Babel Linux distro is all spin and costs a bob or two

IT WASHES THE DOG, mows the lawn, finds your missing house slipper, and makes your breath fresh.

Well, those claims are not made by BableDisc Computing, but they might as well add them into the claims they do make for their new solution to all the ills, issues, and problems of computing.

"Trouble-free computing starts here, just as soon as you load a BabelDisc into your Windows PC." So begins the onslaught of amazing claims on their site. From the sounds of it, you might be expecting something that "fixes Windows." I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you may be a bit disappointed if you give it a try.

What is it? It's a live Linux distro on a CD. More than that, yet less than that in so many ways. Let me explain.

The site is more geared to selling you this live CD, although you can download it and burn the ISO image yourself. Once you have the CD, pop it into your drive and boot up. "It's as easy as that. Instantly your computer is much simpler to use, and more reliable, from the second it starts up to the moment it shuts down." So they claim.

I downloaded their ISO, toasted it to a CD, then spent some time looking around at the files. Surprise! It's Ubuntu Edgy with Casper for memory stick speed-up. It comes with a twist. Well, two twists really.

It simply will not work on two of my three computers at home. On the two newer machines (both Celeron D desktops) It starts to boot, shows a Debian splash screen, then straightaway kernel panic. Ack. On the third machine, it worked.

Worked, as in, booted a live Ubuntu CD (in a painfully slow, live CD sort of way) underneath the BableDisc logo page, then it gives me some choices. After it completed the Edgy boot sequence it stopped at a login and password screen. This login and password screen helpfully reminded me to register with the BableDiscers. For a fee, I could get the goods that would allow me to use Bable-Ubuntu-Casper on my desktop.

It's not just Ubuntu with Casper that you get from Babledisc, though. It's Ubuntu with Casper that has been crippled. You must use the offline storage provided by BableDisc Computing, and you have to pay.

Prices (including VAT):
Basic Registration for service £20 (although they do point out that £2 of the registration fee will be donated to a Charity of your choice). Since BableDisc is apparently in beta (something they don't mention often), you can get 50 per cent off registration until the end of April 2007.

You will also need to pay a basic monthly service fee of £1. The price includes all software (apparently that which comes with almost all Linux live CDs free anyway), and transfer of 2GBytes of files.

In addition, you must pay a "data transfer fee" of 1p per 100MB after you use up your 2GB of "free transfer."

When you do get paid up and registered, it's just a Linux live CD. That is not bad, per say, but it is a bit on the slow side. The BableDisc-Ubuntu-Casper distro comes with three things not found if you just download them yourself. You have to pay. And pay. And pay.

Is BableDisc worth the price? Not at all. If you really want a live CD, download a copy of Knoppix or something and use Google documents. Free and free. The other claims that BableDisc makes, about using a USB stick to increase speed, and most other claims they make, are things you can do with almost any live Linux distro anyway. For free. Free as in beer.

It looks like BableDisc has some fine spinmeisters working for it, but this is no breakthrough. ?