This is the second look at the seven major Linux Free and Open Source Software operating systems; yesterday was OpenSuse 10.3 RC1 (release candidate one, a bit more on that further down); I will subsequently try out Fedora 8, Ubuntu 7.10, Gentoo, Slackware, and Debian--regardless of whether they have a recent release (Rawhide equivalent for two of the final three, Slackware just came out with 12.0 around three weeks ago). But first a taste of what you can see if you try any of these systems:
After using Mandriva RC1 for the past week or so, I was really looking forward to trying out the second release candidate, as the team at Mandriva has squashed over 500 bugs since then; RC1 was quite nice and problem-free, so I can't imagine where all the bugs were.
If you are going to give this a try, I would first recommend getting the 'One' version of Mandriva 2008, as it contains all the proprietary drivers, codecs, etc. (Flash, mp3, DVD-player) out of the box in a liveCD format that is also an installer CD; there are actually four different install methods: the 'One' version, three CDs that have just about everything, an installer DVD (what I used when installing RC1), and a freemini dual CD that contains systems for both 32 bit and 64 bit systems (if you don't know what this means, then assume you likely are 32 bit), the last of which I used to try out this second (and likely last before final) release candidate.
In this release, Mandriva positions itself as the standard bearer for most polished and simplest installer--partitioning the disk, installing drivers, and everything else is taken care of for you; all you need to do is enter your timezone, home region, your internet connection method, keyboard type and layout, language, root password (the uber-administrator's account), user name and password, and where to put the GRUB (boot loader, I recommend on the the Master Boot Record, or MBR, unless you are dual-booting).
What follows is slightly different depending on your media source; if you have the install DVD, then after around twelve shiny minutes you are logging into your new system ( you have the option to copy the entire DVD to your hard drive, which I also recommend), and in the case of the freemini dual CD you spend approximately 30-40 minutes downloading files.
If you were using a prior version of Mandriva (or PCLinuxOS) you have the option to upgrade or do a fresh installation--I chose to do a fresh install as I had problems with RC1 when I chose the upgrade option; oddly enough, I was asked which partition to erase, and only choosing the boot partition (represented by a slash) my home partition with all my files, background, settings, etc. were all left untouched. Pretty nifty.
As I mentioned earlier, the 'One' version of Mandriva 2008 is a liveCD which I had initially downloaded for review; for some reason the Draklive installer didn't work, though everything else did, and flawlessly.
The fact that the 'One' version of Mandriva 2008 is significant only because it's a liveCD; setting up the 'free' version of Mandriva 2008 with DVD-player, mp3, and Flash is the easiest of any major 'libre' Linux distros, taking at most five minutes, tops.
Mandriva has taken some cues from PCLinuxOS in making their version of the KDE desktop very polished and quite different from a Suse or Kubuntu KDE, and the inclusion of the Mandriva Control Centre is truly reason enough to get with this distro--there is simply no finer settings manager, Mac OS X included.
Setting up the 3D desktop is just a matter of going to the Hardware section of the Control Centre and clicking on the appropriate box (which Mandriva chooses for you), logging out (Control-Alt-Backspace) and logging back in with your user name and password.
The 3D effects are well integrated into the system, and are the new Compiz Fusion, the re-integration of Beryl and Compiz; even lower end graphics cards can use this feature--I got it going on my newish Thinkpad with Intel GPU, as well as a much older (seven years) Compaq laptop that had been sitting around gathering dust.
I too much of a tech dummy to see anything else that the team at Mandriva needs to to take this from a second release candidate to a final release--it seems completely ready in its current state for everday use, and is an appropriate system for those with great technical expertise, some knowledge of Linux, as well as those completely new to Linux.
Ubuntu and Fedora are going to have a hard time beating this system in terms of polish, ease of setup and use; Mandriva just cemented its position in the very top tier of Linux distributions with this 2008 release. Approach with caution--one look and you'll be hooked.
Just a final thought on yesterday's foul-up with OpenSuse 10.3: my mistake was setting up the online repositories before installation, which added considerable time to the install--after getting the install DVD earlier today and loading it on my older laptop I experienced none of the problems I diaried in yesterday's post. Fast install, quite straightforward (though probably more recommended for those with at least a bit of familiarity with Linux), and second only to Mandriva/PCLinuxOS in terms of polish and good looks. Well worth the download/install, though I would opt for the DVD install as that can save a bit of hassle relating to online repositories during installation, though it does come with all the proprietary codecs, drivers, and so on, doubtless licensed from the various patent-holders (MS, Adobe, etc.).
As always, if I have not made something clear or omitted something, please drop a comment; nothing is off-topic, as long as it is tech-related (Open or proprietary). Cheers!
Update: Doesn't seem to be the interest in Linux/Open Source these days; while I may still occasionally post here, I'm going to take it on the road at my new homepage.