If you are new to open source then some fine links to check out are here, here, here, and here.
Today we'll be looking at SAM Linux 2007 test-1, a Linux distribution (also called a distro) from Germany. It is based on PCLinuxOS, featuring the Xfce4 window manager.
SAM Linux is a very ambitious undertaking, and one of those odd distros that falls somewhere in the middle of being a lightweight distro for slower machines, and a full-featured one for upscale computers.
It's a very nice alternative to PCLinuxOS, and offers one of (if not) the best out of the box experiences; SAM Linux is packed with all the proprietary software and media codecs, graphics intensive window eye-candy all in a single 700M liveCD that doubles as an installer CD, in and of itself a very impressive achievement.
SAM Linux is similar to LinuxMint in its relations to its forebears; Just as LinuxMint repackages Ubuntu with all of the proprietary gizmos--and Ubuntu is a more cutting edge, highly touted offspring of Debian, SAM Linux does the same with the highly touted PCLinuxOS, which is little more than Mandriva with a blue backdrop and less language support.
SAM Linux avoids PCLinuxOS' greatest failings--that of excessive boosterism and failure to acknowledge its forebears right off the bat; booting into the splash screen you are greeted with a deep green background that has the SAM logo, and the phrase 'Powered by PCLinuxOS'.
The setup is the same as in Mandriva PCLinuxOS: during the boot sequence you are asked your home country, your timezone, your keyboard layout and language, and to configure your internet connection, all very nice features that let you get going on your merry surfing way as soon as you enter the desktop environment.
And the desktop environment is truly lovely; well crafted icons and clear fonts, a beautiful wallpaper, and a nifty 3D looking mouse all add to the pleasure of the SAM Linux experience.
The developers of SAM Linux seem to have looked at the most popular and easy to use distros and combined what is best in each, rolling them all up in a very attractive package. In addition to the stunning desktop environment, they added the Mac OS X look-alike dock, placing it on the top of the screen, complete with the magnification feature as you mouse over each item, much in the style of DreamLinux--this is only test 1 (i.e. first beta), so the ability to move the dock around will undoubtedly be fixed in time for the final release; currently one can only have it at the top without editing a text file. And just as in DreamLinux and the latest release of LinuxMint, SAM Linux uses the Xfce window manager, a welcome change from the ram hungry KDE desktop environment.
One other minor gripe about SAM Linux before I get to its incredible features--there is no inclusion of China, Taiwan, Korea, or Japan in the choice of countries at startup, I'm certain that they will add them, as all those countries are available in setting the timezone--surely an oversight on the developers' part, and not a make or break feature, especially considering how well they do everything else and what they offer in the way of software and eye-candy.
And what a treasure trove of goodies they offer out of the box! Skype, the full Open Office suite in addition to my two favorites, AbiWord and Gnumeric, RealPlayer, Flash 9, Firefox and Thunderbird's most up to date releases, Synaptic Package Manager for updating and adding software, the ability to play mp3s, watch movies (DVDs or otherwise), GParted, Gnutella and Torrent clients, several excellent games, as well as the best apps for ripping and burning CD/DVDs, and a load of other stuff almost worth a diary itself to mention.
Firefox loaded quickly, and a youtube vid ran flawlessly, as did streaming an mp3 and watching a DVD, all without pause or hiccup,on only 512M ram. Compiz and Beryl both started up and ran well, though the limits of the graphic support in vmware prevented me from exploring that further, limitation of vmware-server, and not a reflection in any way on SAM Linux.
This is one of those distros that you just don't need to do any tinkering with, and all the choices are made for you--if you are one of those people who are overwhelmed with the number of things on offer in Linux then this is the perfect distro for you, either for slower machines, or higher end machines if you want to take advantage of Beryl and Compiz' 3D spinning cube/Fire-writing madness.
This first test for 2007 is an impressive showing for a newer distribution, and certainly by the time it hits final release will be soaring in the Distrowatch polls. A must-try for open source enthusiasts, whether you are new or a seasoned user.
Just a bit of a clarification to add in relation to the Distrowatch poll and the PCLinuxOS fan base: while PCLinuxOS does offer a very nice distro, there is the perception that they are not especially willing to hear criticism on their forums--this has been borne out by myself and many others visiting their forums, and in the comments on DistroWatch Weekly; I suspect that much of it is due to many of its users being recent Windows converts to Linux, and they have yet to get the sense of community inherent in the open source movement. Nothing wrong with being proud of what you have on offer, but a bit of acknowledgment of what Mandriva made possible for you, as well as being more open to valid criticism would do a lot to ease the perception of excessive boosterism.
In other news, Dell is warning businesses about the prohibitive hardware requirements adopting Vista will entail, this comes on the heels of Microsoft saying that they are not bound by the newly released General Public License version 3 (GPLv3), echoing comments made by SCO Group some seven years ago in relation to the GPL code they had been using for several years. SCO Group (formerly Caldera Linux) were, of course the first to say 'we have the patents' (in their case on Unix) before they went on to sue IBM and subsequently Novell, nearly bankrupting the company, and completely dashing their credibility and reputation in the business world, much to the glee of anyone associated with the open source movement.
Many suspect that they have been a stalking-horse for Microsoft, even receiving some funding(if not outright directions)from the Redmond monopolists. You have to admit that there is something about claiming you're not a party to something that you are clearly in violation of: next time you get stopped for speeding, you can tell the officer 'I'm not a party to speed limit laws'--hmmm, isn't there someone high up who is saying they are not a party to the Constitution? I wonder where Microsoft et al. got their ideas from. Sounds like a pretty nifty way to get out of some tight jams. Yeaahh.
An excellent source of open source news is this site; they offer up some of the most fascinating interviews and opinion pieces on the net. This past week they featured a give and take between two open source analysts who argued about the best way to improve Linux' viability: The point and counterpoint could be boiled down as follows:
Everything should be as simple as it is... or simpler.
followed by
Linux has a steep learning curve. Projects like Ubuntu only postpone the exposure, and thus are in some way an illusion
And not to take sides or anything, but one of them is right, I'm not saying who, but it isn't the second one.
I'm sure some purists will say otherwise, that Linux will be ready, oh, in about 2019 or so, best guesstimate. Try SAM Linux, and then say it with a straight face, or try any of the other 'Out of the box' super easy distros I've been reviewing here for quite a while, and you may want to reconsider that point of view.
Update: it seems that I put my foot in it--the editor of OSnews bad-mouthed the founder of Distrowatch, not a wise decision, nor in this case, a defensible one. It's a shame, as I just found the site. Time for a major mea culpa by this dude (OSnews) methinks.
Update2: in the interests of fairness to SAM, I burned the ISO and tried it on my Ubuntu main laptop (newish Thinkpad, less than one year old)--again, apart from the issue with the country of origin, and some dock overlapping the browser (quickly resolved by clicking it into the background), SAM performed amazingly, and with all the 3D stuff turned on is a real eye-pleaser. Repeating all the steps described above (youtube, mp3, DVD, web surfing, etc.) with the addition of the 3D being on at the outset, and considering this is only test 1 (really?), was more than astounded, if that makes any sense. Maybe super-astounded. Wonderful graphics, lovely icons, very responsive (it better be, this is a core duo laptop!) and nice ability 3D wise, even with the lowly Intel GMA (integrated graphics chip. Have yet to try CD burning, Skype, etc., but will do so shortly). One thing I failed to mention in the review is that you can burn a USB startup key (perhaps 'burn' isn't the best word) and carry the key to wherever you are going to go surfing. The liveCD trial on actual computer (as opposed to via vmware) left me more impressed with this wonderful distro. Nothing required on my part, except clicking a few icons, and typing in some web addresses (youtube.com, etc.). Very nice, SAM developers! And nice work PCLinuxOS and Mandriva! A distro well worth keeping an eye on.
Update3: Never, ever play Frozen Bubble. Just don't; you've been warned.
And can their greed find no bounds? I'm referring to the RIAA/MPAA/etc, of course; a man who had some youtube vids teaching people how to play the guitar had to take down the vids because he strummed a copyrighted song; bars and gyms have to pay extra licensing fees for live singers and piped in radio music or face the wrath of ASCAP/BMI (licensing arm of music industry)! What's next? Charging fans to sing the National Anthem at ballgames? A five dollar charge during the seventh inning stretch for 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame'? Whoops..better not give them any ideas.
It's all about monetizing, don't you know, and if some guy wants to offer free guitar lessons, then pay up. Ditto for you freeloader live bar and coffee shop singers--no freebies around here, you parasites. It's to protect the artists--yeah, the scam artists forcing this down everyone's throats. When you start charging the artists and threatening them with legal action, then I think that whole 'think about the artists!' spiel goes out the window.
As net radio and net neutrality lay by the roadside breathing their last, won't anyone think about the poor artists monopolists and cartels? They're people, too, you know, and need our help and nurturing. Just sign here, right under 'in the hereafter known as the damned', yeah, right there.