GeekTimeLinux

While I haven’t got the rull review written, I am finding a lot of conversation about the broken Wi-Fi in Ubuntu Edgy.

I had been using a D-link DWL 520 card with Dapper and all was good. I upgraded to Edgy and the card suddenly wouldn’t connect. I installed Edgy on another machine with a D-Link WDA-2320 and still no luck.

Next step was to install ndiswrapper and drivers for the 520. Guess what? No luck. I would set the ATHO to enable and the card would appear to be activated and it would revert to the ETH0 card I also had installed.

Totally frustrated, I went to the Network set-up and changed the ESSID to “any” and suddenly the card was recognized by the network. I did this with both computers and both are doing well. Still not entirely sure that I had a working solution, I did an install on my laptop and all is fine.

I realize this is a simple thing and I only hope that it works for you the way it has with three computers here.

Today is a red letter day for me. I have used Linux for several years always wired, never wireless (except for my Zaurus). Today dawns a new beginning.

After downloading SimplyMepis 6.0 beta 5, I made the decision to get the distro running with a wireless connection. It turned out to be one of the more simple things I have done with Linux.

Before installing the distro, I installed a D-Link, DWL-G520 card. The version I have is a little older with the AirPlus Extreme G. I did not install drivers, I simply installed the card and began the install of SimplyMepis 6.0 beta 5.

After the install had completed, I began checking to see what I needed to do to configure the device.

First, I went to the Mepis old os center and selected network interfaces.
Next, I clicked on ath0 and set it to start on boot.
Then on to the WIFI section. Here, I had several selections to make.

1.ESSID was set to any

2.Encryption key was set as Hex

3.Selected frequency…2.4

At this point the options are set, it’s time to see if the configuration is good. I selected the Status option and clicked on “start ath0.” After what seemed like an eternity (possibly 3-4 seconds) I received a message saying “ath0 connection established.”

I have used the configuration for some time today and have watched closely. I am still banging away and the connection remains.

THANK YOU Warren. I think this is gonna be GREAT.

am truly excited to be afforded the opportunity to review one of the newest Debian based distributions XANDROS Business 3.0. I have used XANDROS for some time and each distro seems to include the latest software at a time when it is most needed.

For anyone not familiar with XANDROS, they have been leading developer of easy-to-use alternatives to Windows since 2001. XANDROS Business 3.0 provides seamless compatibility with the latest Windows servers, including domain authentication support, logon scripts and group policy profiles.

But that is just part of the story. XANDROS has now included the latest wireless network card support including Intel Centrino with WPA configuration, Xandros Click-N-Connect wireless network Access Point finder and more. There’s SKYPE, the internet VO-ip system that allows users to call the world from their computer, Xandros Anti-Virus, the Xandros Firewall Wizard and the ability to drag-and-drop from desktop to folders, Windows network shares and FTP sites.

XANDROS Business 3.0 includes one of my favorite programs, Codeweavers CrossOver Office. For years I have been using this program and having it custom installed in an operating system is a real treat. Codeweavers CrossOver Office affords the ability to run Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Quicken and Dreamweavers and other Win32 applications on the Xandros desktop.

If it’s word processing you want, XANDROS Business 3.0 features Sun’s Star Office Suite which reads and writes most Microsoft documents, spreadsheets and presentation files.

OK…If the distribution has this many features, how hard is it to install? Since their founding XANDROS has been the leading developer in easy-to-install Linux distributions. Installation is a four click process with automatic disc partitioning. Their hardware detection and configuration is world class.

XANDROS Business 3.0 is loaded with Multi-Media. With the built in File Manager, you can write data or music CDs simply by dragging-and-dropping. Connect your favorite digital camera (Xandros supports hundreds), browse the Web, sync with your Palm Pilot or browse and mount network file systems (NFS) for easy file sharing in Linux and Unix environments.

I could continue on talking about the good stuff…you know…like, SMP, Journaling file systems, support for AMD Athlon 64 (32-bit mode) and more, but I think you get the idea.

I think XANDROS Business 3.0 has hit the nail right on the head. While this distro is not free, the price is really an investment in a simple, stable system that makes transitioning from Windows “Child”s Play.”

I have always been one that was a little nervous rating a distro on a scale of 1-10, however using 10 as the highest, I believe the new XANDROS Business 3.0 deserves a 9+.

During the past month, we have reviewed several distributions and I thought it would be interesting to look back and see how our initial impression had changed after using the operating systems for a sustained period. Here goes:

SIMPLY MEPIS 3.3.1

I continue to love working with this distro. It is full featured and robust and has the software we need in the Lab to do many of our tasks. In fact, this post is being written using Open Office on my Simply Mepis machine.

My one comment in the initial review was regarding the lack of a good E-mail client. Once I corrected that problem(see: HERE’S AFIX), like cream, the distro rose to the top.

Some of the changes in this release include; an update of packages to synchronize with the Debian pool. Alsa mixer pre-configuration is fully automated. The ra0 wireless port is supported via the OS Center and Serial_cs and rt2500 drivers are available.

In addition, Acrobat Reader has been updated to 7.0 and the mimetype configuration has been modified to use Acrobat automatically.

In addition, there are many programs that caused us to jump on the MEPIS bandwagon several months ago. But we weren’t the only ones to adopt this distro. It is number 3 at Distrowatch and other reviewers are saying much the same as we are. It’s a GREAT distro. One of those is Linuxquestions.org. SIMPLY MEPIS 3.3.1 might be your distro.

LIBRANET 3.0:

A wonderfully complete Debian distro, LIBRANET 3.0 is another of those distros that JUST WORK.

Libra Computer Systems or Canada have moved from a 2 CD distro offered in 2.8.1, to a full 5 CD’s in version 3.0 or you can get the distro on a single DVD.

In addition to being another Debian based distro, LIBRANET has included a new installer and includes features to give Linux users the convenience of using USB sticks and an abundance of windows managers including; KDE 3.3, GNOME 2.8.3 and a half dozen stand alone windows managers including, IceWM, Afterstep and Blackbox.

Libranet also offers “ADMINMENU”. Use it to set up your printer, update security patches, install new programs from CDs or on-line.

We installed LIBRANET on May 6th and have been using it ever since, including the use of ADMINMENU for updating. It has worked flawlessly.

Newsforge recently reviewed the distro and basically reinforced our conclusion…a Debian distro that works. If you aren’t opposed to paying for a Linux distro, give them a look. LIBRANET 3.0

MANDRIVA LIMITED EDITION 2005:

One of those distros that has always been user friendly and provided an abundance of software and has always stayed in tune with the latest hardware is MANDRAKE now MANDRIVA.

Since its acquisition of Connective, MANDRAKE has changed its name, but not it’s attitude of providing the latest in programs and supporting new hardware. Only the name has changed.

We installed MANDRIVA in April and I must say I was impressed. With its 2.6.11 linux kernel and updated features, it is hard not to love this distro.

In addition to software upgrades, (OpenOffice, CDRECORD,FIREFOX 1.0.2 and more) MANDRIVA has made external hardware easy to configure. How simple is it? How about automatic? This distro recognizes external hardware and automatically configures it. Flash drives and removable media are auto-mounted and given an icon on the desktop. MANDRIVA also installs, by default, hardware accelerated 3D video drivers for Nvidia, ATI and Intel based graphic processors.

After nearly a month of using MANDRIVA Limited Edition 2005, I find it hard to imagine where version 2006 is going to go. No problems, just success and what else would you expect from a distro.

MAD PENGUIN has echoed our feelings…MANDRIVA is a GREAT distribution.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST…SUSE 9.3:

Yes, this distro has been on a machine in the Lab since early April. Do I like it? You can bet your mouse!

Suse has a special place in my heart, so if I find something that doesn’t work as represented, I feel pain. I must say, that to date, this distro has been painless. I did have one reader that felt that since Novell bought SUSE, it was not the “hackers” distro it once was, but I guess I feel there are “different strokes for different folks.”

I have tried to break almost everything in this distro and thus far have not been successful. Almost does not include XEN. I have not had time to experiment with this program, however do have it on the schedule.

For those not familiar, XEN is a virtual monitor (VMM) for the x86 processor architecture. Simply, it means that multiple virtual machines can execute on a single physical system.

SUSE has increased their hardware support making WLAN easier. They have also given the user a choice of KDE or GNOME desktops. Installation is a piece of cake.

I just read a review by Linux Planet that indicates that our assessment of the distro is shared by others.

Twas my first Linux distro several years ago and continues to have a warm place in my heart. I use it daily and would recommend it to anyone, newbie or experienced user.

All are up…All are working…All are performing at max capacity and without flaws!

Simplicity, ease of installation and reliability. Those are words that describe XANDROS 2.5 Desktop Business.

The distro is aimed directly at Microsoft Windows users who want to run a Linux Distribution within a mixed network, especially those based around a Microsoft Windows Controller or Active Directory Server. Combine this feature with Crossover Office 3 and Sun’s Star Office 7 and you have a distribution that works well within many network environments as well as an excellent distribution for someone just getting started in Linux.

Having used Version 2.0 for sometime and being familiar with the simple desktop install (using the entire drive) my decision was to do an install next to Windows XP Pro on a Pentium 3, 1G system.

The XP was on an NTFS Partition and first thought was that changing that partition might destroy the XP install or possibly make the XANDROS install more difficult.

XANDROS “Getting Started Guide” indicated that step one would be to defragment the hard drive. Watching as the machine carried out the task, I was amazed at how much wasted space there had been. When this task was completed, it was time for the install.

Booting from the install CD, I was greeted with a Welcome Screen, the Licensing Agreement and the opportunity to enable a custom install option. Once the custom install is selected, you can choose between “Minimal,” “Standard,” “Complete,” or “Custom.” I chose the “Complete.” Next comes the partitioning. The basic options are “Take Over Entire Disk” or “ “Use Free Space.” Using free space allows the XANDROS Install to be on the largest unallocated space on the hard drive.

It was at this point that beads of perspiration began to well on my forehead, because the next step was to “Resize the Windows Partition.” Once selected, the resizing went smoothly and within a matter of minutes, I was clicking to begin the install.

For those that have done a XANDROS install before, you know this is the time for a cup of coffee. There is nothing to do while the system installs. I find that the older I get, the better at this part I am!

With the install completed, it was first login with XANDROS automatically launching “First Run Wizard” to allow options that might not have been configured during the install. These settings include; keyboard scheme, time zone, printer, etc. As a side note, if a user adds a printer using the wizard, all users are able to access it, however only the owner and root can modify it or delete it.

Most of the configuration utilities are also accessed through KDE’s Control Panel, including Display Properties, Network Connections, Windows Networking, Boot Manager Configuration and User Manager.

These configuration utilities are well designed and easy to use and anyone who is familiar with the configuration of a Microsoft Windows based computer will have no difficulty in configuring the system. The folks at XANDROS have made the utility very similar to the configuration settings of Microsoft Windows, however, unlike Windows, any user can change a setting without logging out and back in as an Administrator. This is done by simply clicking on the Admin button and entering the correct password.

Software installation and updates from XANDROS are quite simple using the XANDROS Network. This utility is a very nice graphical front end for
the APT command line utility. XANDROS Network provides easy access to their complete software library, as well as allowing the installation of software from their on line store.

Operating with Microsoft Windows Networks is where XANDROS Business Desktop really shines. It’s easy to see the work that has gone into making the system talk with Microsoft Windows Servers and Workstations. If the network share requires authentication, XANDROS provides a nice “windows type” dialog box asking for a user name, password and domain. In fact, you can actually select the domain from a drop-down box, which helps if you manage a multi-domains on a single network.

To manage all of the Windows Networking settings, XANDROS includes a “Windows Networking” applet in the KDE Control Center. This allows the user to join the computer into a Windows Domain or Active Directory directly from the desktop. Setting up shares with XANDROS is really similar to doing the same with Windows. Right-click a folder and select sharing. This brings up a tab for sharing and allows the user to easily enable network access to local files.

Another of the many features of XANDROS Business 2.5 is the inclusion of CodeWeavers Crossover Office 3. Having used Crossover for a few years, I can say that it adds greatly to the flexibility of the system and having it as an integrated part of the distro is wonderful. CodeWeavers goal is to try to get 95% of the Windows Applications running within Crossover Office by 2005. Microsoft Office 2000 and Excel work flawlessly as do many of the other Microsoft programs.

While I could go on and on about the distro,the bottom line is XANDROS Business 2.5 works and is simple enough for the “newbie” while containing the network capabilities and features needed by IT Personnel wanting to replace older Windows NT/2000 Workstations on a Windows Network with a minimal amount of retraining of personnel.

As I said at the on-set; Simplicity, Ease of Installation and Reliability, XANDROS 2.5 Business.