Note: Applications run as if natively, but minor performance penalties may occur.

Should you go the Wine route?

If you decide to go the Wine route, then you have another choice to make. Wine is an open-source technology, and can be installed free from your Automatix menu. Or, you can purchase a commercialized, supported version from Technalign. Both types have many similarities. However, there are also some important differences between the two, which are described below:

Feature	Free Wine	CrossOver
Comes with one-click installation	No.
Comes with graphical installer for Windows applications	No.
Comes with Bottles (portable virtual Windows environments)?	No.
Seamlessly integrates with your desktop environment	No.
Is consistently tested against supported application set	No. Whether a given application will work can vary from day to day, build to build.
Comes with product support	The volunteers on the public forums do their best, but...
Price	$0, and a lot of your time	Included in the package

Pioneer Basic Release 2 comes with a trial of CrossOver Office. You can use either CrossOver Office Standard or Wine to run your Windows applications. Wine is free and is installable via Automatix.

Some applications:
These are only some of the applications that come with Pioneer. Pioneer is feature rich and includes a wealth of utilities also!

Pioneer also includes the Firefox web browser and Thunderbird mail client as well as many utilities to make your experience a pleasant one!