Linspire Inc. have announced the availability of Internet dialer software that provides direct access to the Internet for desktop Linux users via AOL's dial-up ISP service.

The AOL Dialer beta software enables desktop Linux users to configure their computers to use AOL over dial-up connections for the first time. The company says that recent estimates suggest there are some 90 million unique users of AOL which opens up Linux to an important new audience.

Available free to all Linspire users, the AOL Dialer for Linux beta version installs with one click from the CNR Warehouse. The software is being released as open source and code is available at this site. An AOL option will be added to existing ISP options for Earthlink, Juno, NetZero and Speakeasy in the next major release of Linspire to debut later this year.

To configure and use the software, users must have an existing AOL screen name and know their local access number. Current access numbers may be found at / which can be entered into the Phone Number tab of the AOL Dialer software. Multiple access numbers are supported by the AOL Dialer interface. Clicking the "Connect" button establishes a connection and displays blinking "LED" lights in the computer's system tray to show activity. After connecting, all Internet-based services can be accessed.