 DistroWatch Weekly |
| DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 70, 11 October 2004 |
Welcome to this year's 40th edition of DistroWatch Weekly. Lots of news in this edition, including Mandrakelinux's success stories, Slackware's dislike for GNOME and Fedora's new beta release, coming out later today. Aurox Linux is the featured distribution of the week. Enjoy!
Content:
Mandrakesoft wins awards, Ubuntu gains momentum
 The remarkable revival of Mandrakesoft received a further boost last week when, in its annual choice awards, Open for Business awarded Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official PowerPack the title "Best Linux Distribution": "Mandrakelinux 10.0 Official Edition PowerPack+ is the only distribution we have tested that properly detected a variety of both NVIDIA and ATI video cards that required their respective proprietary drivers. Mandrakelinux is also the distribution we found offered the best selection of kernels for particular needs, the best coverage of post-installation configuration tools for hardware and software and the convenient inclusion of a graphically administered server installation CD set, in addition to the DVD-ROM desktop edition."
Additionally, the same publication awarded Mandrakeclub the title "Best GNU/Linux Value-Add Service": "There are few other services in the community that provide the variety of useful services that Mandrake’s club does. These include access to up-to-date commercial packages, the ability to request packages you would like to see made available, early access to new distribution releases and a thriving user support community."
These announcements were accompanied by a flurry of new product releases, including a new version of Mandrakesoft's live CD called "Move", as well as new beta releases of the x86_64 edition of Mandrakelinux 10.1 and Multi Network Firewall (MNF). All these product announcements, together with the recently awarded 7 million euro contract by the French government, seem to indicate that times are good at Mandrakesoft, after spending several years struggling to recover from earlier financial disasters. Well done, Mandrakesoft, it is always nice to report financial success stories surrounding Linux companies, which were so rare up until fairly recently!
Mandrakesoft's latest product: the Move live CD
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 It is hard not to notice the growing momentum behind Ubuntu Linux, a new Debian-based Linux distribution launched only a few weeks ago. Reviews and articles seem to appear almost daily and the newly released Ubuntu Live CD has added an extra attraction for those who are not quite ready to commit a full partition to the distribution. Here are a few other links of interest, related to Ubuntu: a draft of Ubuntu Multimedia HOWTO, a newly launched Unofficial Ubuntu Forum and some contributed Ubuntu art work in the form of desktop wallpapers. Want more? Then visit our Ubuntu page for further links to reviews and related web sites.
 The sensationalist revelation by Slackware's Patrick Volkerding that he is considering dropping GNOME from Slackware Linux, first published by OSNews, generated heated debates in the Slackware community. The old KDE versus GNOME wars were also revived, once again. While the controversy does have its merits, the fact is that Slackware's GNOME users have enjoyed dedicated support by the Dropline GNOME project, which many people seem to prefer over the plain GNOME compiled by Patrick Volkerding. As such, it does make sense to leave GNOME to the specialists, while the lead developer of Slackware concentrates on putting together a quality distribution rather than fighting with the complexities of a heavy desktop environment. Still, Patrick's comments regarding GNOME's direction will not be taken kindly by those who have been trying hard to deliver a great desktop to Linux users: "Since GNOME 1.4 I've felt that GNOME is going in a direction that doesn't fit well with Slackware's goals, and for at least as long I've considered removing it completely and taking whatever flames I get for that decision. Right now, I think removing it would be the best thing for Slackware as it's become a maintenance nightmare." What's your thought? Do you agree with Patrick?
 According to this press release, the all new SUSE LINUX 9.2 will be up on the shelves of retail stores early next month: "Novell today announced the November availability of SUSE LINUX Professional 9.2, providing Linux newcomers and enthusiasts with the latest advancements in open source technology. New features and top applications: KDE 3.3 and GNOME 2.6 graphical desktop environments; OpenOffice.org 1.1.3; Novell Evolution 2.0; GIMP 2; Inkscape, a new vector graphics application that outperforms all other Linux alternatives; Nvu, a web authoring system; a selection of commercial software, including full versions of the text processing application TextMaker and spreadsheet application PlanMaker from SoftMaker, full-version backup software sesam from SEP, as well as a demo version of MainConcept's video editing software MainActor 5." Read the rest of the press release (English, German) for full details.
 The fans and users of NetBSD will be interested to know that the project has adopted important changes to its version numbering scheme: "A few months ago the NetBSD Core Team ratified the proposed changes to the NetBSD version numbering scheme: From now on, we'll be using the major version number to indicate a major release and the minor version number to indicate a minor release. Following that, the next major release is going to be 2.0 followed by 3.0. Patches to 2.0 will be numbered 2.1, 2.2, etc. and patches to 3.0 will be 3.1, 3.2, etc." Further information about the changes can be found here.
 Haansoft, the producer of Hancom Linux has joined Asianux. For those who are not familiar with the Asian distribution scene, Asianux was created earlier this year as a common base for development of Asian Linux distributions, not unlike the concept of United Linux while it lasted. Up until now, Asianux was jointly developed by Japan's Miracle Linux and China's Red Flag Linux, but Haansoft's arrival on the scene should give it a further boost. For more information, please read this story by Linux Insider.
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| Featured distribution of the week: Aurox Linux |
Aurox Linux
Readers living outside of Europe or those who don't frequent European Linux web site will be forgiven for thinking that Aurox Linux is just another small Linux player on the ever expanding distribution scene. This thinking couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, Aurox Linux, together with its parent company Software Wydawnictwo in Warsaw, Poland, has established itself as a major player on the European Linux market, rapidly gaining market share in Germany and other European countries. The reason for its success is simple - the availability of the Aurox magazine (in several European languages and with a full Aurox Linux CD set) on many news stands across Europe means that many people get easy access to a complete Linux distribution without having to walk into a software store.
But let's start in the beginning. Software Wydawnictwo (Software Publishing House) was established in 1995. In the early days, the company published programming magazines and, since 1997, a Linux magazine called LinuxPlus, which was quite possibly the world's first Linux publication with a cover CD. Later, due to Red Hat's new policy of enforcing trademark protection, Software Wydawnictwo took a decision to develop its own distribution. Thus, in November 2002 Aurox Linux was born.
The goal of the developers was simple: take Red Hat Linux (and later, Fedora Core), ask ordinary users about what they miss from the distribution, then add the missing pieces. As a result of this feedback, Aurox Linux comes with full support for various multimedia formats, improved hardware auto-detection and auto-configuration, support for wireless networking, a solid feature set for notebook users, easy upgradeability, and many other improvements that make the distribution instantly useable without having to hunt down all the missing pieces from around the Internet.
In short, if you enjoy Fedora, but would prefer a more user-friendly and well pre-configured operating system, consider giving Aurox Linux a try. You might just find it to be the perfect distribution for your needs.
Aurox Linux 10.0 - a Fedora-based distribution with many user-friendly enhancements.
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| Released Last Week |
KANOTIX 09-2004
The new KANOTIX release, version 09-2004, is optimised for laptop users. Touchpads should be detected and Powernow/Speedstep is used for AMD64 and Centrino. Start-up speed was improved by new ALSA detection. Specifications: "Kernel 2.6.8.1 with Reiser4 support and other patches; better compression using squashfs; ACPI and DMA enabled by default; AVM Fritz!Card DSL support (PCI and USB); Fritz!Card CAPI support; Eagle USB DSL support; Speedtouch USB support (PPPoE/A); KDE 3.3.0; OpenOffice 1.1.2 (Debian release); GRUB boot loader for CD start - ideal for rescue in command line mode...." Read the rest of the release announcement.
Puppy Linux 0.9.5
A new version of Puppy Linux is out: "Puppy version 0.9.5 released. Puppy now comes in two flavours: the live CD ISO file with Firefox is 52.2MB, or with Opera is 49.3MB --choose which one you want at the Puppy download sites. Also new is the very powerful word processor AbiWord. Release notes: Opera web browser, version 7.54, remarkably fast and small, with email, newsgroup, contacts, and chat modules, the disadvantage is that it is 'adware'.Firefox web browser, version 1.0PR, works beautifully in Puppy, but much bigger than Opera. AbiWord word processor, version 2.0.12. This is the full version, with MS DOC, HTML and RTF import and export. A spelling dictionary may be added separately...." The full release notes are available on the distribution's news page.
Manrakesoft Move
A new version of the Mandrakelinux live CD, called "Move" has been released: "Have you always wanted to try out Linux but were afraid you weren't up to the task? Here's Move, the easiest and safest way to test drive Linux. Built on the Live-CD technology, Move enables you to run a full operating system from just one CD, anywhere, without the need for installation. Move is truly mobile. This is the only product of its kind to offer built-in handling of USB keys, allowing for automatic and seamless backup of configuration settings, as well as user data, up to 1.5 GB." Read the press release, product page for further information. Mandrakesoft Move is available from Mandrakestore (from US$79.80 up, inclusive of a USB key), while a download edition is provided free to Mandrakeclub members.
Aurox Linux 10.0
Aurox Linux 10.0 has been released: "Since today, Aurox 10.0, code name "Amber", is available for download. New and exciting features are: kernel 2.6.7, SWSUSP 2.0.0.90 (it allows you to suspend your system to swap partition), udev-030 (dynamically creates /dev entries), ipw2100 (device driver for Intel Pro wireless card), ndiswrapper (tool that allows you to install WinXP drivers for wireless network cards), Synaptic touchpad drivers (you can now use all the features of this device: tapping, scrolling, etc). Many other packages have been updated, the most important are: OpenOffice.org 1.1.2, KDE 3.2.3, Xine, MPlayer." This is the full announcement.
K12LTSP Linux 4.1.1
An updated version of the K12 Linux Terminal Server Project (K12LTSP) has been released: "K12LTSP version 4.1.1 is now available. This is mostly a collection of bug fixes and minor updates, but includes major updates to DansGuardian, Mondo backup, Qcad, and Scribus. If you already have K12LTSP 4.1.0 installed, the new packages and updates have been added to the apt/up2date/yum repositories. Changelog: rhn-applet is no longer installed by default. If you are upgrading you may want to manually remove this package (rpm -e rhn-applet). The rhn-applet has proven to require excessive processor and memory resources in a multi-user terminal server environment. squidGuard is now added if you select the 'Web Server' server package group...." The complete announcement.
Guadalinex 2004
After many betas and release candidates, the final release of Debian-based Guadalinex 2004 is out: "Today we are offering the general public an excellent opportunity to learn and use Free Software without any risks or commitments, thanks to the 'live CD' concept (a way of testing the operating system without installation). Compared to Guadalinex 1.0, this version comes with many improvements and corrections. Guadalinex 2004 includes: GNOME 2.6 desktop; office applications, like OpenOffice.org 1.1.2, Rekall and Scribus; applications for image editing and manipulation, such as GIMP 2.0.4, Inkscape, Blender, QCad...." Read the rest of the announcement (in Spanish).
A stable Guadalinex 2004 finally released.
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eduKnoppix 2.0.0
A new stable version of eduKnoppix, an Italian live CD with a special collection of educational software, has been released. The changelog (in Italian) lists some of the most important changes since an earlier beta version, notably the following: based on Knoppix 3.6; removed captive, blender, povray-doc, povray-examples, squid, rpm, alien, NX due to space reasons; upgraded DrGeo to version 0.9.14; upgraded Kig to the latest version from CVS and included Italian localisation; recompiled rosegarden4 0.9.9 andincluded Italian localisation; fixed problems with lilo.conf after hard disk install and included new lilo boot graphics; upgraded to OpenOffice.org 1.1.3 with Italian localisation.
Feather Linux 0.6.0
A new release of Feather Linux is out. From the changelog: "Added Elmo, a text-based email client; updated Sylpheed; fixed fsck.reiserfs bug; changed some Fluxbox settings; added Ndiswrapper configuration script; updated Opera to 7.54; added curl; added live 'remaster' feature - simply load Feather into RAM, and this script will create your own Feather 'remaster' based on your current customisations; fixed the IceWM script; made some changes to rm-dpkg; changed Firefox icon."
ROCK Linux Live CD
The developers of the source-based ROCK Linux project have also jumped on the live CD bandwagon with the release of unofficial ROCK Linux Live CDs, available for Pentium MMX and PowerPC processors: "The ROCK Linux Live CD is a full-featured, desktop-oriented target. designed to operate directly from CD. The current default package selection uses the minimal-desktop template, which incorporates a full KDE desktop (version 3.3.0) and some other applications like MPlayer, Xine, etc. Of course this package selection can be altered to fit your needs. In the default configuration the system takes up only about 400 MB, so there's still some space left." See the announcement for further details.
Development and unannounced releases
- FreeBSD 5.3-BETA7, the release announcement
- Mandrakelinux 10.1-beta1 (x86_64), the beta information page
- gnuLinEx 2004-beta (Live edition), the release announcement (in Spanish)
- Vector Linux 5.0-rc2, the announcement
- Ubuntu Linux 4.10-preview (Live edition), the announcement
- Specifix Linux 0.11-alpha, the announcement
- Linux NetBSD 2.0-rc3 and 2.0-rc4, the announcement
- Linux Multi Network Firewall beta1 by Mandrakesoft, the beta information page
- Gnoppix 0.8.1-beta7, the announcement
- Buffalo Linux 1.5.0-rc1, the announcement
- LIIS Linux 0.902, the announcement
- Impi Linux 2
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| Upcoming Releases and Announcements |
Fedora Core 3 Test3
The third and final test of Fedora Core 3 will be released later today: "The following list includes brief summaries of some of the more significant aspects of Fedora Core 2.92 Test 3: GCC 3.4; GNOME 2.8; KDE 3.3; SELinux — this includes a new "targeted" policy that monitors specific daemons with less intrusion than the strict policy in use before; IIIMF — evolution of this new input framework continues; Indic language support; Kernel and e2fsprogs support for online growing of ext3 file systems; various desktop-related features, including, but not limited to: Pango support for Mozilla, remote desktops using VNC, Printing improvements, Evolution 2.0."
Turbolinux 10 Server
Turbolinux has announced that a server edition of Turbolinux 10 will be released shortly - the Japanese edition later in October and the International edition early in December: "Turbolinux will release three packages of 10 Server for the Japanese market only starting on October 29, 2004: Turbolinux 10 Server for USD$360.00 includes 90-day unlimited installation e-mail support; Turbolinux 10 Server, with Support, for USD$890.00 includes one-year unlimited installation and configuration support; and Turbolinux 10 Server, Developer Edition, for USD$89.00 includes 90-day unlimited e-mail support, though new user creation and user password modification are not available with this option. Customers worldwide will be able to purchase Turbolinux 10 Server, International Version, for USD$299.00 beginning on December 3, 2004." Read the full press release (English, Japanese) for further details.
ALT Linux 2.4
Russia's ALT Linux has announced the release of ALT Linux 2.4 Master, a commercial, DVD-only edition of ALT Linux 2.4. Although not mentioned in the press release, it is expected that a freely available "Compact" edition will follow in the not too distant future. For further information please consult the official release announcement (in Russian).
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| Web Site News |
New distribution additions
DistroWatch database summary
- Number of Linux distributions in the database: 340
- Number of BSD distributions in the database: 9
- Number of discontinued distributions: 40
- Number of distributions on the waiting list: 80
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| DistroWatch in the News |
Is the GDI exploit a nail in the coffin of Windows and a boost to Linux?
This is a well-written essay about one user's fear and experiences of switching to Linux:
"I had heard about Linux, but thought of it as a monitor filled with hard-to-read cold white letters, on a black background with a temperature close to absolute zero, and an insistently blinking cursor waiting for me to input an esoteric command.
It was enough to hear the word 'Linux' to drive me back to the warm GUI of Windows and the delightful stew of opinions about this or that anti-virus program.
The fellowship of Windows users, struggling, as I was, against a sea of crawling, scratching creatures intent on looting my computer, meagre as the gleanings from my C drive might be - that fellowship, that common suffering, drove me to accept, gratefully, the offerings of Redmond; offerings accepted in the hope that finally, now, with this latest patch, this latest version of the OS, finally, the buffer overflows would be contained...."
The story continues here.
That's all for today, see you again next Monday!
Ladislav Bodnar
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| Reader Comments |
1 • Slackware & Gnome (by Ariszlo at 2004-10-11 13:41:06 GMT)
No problem. I am using Slackware with Pat's KDE and Todd's Dropline Gnome: the best combination.
2 • Slackware & Gnome (by seth on 2004-10-11 14:03:20 GMT)
This is great , most Slack users use a WM , KDE or Dropline anyway. No need for Pat to keep messing with gnome to get it to work.
3 • Essay (by Nix_User on 2004-10-11 14:31:09 GMT)
Thanks for the essay, I really enjoyed it. I just wanted to drop a line and say that the only reason I look forward to Monsdays is because of the "DistroWatch Weekly".
Best regards,
Nix_User
4 • Slackware and Gnome (by bg at 2004-10-11 15:16:49 GMT)
I'm using fluxbox on Sw-current. I've never used Gnome nor KDE, think both they're far too bloated. Doesn't hurt dropping one of these ;-)
5 • ubuntu link (by linux torrent at 2004-10-11 16:20:25 GMT)
in this text
" It is hard not to notice the growing momentum behind Ubuntu Linux, "
points to http://distrowatch.com/behind
6 • Coffin (by wouter on 2004-10-11 16:22:27 GMT)
Windows has already more nails in its coffin than in the whole Eiffel tower. In fact, it's more nail than coffin. Microsoft just has too much bloody money and liars of the marketing kind, and populus vult decipi.
All the exploits of the world won't convince the average computer user that they should switch, because most of them just think that is what computers and operating systems are about.
The biggest problem seems to be that most non-technical people think that Linux is hard. And the geek following usually doesn't help to convince them otherwise. But, in my opinion, a well installed Linux desktop is, these days at least, by no means harder than a Windows desktop. In fact, with some handy pre-configuring, one could very easily make the switch without half of the office noticing what happened. The average non-technical person doesn't use more than a handful of programs anyway. And some themes, cursors and backgrounds ofcourse, so they can feel as if they really are original individuals.
7 • apt-get repositories (by nitroushhh on 2004-10-11 16:32:15 GMT)
I posted this to last weeks DW just as this weeks appeared so i though it would be ok to repost.
Hi Ladislav,
Seeing package lists from distros' daily builds, I was wondering if you also list current package versions from a distros' apt-get repository.
If not, is it a policy or just that no-ones interested ???
My thinking was that I find pclinuxos very handy for my media machine. But also, because of their great apt-get repository, I can try out new versions of packages very easily. Via synaptic and their very up-to-date repository.
I think it would be useful for visitors to see versions in apt-get repositories. What do you think ???
Do you have a way for pclinuxos to send you this info to you ?
regards Nitroushhh.
8 • Slackware & Gnome (by Haldir on 2004-10-11 17:39:19 GMT)
Actually most of the people I know that have used Gnome and Slackware for a long time do not use Dropline. Dropline adds PAM and changes to its own version of X, it doesn't always play nice with Slack current, changes permissions.... Pat V. is on the record railing against PAM, so this all seems a bit mystifying. I do not wish to start yet another flame war on Dropline. They occur all too frequently on linuxquestion's slackware forum.
9 • Slackware & Gnome (by sclebo05 on 2004-10-11 20:23:39 GMT)
At the risk of being redundent, I also feel that Pat should concentrate on creating the distro, and let Dropline handle the Gnome end of it. Specialization of labor - it's a good thing.
10 • Slackware & Gnome (by Pashc at 2004-10-12 00:59:49 GMT)
The Dropline site seems to be down at the moment
11 • apt-get repositories (by ladislav at 2004-10-12 01:48:09 GMT)
If not, is it a policy or just that no-ones interested
The policy is simple - if a distribution has an open development tree and is reasonably popular, I make the effort to create an auto-update script for it. This way, its page on DistroWatch gets updated daily.
As for PCLinuxOnline, I can see 4 directories holding RPMs on the ibiblio.org server:
[DIR] RPMS.os/
[DIR] RPMS.texstar/
[DIR] RPMS.unstable/
[DIR] RPMS.updates/
Which one do you want me to include? Sorry, I didn't have the time to research the directories and see what gets updated frequently, but since you know about the distro, maybe you can tell me exactly what columns to add to the PCLinuxOS page and how they should be populated. You can email me directly with info (see the bottom of this page for my email address) and we'll take it from there.
12 • Aurox Linux - Oct. 11, 2004 (by Hoa Le at 2004-10-12 03:12:24 GMT)
It appears this would be a great product were it not for the fact the distribution is still very much Euro-centric. I clicked on the home page, selected the English version but still found the column headings in German! The home page is in French!
I would suggest that only English be used in English version.
13 • Hancom Linux 4.0 (by Kanwar at 2004-10-12 03:25:54 GMT)
Hi, does anyone know if this edition can be installed in English too? Or is it still Korean and Arabic only?
Thanks.
14 • Hancom Linux 4.0 (by ladislav at 2004-10-12 03:44:13 GMT)
does anyone know if this edition can be installed in English too?
I am still downloading it, but I doubt it (unless there is a "text mode" install). Otherwise, Hancom has never produced an English edition of its distribution and nothing suggests that things are different this time.
15 • Essay (by Soloact at 2004-10-12 08:01:00 GMT)
Thanks for sharing that essay, I'm going to turn around and share it with others too.
I'm a fan of Linux because it is secure vs MS, but I'm also a fan of Windows, as it has it's place amongst my computers as well (basically, I'm stubborn enough to not want to give up some favorite apps).
I read an opinion once where the author mentioned that MS should ponder just shutting down the company and walking away from the Windows problems. He made a good point.
Another opinion had the author mentioning that MS should dump it's kernel and build a "Windows" over the Linux kernel. Another story with a good point.
Keep up the good work on a great, informative site!
16 • DE distros (by butters at 2004-10-12 08:41:00 GMT)
To shift the complexity of building a GNU/Linux system from the kernel developers and end users, the concept of a Linux "distribution" was developed (and Slackware was based on the grandaddy of them all, SLS). As OSS-based operating systems gain traction on the desktop, perhaps its time to shift the hassle of packaging desktop environments from both the DE developers and Linux distributors.
I think that recent problems with both GNOME and KDE packaging (remember the "buggy" KDE 3.3.0 release) underlies the need for DE packagers such as Dropline, or DE platform distributions such as Ubuntu. Both have done a great job in packaging enhanced versions of GNOME for the tgz and apt platforms respectively.
I, as a Gentoo user, would like to see Ubuntu's GNOME 2.8 package available in portage, for example. But, alas, we just got the vanilla GNOME ebuild out of the hard mask yesterday, and that's something to be happy about (along with the portage tree surpassing the 100,000 file mark).
One more thought: how about automating/extending the capabilities of GARNOME and Konstruct so that package managers can easily interface with them?
17 • DYNE:BOLIC 1.30 LiveCD review from a NOOB user (by _SRM_Kite on 2004-10-12 10:57:19 GMT)
I just picked up LinuxUser & Developer mag last night. Just that came with 2 distros Gentoo Linuz and Dyne, I popped Dyne in this AM and was BLOWN AWAY! This thing loads UBER fast! Is a pretty easy to use layout, and I have not read the manual yet. I will be reading it in a bit though.
I just bought WinXP for WAY TO MUCH $$ for it. However, my wife wanted it for her newer puter than mine, and so she we got it. For me to keep using it would cost $84.00 for the lisence key. We paid $94US retail for it. MS = BS = Bill Gates.
WinXP install took just over 2hours on my PentII 233 mhz machine with 128mb ram. Dyne:Bolic took about 1 or maybe 2 minutes if even that. I know it is a LiveCD, but Gentoo Loaded just as fast except I don't know yet what a LiveCD root# is or does or what to put in it to make it run like Dyne does. Amazing really that MS has no clue at all from what I see so far. They STEAL all sorts of so called "Non-Personal" info (system settings, chipset, config and such. Then expect the user to not realize this information about them "IS INDEED PERSONAL" it is your computer you bought, or made and set up to your liking. Do you think Billy Gates would mind if we return the same and scan his Servers to then scann the MS Company computers "FOR NON PERSONAL" information? I am afraid not. Not even if we say it is to know what is the best system set up to use. But, it's ok for MS to do this in reverse? And, not need to buy a license for each access to our information? Hmmm...:~( I think that any company who wants to use my information to make money in any way then needs to BUY a license to my info EACH time they access it. A one use deal, each time and I hold all rights to it. It can't be sold traded or given away for progit or not.
I have used a MS OS for a long time and felt for years it would be GREAT to be able to get rid of it. Now, I think that is going to happen.
I think Microsoft and Bill Gates need to pay me for my "non-peronal" information that help MS R&D make the products that SUCKER people into buying it. I feel anything that "IS" not a MS product should not be accessed for information. If MS wants to know what my Puter has, pay me for that info. Want to know what software is installed on my unit that is NOT MS in nature, pay me for that info. Want to track my usage, PAY me for this. After all without the customer we would not need MS. Wait we don't need MS. The MS Spin DR's make the masses think they need MS. I say MS=BS and that Bill Gates owner of MS is nothing but a THEAF, and is full of BS.
18 • Re: Hancom Linux 4.0 (by Kanwar at 2004-10-12 11:52:13 GMT)
@ladislav
Thanks for the reply...btw if you are going to install it, can you post how you did it? Can you read korean? Is there a way to "blind" click thru the install? Later one can always change the locale ...
Just wondering actually...
19 • Aurox (by nomenon on 2004-10-12 14:23:46 GMT)
Hoa Le you are wrong.
Aurox homepage is not in French but it is in Polish!
I also looked at English version and I did not find any German parts, but maybe I do not know English good enough...
20 • GNOME & Slack (by Axel Fendersson on 2004-10-12 23:23:56 GMT)
I think if Slackware stops including GNOME and leaves it to Dropline it will be a real shame. Dropline's methods go against what I like most about Slackware, that is that everything is stock, as the original authors intended, and everything is up to me to update and maintain.
It will be a real pity if I can't combine that with using a GNOME desktop that I didn't have to compile myself.
21 • Microsofts coffin (by Vegard at 2004-10-13 00:43:30 GMT)
Do we really believe in these "articles"? Since the dawn of sites such as linux.org and slashdot we've seen hundreds of these so called IT experts coming out of their closets with the happy messages: "This is it, microsoft is going down", "This is Microsofts last breath for air", "Bill has nailed his coffin for good this time" and our favourite "Linux has gained marketshares exponentionaly".
This is not news, its recycled prayers. Microsoft is still easier to use than our OS of choise, has better hardware support and there is always a neighbour who can help you out if you get stuck. If somebody who's never used Linux before installs, lets say Mandrake, and the soundcard is down, he will face a lot problems.
He cant just google for soundproblems on Linux, even if he seeks out a forum (Something I *never* did in Windows days by the way), he will be faced with a lot of questions that he has no way of answering! What distro do you run? Community edition? Commersial edition? what kernel do you run? Have you got Alsa installed? Tried OSS emulation?
Even when all of these are answered he will have a hard time fixing the problem. Find your soundcard module in the alsamatrix and modprobe it, try sndconfig, edit your configfiles manually...And when he finally gets his soundcard up and running, he may want to burn a cd...we have all been there.
Dont get me wrong, and dont kill the messenger. Im a technical user who *loves* my Arch Linux, but I wont recommend it to granma. Im sure Linux will have its day on the desktop, but the day has not come yet -- For nontechnical users it is more important to get stuff up and running than having a secure system.
22 • Microsofts coffin. (by RickT at 2004-10-13 01:46:51 GMT)
This is not a flame, but I do disagree with some of your points.
Do we really believe these articles? I don't, but they are fun to read and I find them indicative of Linux gaining mindshare if not marketshare against the M$ OS. Microsoft will be around for a long time to come....I hope! But, don't get me wrong, I want MS around only for the competition they offer. M$ is the #1 Desktop OS but they will be #2. Mindshare is a powerful tool .... as Microsoft well knows.
MS has better hardware support, granted...for now. As for MS being easier to use. I find that's a matter of experience. Linux can be quite daunting at first, heck even distro to distro.. But like any new OS there is a learning curve. This remark is very similar to the remarks by the first *NIX users migrating to WIndows. Replace Microsoft/WIndows with UNIX and then LINUX with WIndows and you'll see what I mean.
Can't google for a soundcard issue under Linux? I totally disagree. I had an issue with my Audigy 2 card under Fedora Core2 T3. Goggle was the first place I went, and the last. The specific answer to my specific need was there. How about fonts under Debian Sarge...Google it! I find google a better resource than most Corporate Support services. The major difference is that I have to sift and collate rather than argue and wait.
"a hard time fixing the problem." But the point is that the problem IS fixable. What do you do under MS? Hack the Registry? Return the hardware? Call Microsoft (Have your credit card handy). Not a lot of options with MS.
I absolutely agree with "For nontechnical users it is more important to get stuff up and running than having a secure system." I deal with them all day long.... True absolutly true.
To me the question is not just "Is Linux ready for the desktop?" but also "Is the User ready for Linux?".
23 • No subject (by Anonymous on 2004-10-13 04:31:48 GMT)
"Is the User ready for Linux?"
Will never be. That's why MS spends millions in usability research to tailor OS to users and not the other way around. In my opinion if desktop user has to use command line it's a failure of OS not providing tools to solve the problem with intuitive GUI. Computer at home is just another appliance and being treated as such. It's purpose to make your life easier. And linux at this point consistantly fails to deliver that ease. Soccer mom is not interested in solving ALSA or ACPI problems when she has two kids, dog and a husband to take care of. When OSS devs recognize that fact and do something about it, linux will start gaining market share on desktops... And linux fans will be whining about dumbimg down of their OS.
24 • Linux Newbie; General thoughts on Linux. (by Anonymous at 2004-10-13 07:25:35 GMT)
Dear Linux Community,
As the subject suggests, I'm a newbie when it comes to Linux. However, I'm VERY interested in learning more, since I am convinced that open source is the way of the future (maybe sooner than one might imagine!).
Hoping to complete my conversion to linux; I have tinkered around with a few distros such as RH9, FC1, Knoppix, and most recently FC2 (and hope to try out Ubuntu's Live CD soon).
All this is nice and cozy.... BUT... to the average Win slave (sadly I'm am still one of those), I expect to get things done without having to learn the ins and outs of every detail of the system. This knowledge can be acquired later (after the job is done!). Tutorials and wizards are helpful in this way. Later on (as the user settles down into the new OS, and more time is spent learning it) the user will no doubt move to line commands since one line does the work of a 5-6 or 7 page wizard, and does it better.
It really boils down to this:
THE LEARNING CURVE.... smooth it out, and users will be jumping on the wagon.
Any advice regarding what distro I should start with (and hopefully stick with)??
25 • Essay (by Emil on 2004-10-13 09:18:11 GMT)
I don't know 'bout you guys, but I, too, was a MS die hard, I've seen Red Hat (the earlier versions) and it was said that it's the most user-friendly linux (at the time), and I was convinced that there are no destktop lifeform outside windows.
I'm a reluctant person when it comes to OS migration/upgrade, I still use win 3.11 when people swarmed win95, I still use 98se when Xp is the hot OS, but then I was forced to move to XP when I had a hardtime with USB flash in 98.
I never had any problem with viruses in windows because I'm a careful person, I never use floppy disks, I never execute untrusted exe, I share my folders as read only, I use Netscape instead of IE/outlook, I disable macros in office files. Then came blaster worm, and suddenly I found my PC infected without me doing anything wrong (other then running winXP). That's the time I consider looking for alternatif OS.
Then came my friend with Knoppix 3.3 for me to try. Guess what, today I happily use Debian (kanotix) as my daily desktop use, I still use windows on my notebook as my job requires.
Today, I still doesn't understand whatever is in /etc other than resolv.conf. I still don't like vi or other arcane esoteric cryptic config files or command lines in linux, but I still can use linux as my desktop. I can play MP3 (or ogg), I can burn CDs, I can browse the web, I can send e-mails, I can read pdfs, I can do image editing, I can play small games, I can change my desktop wallpaper (I even get to set different wallpapers for each of my 4 desktops !!!!!, multiple desktop is really a blessing), I can even read office files.
Sure I still need windows, but now I know that there are alternatives to windows And maybe someday I'll dump windows for good (but not now) :)
26 • Distro of choice (by nameles on 2004-10-13 13:36:24 GMT)
"Any advice regarding what distro I should start with (and hopefully stick with)??"
That is a loaded question. You will get as many opinions as there are people reading this page. Having said that, I am relatively new to Linux as well and have played around with many, many distributions in the last year or so. In my opinion, Mepis stands head and shoulders above the rest. From a newbie perspective it could not be simpler to get started... live CD, very simple and quick install to hard drive, all browser plugins preconfigured, very easy install of NVIDIA drivers, very friendly and helpful user community. It is based on Debian so as you become more experienced, you have easy access to the vast Debian software repositories. Definitely deserves a look.
27 • Slackware (by EEDOK at 2004-10-13 16:39:50 GMT)
It's starting to look like a good idea for Pat to drop KDE as well and focus completely on the distro.
28 • Microsofts coffin (by Vegard at 2004-10-13 16:53:41 GMT)
I realize that this isnt a real forum so Ill keep it short, but I would like to clarify one last thing: I never doubted for a second that anyone who reads this page is able to google themselves out of most problems, but a newcomer will find it hard to do so.
Not because the solutions arent out there mind you, but simply because a newcomer doesnt know what to search for unless he have som technical know-how, a googlesearch for mandake+soundblaster+problem will retrieve zillions of hits, 10-20 of them will be helpfull, and then Im not even mentioning the differences from distro to distro. And when "Alsa", "OSS" and "kernel modules" means pretty much the same as "kulleballe", "ZQX" and "baluba bfhgva" he wont be able use the information the same way as you and me.
29 • Manrakesoft Move (by Newbie on 2004-10-14 11:25:46 GMT)
I am confused, could any one please help?
[Quote]Mandrakesoft Move is available from Mandrakestore (from US$79.80 up, inclusive of a USB key), while a download edition is provided free to Mandrakeclub members. [End-Quote]
Does this mean that it is for Mandrakeclub members only or those who purchased from Mandrake Store?
Can any Mandrake Club member share it with others just like Community edition? Thanks!
30 • EEDOk's comment (by sparky on 2004-10-14 21:24:13 GMT)
I just wonder at comments like this.
If Pat's using KDE himself why not make it available to Slackware users that want to use it as well???
31 • AUROX (nomenon 2004-10-12 @ 14:23:46 GMT) (by Hoa Le at 2004-10-15 01:36:19 GMT)
I stand by my comments. Here's why:
1) Home page www.aurox.org is written in French.
2) User Forum is in German. When you click on the British flag, the content of each post is in English BUT the headings are still in German (for example, "beitrage", "themen", "letzler", etc).
I am not putting down any language, it's just that when you want to show the world an English page, it should be entirely in English.
Other than that, Aurox would be great!
Just my two cents worth of comments, in my humble opinion.
Hoa Le
32 • How to find stuff on Distrowatch.com (by Thiers at 2004-10-15 16:06:13 GMT)
Hi Ladislav,
I'm a persistent reader of Distrowatch and frequently find here some useful stuff which I bookmark for later use. Things like:
Multi-Linux HowTo - http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20040614#2
Multi-Linux: Recover bootloader HOWTO - http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20040719#feedback
But today, when organizing some hastily added bookmarks, I found that I had an OLD bookmark that was no longer valid (for obvious reason - what's an "old current issue" ??) :
http://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=current#inthenews
Then I searched your site for the usual search tool ; found that your search facilities only cover distros and NOT articles.
Great then, let's see what Google can find at your site - well, in short words, it didn't find what I was looking for.
This story had a happy ending when I resorted to the only available alternative: browsing weekly issues one by one (this actually took me all of 5 minutes, after disabling image loading and checking just the headlines at the top of each issue).
Nevertheless, I can see that you have now a glaring omission at Distrowatch - a search facility that covers EVERYTHING, and not only distros. Or else accept my apologies for not finding it if you DO have one . . . :))
Cheers
Thiers Botelho
33 • RE: How to find stuff on Distrowatch.com (by ladislav at 2004-10-17 06:55:27 GMT)
Nevertheless, I can see that you have now a glaring omission at Distrowatch...
You are right. We need to do something about this one soon.
34 • AUROX (by nomenon on 2004-10-18 16:19:21 GMT)
to: Hoa Le
you are right about english version
but i can't agree with you about the homepage. i am polish and i can recognise polish language, you can be sure. maybe you have set french as your default language in your browser or something like this
35 • Fastest Linux for games? (by Mal McNulty at 2004-10-19 11:56:06 GMT)
is there a distro that is acknowledged as the best for Linux games? Red Hat seems slow with the ported games I have so far tried.
Number of Comments: 35
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