New releases this week

[mikkh]

I've already mentioned Granular, but what else is new this week?

Sabayon lite

I quite like Sabayon, but always felt it tried to give you too much and even made a Vista install seem quite reasonable, so this new 'lite' version I had to try

It still needs a DVD, so it's not that 'lite' and the slow boot up times that have plagued previous releases, are still pretty obvious in this latest release. The 'lite' bit mainly means you only get two desktop choices - Gnome and Fluxbox. Gnome is familiar to anyone who has tried Ubuntu, but Fluxbox will be pretty new to most people. Unless you're struggling on an older machine, I wouldn't recommend it either

Anyway, I downloaded it, burnt it, and rebooted the PC to see it in 'live' mode.
First impressions are good with both Flash and Java pre-installed, so getting on and viewing the WWW is no problem. Add-ons for nearly every language are installed by default in Firefox and this was the first problem I found - it makes Firefox too slow, but I cured it by disabling them all.

The menu is neat and uncluttered, but the taskbars are not - being full of stuff I'll never use, so after tidying up and getting rid of the extra taskbar and putting the top one in it's rightful (IMO) place at the bottom, I was ready to investigate further

I restarted Firefox and started browsing, but in the middle of doing something, it just quit on me, and cut my investigations to a premature end.

Verdict: If you're the curious type, download it and give it a spin - otherwise don't bother

Ubuntu (LTS)

Long Term Support, that is
Everyone knows about Ubuntu and the sickenly frequent alpha, beta, LTS and other release hype from them makes me squirm. Linux existed long before Ubuntu and it's tiresome trumpet blowing hype, and I dare say it will carry on once Ubuntu is gone.

I, needless to say, didn't even bother downloading it.

Verdict N/A

Vector

This is one of my all time favourites, but it's probably not suited for raw beginners - unless they do a bit of research. It's not over hard to install and it is lightning fast to use. So if you have an old machine you were toying with putting (yawn) Ubuntu on, try something a bit more suited to an older machine like Vector.

Verdict If you're getting bored with beginner type distros and want more speed - try this (Install only BTW, no 'live' version - yet)

Knoppix

The Grandaddy of all Linux live CD's and now available as version 6.
A lot of live CD's 'borrow' code from Knoppix, so it's worth checking where it all came from. I haven't tried it yet, and I was a bit disappointed with the last release - but that was just nit picking little things. Knoppix has always been a solid live CD that managed to fit KDE and host of apps on a CD.

This latest release switches to the much lighter LXDE desktop, which I like a lot in other distros I've seen it used on, so I will be downloading it to see how it looks/behaves

Verdict Definitely worth checking out, if previous releases are anything to go by

[mikkh]

New releases this week include the excellent Pardus

It's one of the few independently compiled 'distros' i.e it's not based on any other and certainly has nothing to do with Ubuntu.

Always been in my top 5 for a long time, and it's now in my top 3 with this much improved latest release

[mikkh]

..... oh and btw, ignore what I said about Knoppix last week

It's a big disappointment and not even worth downloading

[mikkh]

A poor lot this week with Mint 64 bit and PClinuxOS (beta 3) being the only ones worth bothering about IMO


PClinuxOS Beta 3

Can't really see the difference from beta 2, so I'm assuming the improvements are hardware fixes rather than software ones. Despite warnings of it not to be used in a 'mission critical' situation, it seems stable enough to me, and no businessman/woman in their right mind would be using it anyway - they'd be on the previous final release edition.

Runs OK as a live CD, installs very easily and is one of the easiest versions of Linux to use. Final release will follow shortly I'd have thought


Mint 64 bit

Basically just a 64 bit release of Mint 6. It does seem a bit quicker and is an obvious choice for those with 4 or more GB of RAM. The acceptable face of Ubuntu and does away with a lot of it's annoyances.

Ideal for anyone wanting a 'wubi' style install i.e installs and runs in a folder on a Windows partition, so it does away with all the things seem to put people off trying Linux. No partitioning, no messing with boot loaders and can be installed/removed easily

[elvisuk]

H! Mikkh, ;D

"New releases this week include the excellent Pardus" I did download it but the i realises it's not a Live Verison so i am going to leave it for now.

[lazysod]

Thanks for posting your reviews they are so helpful when deciding what to try and what not to try.
Saves me hours of downloading the not so good ones.
I used to use Pardus and I did like it so I may give it another go. Its good fun just trying them out to see all the differences between them I am surprised more members don't give them a go especially the live Cd's as you can play around with no changes to your PC what so ever.

[mikkh]

Not many interested me enough to download them this week, but I did try the XFCE version of Mint which is actually more to my taste than the popular KDE and Gnome desktops that seem to be the norm in most 'distros'

There's not a lot to be said about it really - it's Mint, it works and the menu is easier to navigate than Gnome based Mint IMO.

I was toying with the idea of trying Arch again, but the memories of my last attempt were still strong enough to put me off !

Mepis is one I should have tried, but I have several Debian based distros already on my HD and decided against it.
I always used to prefer it, and thought it better than the more popular Ubuntu - better for beginners that is.

Definitely worth a look if you want to try an easy to use alternative to PClinuxOS and Ubuntu

[mikkh]

This weeks offerings (ignoring the Ubuntu clones) includes the rather nice CDlinux

It's a 'mini distro' at 204 MB and is suited to older hardware - as well as more modern machines. It's a full XFCE based desktop though, with flash and java preinstalled.
It includes the latest Opera beta (very fast) as well as Firefox for browsing. There isn't much missing at all, apart from obvious large programs like OpenOffice and it even has extras other full distros don't have, which is very impressive for it's small size.

It's a full desktop with all the usual tools/utilities but it's niche is a rescue tool - for rescuing Windows that is. It can read and write NTFS and automatically mounts all partitions for you to view/copy from/delete from etc.

Only one minor disappointment - it failed to recognise my USB mouse, but luckily I had several USB to PS/2 adapters given to me the other week, so I used one and it works fine with that. I don't know if this an oversight/bug and they assume older machines would be running PS/2 mice, or it's just poor testing, because USB mice usually get recognised by the majority of Linux distros.

That little glitch aside, it's well worth a look

[mikkh]

More interesting stuff this week

But I'm ignoring the 6th Alpha release of Ubuntu, and probably most of the 6+ beta releases that will follow shortly too. No other distro bothers releasing Alphas apart from to interested developers/testers and it's just pure hype and to keep it artificially in the publics eye. No other distro has more than 3 beta releases either - bad boys Ubuntu !

Of more interest to me are the following....

Parsix
A Debian clone like Ubuntu, but superior IMO
I'm put off by it being the third and final beta though, with the final release expected in a week or so. I like Parsix, but if the final release is coming so soon, what's the point of downloading this beta?

Wolvix
A slackware based live CD that has been a favourite of mine for a long time
They have been very quiet recently, almost to the point of me thinking they had folded
This is only a beta, but I'm downoading it anyway to see what has improved since the last final release over a year ago.

PClinuxOS
Another one that has been very quiet until recently. The ultimate beginners distro IMO and well worth a look - this is a final release

[mikkh]

Had a dying hard drive to contend with, so I've only just got round to installing PClinuxOS on my main PC

p.s never buy a hard drive marked 'certified repaired HDD' by Seagate - died in less than a week!

Moving swiftly on.... Ubuntu's dominance of the Linux charts was usurped by PClinuxOS over a year ago, but they have been resting on their laurels and let Ubuntu hype their way back to the top again.

I don't expect it to reach the number one spot again, but it fully deserves to be there IMO

So what does PClinuxOS have to offer?

It can be run 'live' but it's better installed to get the most out of it - speed wise

It comes with the latest Flash and Java installed and unlike Ubuntu, gives you 'root' (administrator) access and login facilities as standard. You can also have a password-less user login to save having to remember two passwords.

It uses the older (more stable) KDE desktop, which is more suitable for people used to Windows

It's basically the best Linux for newcomers - bar none

[mikkh]

It also comes in a Gnome version, which has a very slick and well polished desktop - once you delete the unnecessary bottom taskbar and drag the top one down that is

Two great versions of PClinuxOS, fabulous

[mikkh]

There's been a few come and gone since I last reported, most interesting probably being Sabayon 4.1 Gnome
It's a lot smaller than previous releases which have come with KDE, Gnome and everything but the kitchen sink !

A lot of gloss and custom graphics and it's a nice enough system, but I didn't see enough to tempt me to install it - mostly because I'm restricted to a few lesser machines just recently, and Sabayon requires a decent fast CPU, lots of RAM and a better than average graphics card to get the best out of it. The Vista of the Linux world almost!

Another one I'm currently downloading is called 'Easy Peasy' It's yet another Ubuntu clone and is primarily designed for netbooks, but I'm curious to see how easy peasy, lemon squeezy it is with it's lemon logo

... I'll get back to you on that one

[mikkh]

Well it downloaded quickly anyway, so I just had to give it a whirl (Easy Peasy that is)

First impressions? I pretty much hate it ! Although that is a knee-jerk reaction at way past my bedtime

It's designed for netbooks, but I tried it on a machine that has a far better CPU than any netbook and the performance was disappointing to say the least. The layout is interesting and properly installed (I ran it 'live') it may be OK performance wise

I've no desire to do that in the foreseeable future though, but if I'm bored one day....

[mikkh]

I've neglected this thread for a while and the first thing I notice, is me not being impressed with a previous version of 'easy peasy' in the previous message.

There's been a new release since then and it is a big improvement.

Not much else has impressed me though, but then the frequency of releases is starting to get a little silly with some distributions.

New out this week is 'Ultimate Edition' which is yet another Ubuntu clone and one not quite up to the standard of Mint I thought. This latest version redresses the balance though and it concentrates on 'eye candy' to good effect.

If you think Mint is starting to look a little stale, then 'Ultimate Edition' might be for you.

I'm still using Vector because it suits me and runs extremely quickly compared to some Linux 'distros'

[mikkh]

Several new releases this week, but the most significant one - for me anyway, is PClinuxOS 2009.2

The best beginner friendly 'distro' out there IMO, and worth looking at for experienced users too.

I installed it yesterday and can't fault it so far. It is a bit slower than my preferred Slackware based 'distros' but the casual Linux user probably wouldn't spot it, unless you try to run it on a very old machine

Lots of nice touches like the 'utilities' folder on the desktop to ease you into configuring your PC and to install OpenOffice should you need it. The lack of OpenOffice means the install and live CD still fits on a CD which could be useful for some people lacking a DVD drive, but seems an unnecessary restriction to me.

Loving it so far, but a long term test is needed before I declare it the best thing since (Ubuntu) sliced bread

[mikkh]

Well it's still going strong (PClinuxOS) and I've left it as my default OS to boot (was Vector and Windows is still a last resort!)

Quite a few new releases, but nothing really tempted me to shift from my already installed distros

In fact the only one of any note is a Puppy variant called 'lighthouse'

This is a very nice adaptation with something for everyone. I went for the 'mariner' version, which basically provides KDE as an option that's not normally found in Puppy based distros. I've seen so many distros now it's hard to get excited about new releases like I used to do, but this is a real delight

The hard work that's gone into it is plain to see, and you could almost forget it's Puppy based.

Puppy is different from other distros in that it's a live CD, but it uses an easy method of storing settings and programs, so you come back to your customised layout even though you're running it 'live'

If you're looking to try another version of Linux without the hassle of managing partitions and boot-loaders - anything Puppy based is ideal, and lighthouse is one of the best Puppy variants

[John]

I have e-mailed my brother in law about lighthouse as he is a Linux fan, thank you for the detailed info mikkh, = karma

Oh have to give point later as just used the limit

Edit - given

[mikkh]

Have a go yourself, everyone should have a Linux 'live' CD for emergencies IMO

1) get on the internet in a few minutes, if (I should say when) Windows has bodged up and won't even boot

2) retrieve photos, music or video files from a dodgy hard drive

3) delete those annoying files that won't budge in a running Windows system

4) amuse and tantalise your dinner party guests with your non standard OS, maybe even bet the loudmouthed one £20 that they can't find and run Internet Explorer in less than three minutes first though - what a jolly jape that would be

5) Surf on the naughtier side of the internet, without leaving any traces - or so I'm told

6) do sensitive online transactions in a safe virus free environment

7) gain immortal life, untold riches and be fatally attractive to the opposite (or same) sex - your choice, I won't judge you

All this and much more plus a money back guarantee - what are you waiting for?

[John]

Hi mikkh i have a PC (yes its old but still runs good, Intel p4, nVidia GT6600 GPU, 2GB RAM) that has Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop 32bit recently installed as its OS (Steph, my better half likes it a lot) ;D in the past Ive run RedHat, Mandriver and Mint.

[mikkh]

There's nothing much wrong with Ubuntu, but it astounds me the depth it's penetrated into the Linux market based mostly on hype and saturating the media. It's just an ordinary 'distro' IMO, no more worthy than at least a dozen others, yet it's been elevated into almost cult status by clever advertising from it's millionaire owner.

First there were free copies mailed directly to the user (still available on request) with bulk quantities available for people in the trade. I even fell for that one myself and started handing out free copies to customers, until I realised I was just being used for free technical support for a product I didn't really believe in.

Then it started appearing on every PC magazine 'freebie' DVD in the land and Linux tutorials inside the mag became Ubuntu tutorials instead of generic Linux ones. A lot of people I talk to even believe Ubuntu is the sole version of Linux.

I shouldn't complain really, as anything that brings Linux into the limelight should be a good thing - yet I'm not happy with the situation and don't trust a millionaire who's trying to make us believe he's doing his bit for humanity with no thought of profit.

It's also often touted as *the* beginner friendly distro, or worse, for being the first one to offer this 'feature' to the masses by gushing hacks extolling it's virtues. Absolute tosh! Usable versions of Linux existed many years before Ubuntu hit the scene.

<steps off his soapbox>

The only thing I really credit them for, is the 'wubi' style installer, where you can install Ubuntu inside a pseudo file system on a Windows drive - thus removing most of the initial headaches about installing Linux away from first time users. Even that is not a new idea, they've just put a friendly face on existing capabilities that were a bit geeky before

<wanders off gibbering and occasionally throwing my arms up for no reason>

[mikkh]

Lighthouse puppy (in KDE mode - it has three others)

[mikkh]

After brief flirtations with several new distros - and finding them all lacking, there is one I'm itching to try

It's called Mepis or in the latest versions 'SimplyMepis'

I've known about this one for a while and even used it exclusively (years ago)

It's still a valid alternative to PClinuxOS in the beginner friendly market and a better option than Ubuntu IMO
It started as an independent distro way before Ubuntu, but then sullied it's reputation (in my eyes) by jumping on the Ubuntu bandwagon. Thankfully they've now regained their independence and don't need (never did anyway) to ride on Ubuntu's coat tails any more.

Full review when I've actually tried it, but with the ever increasing confusion of choice in Linux - and so few being worth the trouble, this is definitely one to put on the list if you fancy a change

[mikkh]

Finally burnt it, and I'm glad I did - it's superb

One of the quickest loading KDE based distros I've tried in a while and also one of the easiest to set up

'jbidwatcher' is an interesting inclusion for those who virtually live on Ebay
The Mepis x-windows assistant makes it a doddle for installing ATI or Nvidia drivers

A nice choice of software all round, although the iTunes like Amarok is not my cup of tea - but no doubt it will suit most people. OpenOffice is included at the expense of Gimp, but it's easy to install afterwards like I did

The boot-up options are probably the best I've seen on a live CD, meaning most people should get it to work fairly painlessly if the default option fails

It only took me a few minutes to decide I wanted to keep it and install it properly, which bought another pleasant surprise - the installer is great and gave me all the options I wanted in a clear concise way

It comes with very latest Firefox and flash support, so you can use it straight away

Top marks all round )

[mikkh]

The long awaited Ubuntu 'Karmic Koala' came and went, leaving me underwhelmed
The new Mandriva 2010 is excellent if you have decent hardware

The latest Sidux showed much promise and installed in a lightning 6 minutes (under 5 on a friends dual core machine) but ultimately disappointed.

Then came Vector 6 KDE classic )

Best recent release by a long way, especially for older machines.

Comes with Java and Flash pre-installed (although most do anyway) and it will offer to install the correct full graphics driver as part of the install - a plain 2D driver is what you usually get

Reverts to the more stable KDE 3.5 as a desktop and is super quick in use

[mikkh]

'Ultimate Edition' is the latest Ubuntu clone to get the 'karmic' upgrade (V 9.10)

This is a live DVD 2.4 GB in size, so obviously it contains a lot more software than a standard >700 MB CD

I was hoping to install it 'wubi' style (inside a Windows folder) because I'm more than happy with my two fully installed distros (Vector and PClinuxOS) but the wubi file merely prompts you to reboot to run it live or install it for real.

I'll give it a spin 'live' then....

Live CD/DVD's are usually pretty slow in loading and maybe it was because it was close to bedtime, but it seemed to take longer than other live distros and the hideous logo is pretty tacky which didn't bode well for when it finally loaded.

It's a Gnome desktop (with the same ugly logo as wallpaper) and the annoying (to me) top and bottom taskbar in place. Wallpaper changed, bottom taskbar removed, top taskbar moved to the bottom - I was now ready to see what was on offer. Although it's a Gnome desktop, many KDE applications are also installed, which accounts for the much larger than normal size and it wouldn't need many more packages installed to make it a full KDE desktop if you so desired.

The default dark theme is OK mostly, but a bit too dark in parts, making it difficult to see.

You are certainly spoiled for choice regarding installed packages, so if installing extra stuff on Linux is alien to you, you'll probably find everything (and more) already in place. It's a bit too busy for my taste and so many programs to choose from can make it hard to find things in the mass of programs already there.

Obviously this is somebodys idea of 'ultimate' but not mine I'm afraid

[mikkh]

..... and in complete contrast to 'ultimate' Ubuntu comes OpenSuse 'edu-li-f-e' edition

www.opensuse-education.org/download/ISOs/openSUSE-Edu-li-f-e-11.2-1-i686.iso

It's an even bigger download at 2.9 GB, but it does everthing right that 'ultimate' got wrong. Slick graphics that please the eye instead of reaching for your sick bag! Lot's of software, but nicely laid out in a logical manner and a default desktop I wasn't immediately rushing to change.

It's made for educational establishments, so it's no surprise it contains tons of educational software. Unlike normal OpenSuse, it does come with Flash, Java and the ability to play encrypted DVD's as default, so there's no rushing to forums to find out how to do the things you take for granted in Windows.

Two decent releases in less than a week - Xmas come early !

[mikkh]

With most of the 9.10 Ubuntu clones finally released, trailing behind as usual comes the best (IMO) one - it's Mint 8

Off to a bad start, as I foolishly allowed it to manage my partitions, thinking it might find the new Linux partition I had just made at the end of the hard drive (to keep the other partition numbers intact)

I was asking for a miracle, and I didn't get it !

My hard drive previously was C (windows), D (data), Swap partition, followed by two large Linux system partitions. I knew I might be tempted to install Mint, so I resized the last Linux partition and made a new one in the space I'd just created

note to self: Don't use Acronis to resize ReiserFS partitions - it takes ages !

Pleased with my forward thinking, I set about installing Mint, but then had what I can only describe as a 'blonde moment' in letting it loose on my partitions - I always, ALWAYS use manual partitioning usually and having already created a new partition for it, I don't know what I was thinking or expecting from the 'guided partitioning' - it sucks, big time !

Did it use the partition I had created - No!
Did it stupidly shrink both my C and D drives and then add a totally unnecessary extra swap partition - Yes, it bloody well did ! And also left a blank 30 GB in the middle of all that mess !?

Did I press next without reading properly about it being irreversible - Yes I did !!

OK, so it's no good crying over spilled partitions and I had the small consolation of knowing it wouldn't affect Windows, which I only keep for my daughter really. I was more worried about Vector and PClinuxOS falling over because the partition numbers had changed.

Curiosity had also made me pick the OEM installation mode, so now with a maniacs partitioning scheme fully in place, I also had a user called 'oem' because again I wasn't looking properly and just let the default go. Good grief, I'm supposed to be an experienced Linux user and I've made two tragic mistakes already.

Glossing over that, for now - lets boot the thing.....

Single taskbar at the bottom, instead of top and bottom taskbars common in a lot of Gnome based distros - I personally hate that, so off to a flying start. The sound is muted by default which is easily fixed, but how many people actually want a machine with no sound by default ! Inoffensive desktop wallpaper that I might keep and an uncluttered taskbar that's not full of apps some person thinks I might need, but rarely ever do and mostly end up removing. Couple that with an almost icon free desktop and it's pretty close to my ideal working environment.

I accept the 'restricted drivers' for my graphics card when offered and dutifully reboot as advised, but first I need to check my other installed Linux's. Vector has managed to re-jig itself (as usual) so that's my main OS saved at least, but PClinuxOS is sulking badly.

With the Nvidia driver in place, the screen is looking more central now and the text looks sharper too. Things are definitely looking up.

Early days, but it's looking good so far and it's still my favourite Ubuntu clone

[Pete]

I have just read through all your reviews on this thred Mikkh, and find them all very helpful, thanks. My install of PCLOS-Gnome-2008, is very good, though do miss windows a little sometimes. Then I have got my laptop with windows XP if I get stuck.
Pete.

[mikkh]

Good, I'm happy to help. I know when I first started with Linux it was a confusing minefield with far too many to pick from and very little unbiased advice. I'm not totally unbiased myself, but I do like to give things a fair trial.

There is a mind numbing choice, but a lot are average or downright poor - which I found out the hard way!
I must have installed over a hundred different ones in the last five years or so. Some initially flatter, but few stand the test as usable everyday systems. Most of the Ubuntu clones that stray from the Gnome desktop are for die hard fans only and the only acceptable face of Ubuntu is Mint IMO - you can keep the rest, including Ubuntu itself.

The Suse clone ( edu-li-fe) I was waxing lyrical about previously, was my experience based on running it 'live'
When I tried to install it, it was a different story though. The installer is great, no problem with that, but Suse has always been the slowest distro ever to install and this was no different. An average Linux install takes between ten and twenty minutes, so after an hour of waiting and seeing the progress bar crawl to 80%, I was starting to get very tired of waiting, but consoled myself with the thought of having a nice system and a return to a distro I respected a lot in the old version 8 days. I watched it crawl to 88 % about 10 minutes later - then disaster struck

Can't read/load file (whatever it was), possible bad media, aborting...........

I sat looking at the screen in disbelief, you don't want to retry - or do anything helpful like that then?

Over an hour wasted and because it was taking so long, I have no immediate desire to repeat the installation either.

Shame, because it does look good live

[elvisuk]

H! Mikkh,

I like to manly partition my hardrives so i don't mess them up (it dose not always go as planned)