Elive is not dead. But it's not a big team working here, so don't expect too much. When they *do* release stuff, I for one feel that it is always worth the wait, and I get even more convinced each time that it's worth the price. Given the frequency of releases, you may not want to put it on the box that gets heavy or critical use, even though something like topaz is stable enough for *my* day-to-day.
Do mention to Thana in your email what you plan with the install, so you will be advised how to proceed with your purchase that is fair in such a situation.
You are also free to do other distros that feature the e desktop, in case the $ becomes an issue. Later on you might decide that their releases are more regular, or their support base is the size you were expecting, and that these things matter to you more than the fanciest desktop effects. For example, you might decide to turn off/abandon eye-candy of e altogether because you'd prefer that all graphics muscle should be used to power your 3d games, not the desktop itself.
Regarding (2) in your post. You misunderstand the meaning of 'Free', and if you ever truly believe in linux' ideals, you will use your favorite search engine to find out that it doesn't mean
that sort of free, but another that is more like 'open for sharing [the source]'. If you think you had it right the first time, and insist upon it, please use another window manager.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2011 02:45PM by she_died.