GeekTimeLinux

As readers of Geektimelinux know, I was impressed with Mandriva 2005. It was a clean, easy to use distro with about everything the newbie or power user needed in software.

Version 2006 was released and I reversed my thoughts. Seemed like there were too many things that were let downs following 2005. While I had nothing to do with it, there has been a quiet rumor circulating that Mandriva would release an updated version of 2006. It would contain more CUTTING EDGE software and would take care of some of the bugs that were contained in 2006.

MANDRIVA 2006.1-0.3 Beta is here. The new snapshot is available in your choice of 3 700MB isos for either the i586 or x86-64 or one i586 Live CD. Here’s what we found.

The Mandriva installer continues to be one of the best on the market. No major surprises from the company that has made installation simple and fun. My install was on the old AMD Athlon 1.2G. Not the fastest, but the same machine I had originally tried 2006 on, so thought it would be good to compare. Install and initial boot-up took about 37 minutes. While some programs were not installed, most are available on the images.

My selection for a windows manager was KDE. I selected this because it is KDE 3.5. Looks nice and runs quite well. GNOME 2.12 is also available for those that prefer GNOME.

Talking about new programs, 2006.1-03 Beta also contains; Open Office 2.0, Xorg’s newly released 6.9.0, Evolution 2.4.2.1, Gimp 2.35 and more. In all, this free distribution of Mandriva is very well appointed. I must admit that I had to install Open Office and Evolution after the initial install. Really a simple process, but something that could have been done within the initial install.

While many would not worry about, I encountered a kicker/panel crash upon logout. In doing a little research, I believe this is a KDE problem and not one of the distribution. I also encountered problems with Kaffine. It was totally unhappy with the lack of win32codecs and dvdcss. This is something that could be corrected if this distro goes from beta to final.

On the positive side, all of my old hardware was configured properly including a printer. Most programs ran quickly (except those noted above) and from an initial overview, it would appear that many of the bugs of 2006 have been corrected. All? Maybe not, but Mandriva is on the right track.

One of the things I keep waiting for is some of the technology from Conectiva and Lycoris to surface. Possible by the time this version is final, we will be seeing some of these distros programs surfacing.

In all, MANDRIVA 2006.1-0.3 is worth giving a spin. For the newbie, you will enjoy the simplicity of install and installing additional programs. For the power user, you already know the distribution.

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!

When I first reviewed LIBRANET 2.8.1 in 2004, I was very impressed with the distro. Later in the year, one of our visitors to the site reviewed the distro and termed it “HIS FAVORITE DISTRO.” Version 2.8.1 was contained on two CDs and with the apt-get program and the Adminmenu, it appeared the possibilities for programs was limitless.

Now, Libra Computer Systems of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada are giving us much more to talk about by increasing the distro to 5 CDs or 1 DVD in LIBRANET 3.0.

Starting with the new installer, LIBRANET 3.0 has the feel of a heavy duty distribution. While the new installer might give the feel of Red Hat’s Anaconda, it isn’t. It was ported in-house. The new installer offers a graphical install with a clear set of instructions and accurate hardware detection. If making a new user comfortable with the install process, LIBRANET has hit the bullseye.

As you start the install from the 5CDs or 1 DVD, you are ask if you would like to check the integrity of your install media. While it may take a couple of minutes, most installs fail as a result of bad media. Once the discs have been checked and have been proven good, you are prompted to setup X. Here you go to the graphical mode and are given the opportunity to set up your display. (Having a copy of your monitor manual is always a good idea to determine both horizontal and vertical frequencies). On computer 6, where I did the install in the lab, I have an old off-brand video card with a no-name monitor. All configured automatically within seconds.

If you chose to use the automatic install option, LIBRANET creates a swap partition and a root partition with a Reiser file system. While I used the entire hard drive (120M) the base system and Libranet core files use about 2.9G.

After the above are installed, you are offered the opportunity to make a boot disk from either a floppy or CD. If you are a laptop user…TAKE HEED. If you install from your burner, make sure you remove the install CD or DVD and replace it with a blank disc before proceeding to burn a boot CD. There is no warning to do so, however the system will hang up and is unrecoverable after trying unsuccessfully to burn a boot CD with the installation media in CD #1 or DVD in the drive.

What can you expect from LIBRANET 3.0. Libranet offers Mozilla-Firefox, Mozilla, Epiphany, and Opera as the prime browsers. Games offer an exhaustive list of 60+. There are 50 multimedia programs and some 28 graphics programs, and the list goes on.

The default install includes KDE 3.3, GNOME 2.8.3 and a half dozen stand alone windows managers such as; IceWM, Afterstep and Blackbox.

Another feature Linux users are beginning to enjoy is the utilization of USB sticks. Here, you plug in the stick and an icon appears on the screen with no fuss, no muss.

The core of LIBRANET 3.0 is a 2.6.11 kernel and a Debian base. Yes, this is the same kernel used by several other current Linux distributions, however it appears LIBRANET has gone a step beyond with their software selection and what appears to be a somewhat accelerated speed.

LIBRANET’s “ADMINMENU” offers many things. Setting up a printer…do it here. Updating security patches, installing new programs from CDs or on-line, setting cron times, or configuring devices do it here.

If you haven’t seen enough on programs, LIBRANET offers recent versions of what Debian repositories define as non-free software. Simply, these are proprietary applications that can be freely distributed. They include Sun Java, Opera, and Adobe Reader.

I have been working with the distro for a few days and frankly…I haven’t been able to break it! It works in areas many distros won’t and with the abundance of software available in the base distribution and through Synaptic, it is hard to imagine more programs being available.

I have moved machine 6 to the head of the line for work. Simply, I want to use this distribution for everything I do. Will it fail? Will the new wear off the distro? I don’t know! What I do know is, for the price LIBRANET should be the first choice of newbies and experienced users. In my opinion “LIBRANET just hit a GRAND SLAM.”