Linspire Makes Linux Download Service Free

Linspire, the innovative Linux house founded by Internet entrepreneur Michael Robertson, has jettisoned the $20 annual subscription fee it was charging for its basic Click 'N Run open-source software download service. Users can now download any of the 20,000 titles offered by the service free of charge.

The Click 'N Run (CNR) service has been the San Diego, Calif. company's main source of income, but according to the firm's, Linspire is doing well selling its higher-end products and services.

Users who purchased access to CNR's Basic Service within the last 60 days will be upgraded to a Gold Service account, Linspire said. CNR Gold, which will Linspire will continue to sell, costs $50 a year and offers additional benefits, including discounts on commercial Linux products.

The company also announced it will release a new, open-source version of the CNR client later this year as part of the Freespire 1.1 Linux distribution.

Users can register for the free download service on the Linspire Web site.