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1 • UBUNTU (by Ulf on 2013-04-29 09:41:48 GMT from Netherlands)
Please keep weekly news to mainstream distributions and do not include the poorly deratives like ubuntu and its useless versions.
Just focus on , Redhat, mandriva, debian, bsd, suse for instance.
The fragmentation and focus on every spin does no good to the focus waths linux about.
2 • @1 (by Chris on 2013-04-29 09:56:11 GMT from Germany)
And since all Distros use one Kernel you should only focus on the Kernel (that counts also for BSD... too many Deratives).
So here is the New distrowatch ranking:
1. Linux
2. BSD
Much easier that way ;)
3 • Re:Ubuntu (by me on 2013-04-29 10:32:01 GMT from Canada)
With all the Ubuntu being released, the good news is that new Linux Mint with all the Cinnamon goodness is just around the corner.
4 • Remastersys (by gsmanners on 2013-04-29 10:49:26 GMT from United States)
Thanks for all the hard work, Fragadelic. Looks like OS4 is indeed taking over that project.
http://system-imaging.blogspot.com/
5 • PCLINUXOS (by Ronnie Dunn on 2013-04-29 10:53:27 GMT from United States)
Thank you for the review. I've used PCLOS since 2007. Tex and the "Gang" have outdone themselves again!
6 • Just upgraded to 13.04 (by DavidEF on 2013-04-29 10:54:43 GMT from United States)
I want to let everyone know that the in-place upgrade from Ubuntu 12.10 to the new 13.04 went so smoothly for me, I could hardly believe it was already done, when it asked me to reboot my laptop! It is definitely more polished, but not altogether different. Some glitches I've been experiencing with 12.10 have been fixed. One app I use regularly that breaks on almost every OS upgrade for some reason, broke again this time, go figure. But overall, it is a really boring release of Ubuntu this time, which might be a good thing.
7 • PCLinuxOS (by kc1di on 2013-04-29 11:16:19 GMT from United States)
Thanks for another fine review. I've used PCLinux off and on for many years and it's one of my go to distros when I need to get setup quickly. Works quite well and never had a problem with it being very broken. Sometimes you have to wait a bit for new apps but they most often just work for you .
Great distro for general use.
8 • PCLOS (by DeeMee on 2013-04-29 11:25:08 GMT from United States)
Yes, long time PC Linux user here. I consider it among the easiest of distros, and as the reviewer found among the most useful. As pointed out it has been easy and useful. It is easy without taking all decisions away from you. And Tex keeps it great. This makes it my favorite distro for new linux users, yet it is something they can grow into as much as they wish.
9 • Semplice (by Bob Eiser on 2013-04-29 11:27:07 GMT from United States)
This distro is very well done! If you want to have fun, do an apt-get update followed by task-lxde-desktop running live with enough memory. Instant LXDE http://wiki.debian.org/LXDE
10 • PCLinuxOS (by TonyA on 2013-04-29 11:33:03 GMT from Thailand)
I got 3 computers running here with PCLinuxOS without serious issues.
@7
I asked for 2 updates of apps. It took only 3 days.
I don't know of any distro who responds that quickly.
Excellent Distro.
Thanks to all involved.
Xx
11 • nice review (by twodogs on 2013-04-29 11:45:24 GMT from United States)
I just installed PCLinuxOS 64-bit 2013 and it is fantastic! I've been using it for about 4 days total and just like your review, it is nice. Sudo is not installed by default like the 'buntus' so it may take a while to get used to, but I like that (better for security). Thanks for the good read!
12 • Re: Ubuntu (by Mike on 2013-04-29 11:57:20 GMT from United States)
Ulf - what was Mint but a "poorly deratives like ubuntu and its useless versions". Then of course it developed into a major force in the Linux realm. To focus on the so-called "mainstream" distros is to ignore and fail to support new ideas and innovation.
SolydX and SolydK were both added to Distrowatch this week, per the news above. That's great news. I've got SolydK and love it.
Keep the new ideas and diversity coming.
13 • Remastersys/EDE Linux (by Marti on 2013-04-29 13:12:32 GMT from United States)
I have a six year old PC that started with a pre-installed Ubuntu 7.10: its days of brown glory. After minimal customization and dedicated updates and upgrades, the 12.04 finally slowed the system to a crawl (maxed out CPU usage) with playing DVDs or flash videos; I still had 2 GB RAM. Distrowatch helped me find a Remastersys supported distro with the small EDE desktop. The Remastersys situation is sad enough: there's a lot of pain in his "goodbye" on the web page. And now the site for EDE return with "Server not found".
http://www.equinox-project.org/
Just two nights ago I visited the site just to see about any news and it was up. Ugh. Distrowatch, and maybe sneekylinux on youtube, here I come, seeking. :)
14 • Ubuntu Bash Fest (by Leo on 2013-04-29 14:04:03 GMT from United States)
So,
I have this crazy idea. Let's have a nerd party, where we, the pure, pristine guardians of the elite, get together in a small venue (we can't be many if we want to stay elite), and we say all these horrible things about Ubuntu that make us all so proud.
We shall spit on Mark S.'s pictures, swear by our little known little distro, and drink up. What a day that will be.
In case the meeting goes viral, we need to arrange for a second venue where the real elite will reconvene, secretly, and quietly. We might even have a third venue in mind, just in case. You can never be safe enough.
Cheers!
15 • anti alias (by br1m on 2013-04-29 14:07:22 GMT from Malaysia)
PCLinuxOS have very good default anti alias font setting (whatever it call).
16 • PCLinuxOS (by Arkanabar on 2013-04-29 14:13:22 GMT from United States)
Count me as another PCLOS fan. It's the first distro I was ever able to successfully install, update, and use. And if ever I were asked to move a windows user to linux, barring UEFI and Secure Boot, PCLOS is what I'd install for them. All I'd *really* have to show them are the Software Announcements forum and how to update with Synaptic.
17 • Descent|OS 4.0 (by Bill on 2013-04-29 14:13:56 GMT from United States)
Just installed DescentOS 4.0 on my hard drive and it's working really well! I've never had luck with Debian before now, but with this distro everything is working. All the eye candy too, like Compiz and fusion and emerald themes. Haven't been successful at finding a way to auto login though, but other than that, checkgmail, iceweasel, thunderbird all work. Nice job! DescentOS 4.0, I recommend it.
18 • @13 (by Arkanabar on 2013-04-29 14:23:59 GMT from United States)
Marti, you may be having DNS issues, and you may have seen a temporary outage. For me, the EDE site is up.
Alternately, you might consider some other stripped-down ubuntu-based distro. I've used Bodhi 2.0.0, but I much prefer Madbox 12.04 -- much less to configure than with Bodhi, though there would be a lot more to update, since the last release was based on 12.04, while Bodhi releases a new image every time there's a new LTS point release.
19 • Ubuntu bashing, by the elite? (by Linux Lover on 2013-04-29 14:31:22 GMT from United States)
Boy it didn't take long did it. The very first comment. At least with the first comment by ULF being so ridiculous, in it's logic and being so misguided, no one else will take anymore Ubuntu bashing comments serious. I did like the comment by Leo. It was great.
I have a grand idea people. Lets keep this a good LINUX - BSD tech site, have interesting discussions, and leave the useless, immature distro bashing to your little personal blogs.
20 • @14 • Ubuntu Bash Fest (by JWJones on 2013-04-29 14:32:35 GMT from United States)
The first rule of Linux 1337 Club, don't talk about Linux 1337 Club.
21 • PCLinuxOS (by octathlon on 2013-04-29 14:33:11 GMT from United States)
Sounds like PCLinuxOS might be the best distro for those migrating from Windows, and also for Gnome|Unity refugees to easily make the switch to KDE (I am considering becoming one of those).
The huge download size/number of default apps and rolling release model, which would also mean lots of daily updates, is a deterrent to me, but the review makes me want to try it out anyway to see how I would like a well-designed KDE distro.
Jesse, how long did you use it, and did it seem like you were having to do an excessive amount of updating?
22 • Ubuntu (by Chanath on 2013-04-29 14:42:08 GMT from Sri Lanka)
Ubuntu has its ups & downs, but still the most used distro in the Linux world. If one adds all the Ubuntu derivatives, there is no other distro like that.
By the way, Extix 13 is the quickest derivative of just released Ubuntu 13.04!
It shows how good is Ubuntu.
23 • S.S. (by Arve on 2013-04-29 15:31:16 GMT from Sweden)
ring Ring, and now... S-Saucy... Salamander...? Ohgoodgrief! I know coming up with names is never as easy as it sounds, but... "Saucy"?? *FACEPALM*
24 • @1 UBUNTU (by Darkstar on 2013-04-29 15:55:16 GMT from United States)
Elf. I whole heartily agree with you. Ubuntu is absolutely useless. Glad to see the Buntu's starting to disappearing from the front page of Distrowatch.
25 • PCLinuxOS (by davecs on 2013-04-29 16:00:10 GMT from United Kingdom)
I've not commented on here for a while. I've been helping test PCLinuxOS for too many years, and am a moderator at its forum. However, it would be fair to say I was starting to lose faith earlier this year.
I did try Mint for a while, and it seemed the best of a not very inspiring bunch, but the odd problem seemed to creep into that, and with the release of the 64-bit PCLinuxOS, I thought I'd go back for one last try.
The great news is that the new release seems to have fixed a few problems that I thought had crept in, The 64-bit version is solid as a rock - and I'll admit to having problems trying 64-bit versions of various distros over the last year or so - this one has been worth the wait.
I've added the LXDE desktop to the 64-bit version with the programs I actually use put on a dropdown panel at the top of the screen. All the best KDE programs combined with the speed of LXDE, what more can I want? Though the fully-bloated KDE desktop also runs like a dream.
26 • Saucy Salamander (by cflow on 2013-04-29 16:14:46 GMT from United States)
Actually, that name is pretty clever - it make you hungry! Saucy - "sauce?" Salamander - "salivating?" It's kind of subliminal... Though I wouldn't want to eat something like that. Too exotic.
Anyway, 13.04 worked pretty well, but yeah... too boring. I wanted more updated applications and features here and there. Then I remembered that Canonical saw potential for the project to become a rolling release, and Shuttleworth suggested that the development release cycle could work as just that. I wanted to see if that was the case, so I switched to saucy repos to help test the release. If it survives all throughout the cycle, it's proof of that claim for me...
27 • PCLinuxOS (by Jesse on 2013-04-29 16:46:11 GMT from Canada)
>> "Jesse, how long did you use it, and did it seem like you were having to do an excessive amount of updating?"
I used PCLinuxOS for about a week, not really enough time to judge the regular flow of updates. Whether the updates are excessive or not may depend on whether you mean the frequency of updates or the total download size. And what you consider excessive. PCLinuxOS appears to release updates every day (as most distros do), but the documentation suggests running the update process about once a week or a few times a month, runnign updates in batches rather than reacting to every package. During my week with the distro I think there were around 150MB of updates released.
28 • @18 (by Marti on 2013-04-29 17:00:18 GMT from United States)
Yes, I can now see the EDE site. It must have been a temp outage. Thank you for replying.
I have seen the madbox distro before. Quite nice looking. Not a fan of Enlightenment, but I hear Bodhi is a great system. I am in no BIG hurry. There is always Lubuntu.
29 • Comment Observations (by Bro on 2013-04-29 17:08:46 GMT from United States)
@26 - Either it's lunchtime where you're at and you are hungry, or you have some very obscure culinary tastes.
@14 - Nice shot! Two thumbs up! The beer is on me... but no salamander buffalo wings for me.
30 • PCLOS updates (by mz on 2013-04-29 17:14:17 GMT from United States)
I've been running PCLinuxOS nearly exclusively since around 2011, and generally I love balance between stability & up to date software. I always update at least every week or two as the post install notification recommends, but I generally do it more often than that. If I try and update everyday I eventually find that there are days no updates are pushed, but like I said you can wait until the weekend or whenever you can spare a few minutes. The only really big updates are new versions of KDE, and if you combine the few hundred Mb of downloads in those updates with a couple of weeks worth of other updates, you could get to 1 Gb plus of stuff to download. I think that the overall experience with PCLOS is a lot easier than trying to keep windows and all the important software in it updated, if that is any help. I have found that there are usually small update issues once or twice a year, but if you don't want to troubleshoot it yourself just go to the forums and look for the issue. They generally have a solution before you look it up. If you don't mind handling those small update hiccups, then I'd say PCLOS is a great option. I think anyone who isn't afraid of their PC and considers themselves a competent computer user would do just fine with PCLOS, just try to update every week or so and know you may need to do a little extra work once or twice a year.
31 • PCLOS (by hotdiggettydog on 2013-04-29 17:43:44 GMT from Canada)
Nice to see Pclos get some publicity. I was a user many years ago but had to abandon it when the project went to an almost dormant state for a year or two. Buntus and others overran Pclos for a few years. But.
PCLOS IS BACK!
Perfect timing too with the gnome and unity debacles. Kde 4 has, finally, reached a mature and very usable state. Pclos does a wonderful job with it.
Great work Pclos team! Loving the new operating system. I could not be more pleased.
32 • Watch that installer! (by ShadowJack on 2013-04-29 17:48:01 GMT from United States)
I tried to install the latest PCLOS, hit the wrong button and deleted my Win 7 OS. Everything. Instantly. My fault, yes. Still, it shouldn't be that easy to mess up.
33 • Re. 22: Debian. (by uz64 on 2013-04-29 18:17:18 GMT from United States)
All Ubuntu is is a glorified, corporate/billionaire-sponsored Debian derivative. This effectively makes every single Ubuntu knockoff nothing more than a Debian descendent.
Debian is the truly special distribution here, not Ubuntu. It's no surprise that after several of Canonical's blunders, they are no longer at the top, having been surpassed by arguably better (but unfortunately still Ubuntu-based) Linux Mint.
Ubuntu's latest genius idea is dropping support for standard releases down to only 12 months (you're not even protected for more than a year--brilliant). Luckily Linux Mint is ready with a backup plan in the form of Linux Mint Debian Edition... I just wonder how much more of Canonical's nutty moves the Mint team will put up with before just giving up on their current primary distribution base completely.
34 • Remastersys Ending - System Imager continuing (by Tony Brijeski on 2013-04-29 18:34:02 GMT from Canada)
I am going to be doing a single last update to remastersys for debian and ubuntu and will offer them for direct download from my website. The source packages from those builds are being handed over to Robert of OS4 and they will continue it on. I will still be available for consultation for the OS4 team to make sure the changeover is smooth.
Many things have changed for me and quite a few less than grateful people were the final nail in the coffin so to speak.
I started it as a fun project to make a KDE spin of Linux Mint and it grew from there.
One of the other biggest factors is a change in the health of a close family member so I really just want to spend all my free time with my family without feeling obligated to work on something that became more of a burden than anything else lately since we never know how long we really have.
Robert's System Imager is the fork/continuation that I support and will be providing all my sources to. What his team does with it after that is up to him and the users.
Thanks for all the support over the years and best of luck to Robert and his team on continuing what I started almost 7 years ago.
35 • @32 Deleting a partition (by JB on 2013-04-29 18:57:45 GMT from United States)
Deleting a partition is a 3 step process using the custom install. Selecting the Partition, pressing the Delete button and pressing Done. If you quit before pressing Done nothing is lost.
36 • SolydXK (by Edward on 2013-04-29 19:31:13 GMT from Spain)
As a real Debian derivative, SolydXK is rock-solid, easy to install and reliable. I have been using SolydK -the KDE version- daily in my production box for a month, monthly upgrades included. No issues, latest apps and friendly forum. Did not used LMDE before, but that seems really good.
Deserves a check, and perhaps a good review by DW editors.
37 • @32 Deleting a partition (by hotdiggettydog on 2013-04-29 19:34:29 GMT from Canada)
I feel your pain.
You have to really watch some of the installers in the various distros. I installed something else recently(the name escapes me) and It did not clarify if it was going to 'format or not format' the various partitions chosen. I took a chance and went for it and all was well but I should have researched first. Wiping my /home partition would have been catastrophic.
Maybe I should take some backup lessons?
38 • PCLinuxOS Grub (by SallyK on 2013-04-29 20:07:17 GMT from United Kingdom)
Can someone clarify for me whether PCLinuxOS has switched to GRUB 2 or if it is still using GRUB Legacy?
I'd like to try it again, but Grub Legacy OSes are such a pain when you are dual-booting.
39 • @ # 38 PCLinuxOS Grub (by kc1di on 2013-04-29 20:22:28 GMT from United States)
It uses grub .97 or 1.5 still but it's very easy to dual boot windows with it and the control center has a nice gui interface to do just that job.
If you mean dual booting with another Linux distro that uses grub 2 that may be a little more difficult but still do able.
40 • PCLOS (by pfb on 2013-04-29 20:26:17 GMT from United States)
After a long wait PCLOS comes out in a 64 version. Hooray! Unfortunately it does not handle my dual monitors very well. Crash and lock up. Maybe later. I still have hope.
41 • Remastersys@34 (by kernelKurtz on 2013-04-29 20:43:33 GMT from United States)
Tony: Thank you for your years of work on a cool and excellent product. I was following this little drama as word trickled out last night, and I have to say that both you and Robert seem to be exceptional class acts. Best wishes going forward, and much peace.
kK
42 • About those PCLOS updates (by DeeMee on 2013-04-29 20:48:16 GMT from United States)
The updates aren't onerous or overly large. Often there is nothing if you check on a day to day basis. I typically check every couple weeks. Sometimes a fair size download, sometimes not all that much. Certainly nothing like say the frequency of Windows updates.
Updating usually takes very little time. PCLOS has quite a few repositories to use. One or more of them will offer speedy downloads during updates. The machine isn't bogged down while updating is taking place. It pretty much is a non-issue.
43 • TuxRadar Distro Picker (by Jymm on 2013-04-29 20:57:51 GMT from United States)
I tired the TuxRadar Distro Picker and like a lot of other that tried it think it still needs some work (read the comments after picking). It still could be a help for someone coming to Linux, but there are not enough categories to really help anyone with any knowledge of Linux at all. I still find the best way to try a distro is check out DistroWatch, and try with a USB key. It lets you feel out the distro, see if things like your network will work and gives you a good idea of the speed of the distro on your hardware. I do think with a little work it could really be a help. Hopefully the authors read the comments and add a few more questions.
44 • PCLinuxOS (by Whitespiral on 2013-04-29 21:22:46 GMT from Mexico)
@40:
I also use dual monitors, both on a Radeon 5850 using DVI . I had to run the included ATI Catalyst Control Center to configure the dual setup. Are you using Nvidia or independent cards? You may have to go through a similar process to configure yours.
45 • 10 • PCLinuxOS by TonyA (by Bill on 2013-04-29 21:41:04 GMT from Canada)
I run Pclinuxos LXDE on a old Toshiba. All good
"I asked for 2 updates of apps. It took only 3 days" That is great but a few people asked about some software but it still hasn't been packaged after a year
46 • PCLOS XFCE 64bit (by sebastien on 2013-04-29 22:00:22 GMT from France)
I'm surprised that the KDE edition is the first official one to emerge in 64bit. I thought the Joble Edition would place xfce in the lead. Well, anyway, I hope Sproggy will be able to offer an official PCLOS xfce 64bit edition soon because I plan to buy a new netbook and I'm still looking for the disto I will put in. Mint 13 xfce is currently my favorite but I used to try PCLOS and I kind of liked it; did not choose it so far because I wanted a 64bit xfce. Maybe it's almost time for a respin...
47 • Dual Monitors (by pfb on 2013-04-29 22:31:33 GMT from United States)
@ 44
Ihave an nVidia card. The live cd crashes with either xrandr or the control center. I could nt get to the install phase. I did not pursue it much further. I have patience, and can wait for a later release
48 • Distro Picker (by Jesse on 2013-04-29 23:56:24 GMT from Canada)
I tried the Distro Picker and was surprised by the suggestions it gave. Eight of the top nine distros it recommended for easy and stable desktop use are really niche distros or ones which require advanced knowledge to set up. Definitely not the sort of stuff I would recommend a newcomer to Linux. Heck, half of them are distros I wouldn't use myself for prolonged desktop use. I really have to wonder what kind of algorithm they are using which would spit out such a list. To me it looks like their script picked a bunch of lesser known projects and printed them in random order.
49 • @ #34 by Tony Brijeski (by Pierre on 2013-04-29 23:58:43 GMT from Germany)
I am really sorry to hear those bad news. We all are very thankfull for all the hard work you put into your project and all the best wishes from us to you and your family in such a hard time.
It's only two and a half year ago a close family member of mine became the diagnose of incurable cancer. I even gave up my studies on Computer Science to take care of this special person and this way know how hard and mind changing such an experience can be.
All my best wishes again.
Pierre
50 • @45 (by TonyA on 2013-04-30 00:23:10 GMT from Thailand)
Asking <again> in Package Requests may help.
Naming the app here might help.
But and isn't helpful.
51 • SolydX (by hotdiggettydog on 2013-04-30 00:59:41 GMT from Canada)
SolydX.
Installed it on an old laptop earlier. Runs nice. Attractive. Crisp, clean, and nice fonts.
Wireless printer was detected and easily setup. This has been a problem with some of the other debian offspring I've tried lately.
I like the driver installer tool.It installed nvidia drivers with no hiccups.
I'm curious to see if it will be non-problematic with updates in the long term. Hope so. This one could be a real winner.
Tempted to try the kde version in another machine.
52 • SolydXK is a semi-rolling Debian release (by on4aa on 2013-04-30 07:39:54 GMT from Belgium)
It is important to note that SolydX and SolydK are semi-rolling Debian releases based on Debian testing. The advantages are one never has to reinstall, yet the system remains up-to-date and stable.
53 • @1 ¬ @12 (by MiRa on 2013-04-30 09:49:53 GMT from Spain)
@1
+1!
@12
These ”new ideas and innovation” in fact means nothing but cosmetics.
In my opinion ”new ideas and innovation” means bringing really something new, not only a different skin. And at least his own repository.
This ”new ideas and innovation” category can easily (and maybe in first place) include distros like MINIX (though it’s not so new), Haiku or Kolibri for instance.
54 • @11 twodogs (by MiRa on 2013-04-30 10:13:15 GMT from Spain)
"Sudo is not installed by default like the 'buntus' so it may take a while to get used to, but I like that (better for security)."
In fact sudo should NOT be used for every common task.
sudo install/ remove/upgrade... etc. Bleah!... It isa a nonsense!
sudo should be emplpyed ONLY in very special cases.
I'm using PCLinux OS for about two years and NEVER used sudo.
There are many other commands (in the whole Linux world) to avoid the dangerous sudo.
55 • @21 octathlon (by MiRa on 2013-04-30 10:50:01 GMT from Spain)
Why are you scared about updates? I saw many people fearing updates. Cannot understand it! :( Isn't it better to keep the system updated?
BTW, either running Windows(or Mac) it is necessary install updates any time these are available for a good functionality. Why not in Linux
Yes, there may be updates and upgrades twice a week, either twice a day! But this just points out the hard and nice work this small team is doing.
Personally am happy performing these updates immediately, though there are dayly. And if you don't need/have time for these dayly updates (though it takes just one minute from someone's life :D ) the Update-Notifier can be settled to a weekly advice.
IMO, a rolling release is the best thing it exists. And the PCLOS' one is the best of all RRs, and a rock solid distro.
56 • Sad farewell to Remastersys (by Jeff Hoogland on 2013-04-30 13:48:20 GMT from United States)
Remastersys is good software - and I've always received good support on their forums. This tool will be missed.
Thankfully their latest version works well with Bodhi's 2.x.y series, so we will continue using it to spin ISO images until we reach our first 3.0.0 release next summer.
~Jeff Hoogland
57 • Distrowatch- where the fun has gone. (by ambijat on 2013-04-30 13:50:43 GMT from India)
Over the years since my first exposure to Redhat Linux 2.1 I have come a long way. Miss the Mandrake Linux, saw Redhat becoming propriety good and the upcoming of Fedora. Tested Xandros, DSLs, Puppy Linux and many more. Still scared of Debian as I failed to get it right in the first time. But, this romanticism with Linux has kept me going in tune with the blues. I have been looking these flavours as ever more gripping to human mind. But, there is seemingly something amiss over the last 2-3 years. The distros have become like McDonald menu items or KFCs chicken offerings. A very attractive and incentivised in term of its capabilities, just like calories from these foodie items. Howver, somewhere the sobre and sublime taste has been compromised in favour of sizzling hot new features.
I find when we are with enhanced capabilties then we seldom wish to hear the feeble voices. There has to be more focus on integration of software that provide utilities to all level of users. I find google-earth is simply an uninstallable thing. Why there is no visible cooperation between Google and LInux distribution to make that experience something like a Christmas gift.
There are some very basic utilties for which I see total disinterested on the part of Linux developers. No good substitute for adobe pdf edit. I feel inclined to use either windows based editors or the pdfescape which is no bad experience.
Then the coppernic desktop search another very important desktop search tool. I dont see this kind of software being integrated into the linux.
The motto of Linux should be to integrate more and more of simple softwares of high utilities till the linux indigenisation occurs.
I simply mean that I wan't my fun back.
It always used to be fun when chiding the windows users, see I can do it without having to recourse to piracy or surrendering my intellectual sovereignty to windows.
Let's reclaim or fun back!
58 • @32, 39 Disk reformat, try Test-disk (by Tom on 2013-04-30 14:23:04 GMT from United Kingdom)
Hi :)
First thing is that accidentally wiping Windows is really a good move forwards and one you probably wont regret for long.
On the other hand why not try data-recovery tools such as test-disk. Obviously if you want to recover data then the first thing is to stop using that partition, preferably stop using any of the drive. The sooner you stop the more likely you can recover something. Generally it's recommended that you create a copy of the drive and work on the copy but i have seldom had that much space.
I tend to find data-recovery a 'bit of a pain' tbh but have had some successes.
Many recovery or utility distros have test-disk or similar on their LiveCd and even if not it's easy to install. But like i say you might be better off without Windows as it forces you to learn Gnu&Linux faster and more thoroughly.
Generally i recommend people migrate instead but just go with what you have is often best.
Good luck! Regards from
Tom :)
59 • Spanish distros (by Tom on 2013-04-30 14:27:29 GMT from United Kingdom)
Hi :)
Good news from Extremadura!
https://joinup.ec.europa.eu/community/osor/news/spains-extremadura-starts-switch-40000-government-pcs-open-source
The article says they have tailored their own version of Debian and called it Sysgobex but is that just a renaming/rebranding of their LinEx that they developed years ago? Sysgobex is not listed at DW but LinEx is so either the new one is ultra-new or it's just renamed or the article got the name wrong, or it's the Spanish name for the same thing or ....
Anyway, it's good to hear 40k new Gnu&Linux desktops are on the cards!
Congrats to all!
Good work! Regards from Tom :)
60 • @42 Updates (by Jon Wright on 2013-04-30 14:29:11 GMT from Vietnam)
> "Certainly nothing like say the frequency of Windows updates."
What do you mean, like once a month?
61 • @34 Remastersys (by Tony Brijeski) (by Tom on 2013-04-30 14:37:54 GMT from United Kingdom)
Hi :)
Sorry for your troubles. Remastersys has been excellent and well appreciated despite the vocal minority. Sometimes these things do have to be set aside even without good reason and you have plenty of good reason! Family are important!
Lets hope this causes a resurgence in the community and sees people step forwards to make a go of it. Either that or absorb and add into another distro.
Please remember "Friends argue. Enemies don't care" so those opposing you were probably really keen to see Remastersys get to number 1 spot in DW but just had an unpleasant way of showing it. Even though i am not one of them i still feel i should apologise for their behaviour and i hope they would too.
Good luck in the future!
Many regards from
Tom :)
62 • frequency/size of PCLOS updates (by octathlon on 2013-04-30 16:01:16 GMT from United States)
Thanks, Jesse, mz, and DeeMee for your responses about the amount of updates.
@55 MiRa: You may not realize it, but not everyone has a very fast broadband connection to be downloading a 1.6 GB install DVD plus post-install updates plus another 1 GB in updates every 2 weeks. It is not a simple matter of "one minute" for everyone like it is for those fortunate to have access to and/or can afford high-speed limitless internet.
63 • PCLinuxOS (by Henry on 2013-04-30 16:11:16 GMT from United Kingdom)
Nice to see the PCLinuxOS review. It's one of the most competent, well supported, nicest to use distros out there and generally doesn't get the love that it deserves. I've long thought that its name is a major problem. If you were to gather a group of 90-yeear-olds from an agrarian society where computers were unknown, briefly explain to them what a PC is, what an OS is, and what Linux is, and ask them to form a committee to name your new distro, that's the name they'd come up with. If only they'd adopt a sexy new name that the kids could get excited about and make t-shirts, like Numkwang, Ffiffi or Blumux, they'd climb the rankings in no time at all.
64 • LXC and OpenVZ (by Scott Dowdle on 2013-04-30 21:18:56 GMT from United States)
Thanks for the short article on containers. Many say that LXC isn't ready yet while others are (and have been) using it for stuff... like OpenShift for example... which happens to augment LXC with custom SELinux policies.
Just to expound on some of your OpenVZ comments... the stable branches of the OpenVZ kernel are based on RHEL kernels (RHEL5 or RHEL6) and they work well on RHEL and EL clones. There are several reasons for that with the basic one being that the kernels offered in RHEL are supported for a long time... whereas your typical desktop oriented distributions, not so much.
Regarding your comment that installing OpenVZ is "hampered by a long installation process"... I beg to differ. While there are lots of words in the quick install guide, the process is quite easy and quick once you know how. It boils down to: 1) Add OpenVZ repo, 2) Install kernel with package manager, 3) Add some lines to /etc/sysctl.conf, 4) Reboot, 5) Install vzctl and vzquota with package manager, and 6) Start the vz service. The entire process (depending on how long your machine takes to reboot), just takes a few minutes. Then of course if you want to create a container, you need an OS Template but vzctl can download that for you automatically if desired.
While it might take a couple of minutes more than using your distros default kernel and an add-on package or two for the tools... I think the difference is well worth it. Trying containers out on a desktop distribution may lead to one deciding to stand up a container server using an EL clone.
BTW, I'll be posting a presentation video from LFNW 2013 from Kir Kolyshkin (OpenVZ Project Leader) later today or tomorrow entitled, "The Seven Problems of Linux Containers" which details the much of the work Parallels has done with OpenVZ and how they are trying to get all of those features into the mainline kernel by re-implementing them. Most have actually made it in but a few things remain are continue to be worked on. That'll be on Archive.org and YouTube.
65 • ReMasterSys (by Fossilizing Dinosaur on 2013-04-30 21:28:37 GMT from United States)
The report of its demise is greatly exaggerated - after 7 years, the original developer found someone to receive the baton-pass. Rather considerate, given recent harassments.
66 • iPad (by pfb on 2013-05-01 00:34:42 GMT from United States)
Second try, sorry about the first. I just won an iPad. My daughter says, upon pain of death, that I will NOT wipe it and install Android or, God forbid -- Ubuntu. So I have a question. Is this possible?
I have never messed with Apple products. So I am not sure what can be done. Initially, I will give it a fair shot. But, if Apple sucks, can I replace the OS?
67 • 36 SolydXK (by joji on 2013-05-01 07:36:52 GMT from Belgium)
"SolydXK is rock-solid, easy to install and reliable."
Just wondering...
Have tried to test the LiveCD but was unable to add new programs. 'sudo' is not enabled add nowhere passwords to be found.
68 • @1, @24, @33 - Ubuntu flavors (by Andy Prough on 2013-05-01 08:32:58 GMT from United States)
I've long thought that Ubuntu gets 5X or 10X as much free advertising simply by calling each desktop a separate "release", whereas the large distros like Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, Debian, Arch, etc simply consider them desktops and not "releases".
Seems kind of silly to have separate reviews of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, etc etc etc. No one would ever bother to review each of the vast number of configuration options for Fedora or openSUSE - it would take months, and by the time you were done you would be stumbling over a new version release.
69 • Ubuntu flavors (by Jon Wright on 2013-05-01 11:13:28 GMT from Vietnam)
> "Seems kind of silly to have separate reviews of Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, etc etc etc."
Looking at the release announcements from last week, the projects seem to be in very different stages - they're not simply a 'desktop-less' release that got handed to the each team for them to add the respective DE.
And I can't say much about Fedora and openSUSE but Debian Xfce, for instance, looks like what you'd get if you downloaded the main edition of Debian and just installed Xfce. Nobody would accuse Xubuntu and Lubuntu of being so un-embellished - the main criticisms (justified, IMO) leveled against them are that they're over-embellished.
It seems like not much has happened with Xubuntu (usually the one I favour) over the last cycle and I think with 13.10 also all the attention is going to be on the main edition - but I'd love to read what anyone has written about Xubuntu or Lubuntu just to see if I'm correct (in ignoring them).
70 • Official Ubuntu variants (by DavidEF on 2013-05-01 11:49:54 GMT from United States)
@68 They're not just different DE's on the same system. They have their own goals, achievements, and processes. They also each have their own website. They do share the Ubuntu repositories, but it seems that the repositories get bigger when a new variant is added, leading me to believe that they are not sub-projects, but super-projects. In other words, they don't derive from Ubuntu proper, they add to it.
Isn't it funny though, that this kind of central base management, with independent distros branching out of it, is EXACTLY what some people are constantly saying linux needs to do? Yet when Canonical leads the way with the Ubuntu infrastructure and official variants, we get complaints that they each get their own listing in DW. How about people who don't like the way DW lists distros, go start your own website! If it's good, I may eventually visit, although I think DW has already done a good job.
71 • Distrowatch readership? Coders, geeks, educators only? (by gregzeng on 2013-05-01 13:07:25 GMT from Australia)
As Linux (ever?) gains popular use, the comments here (& Dw readership) will show lees insight into Linux. There are more advertisements for teachers (of many kinds) of many kinds, to take the empty job positions now available.
Eventually Dw will need a FAQ, self-tutoring guides, etc. ATM the 'news' here does not include insider exhibitions, discussions, conferences, events - so perhaps another publisher might take this vacancy. There are hardcopy publications that have poor notifications of Linux happenings. Some $$-trade associations have self-centred, self-serving lists for insider $$-paid-up members, only.
Populist gadget-geek-computer-electronic publications follow the immediate $$ flow, so do little for Linux & the 'volunteer' industries. In my forced medical retirement in the last few decades, I have not discovered fertile GNU-Lunix type publications yet. Or have I missed something?
BTW: Dw's past-wisdom: "who doesn't read has no advantage over the man who can't read".
Internet & its audio-visuals did not earlier before C21st. MarkTwain is ignorant on the psychological advantages that "hardcopy code" non-readers have over other culturally imprisoned persons.
My last statement comes from my professional studies & work in professions related to social psychology, and is strongly supported by cross-cultural & disability academic research over the last several decades.
72 • @ #70 (by Pierre on 2013-05-01 14:39:19 GMT from Germany)
Actually these derivatives are distros own their own BUT they still are running the exact same system like the main edition. Therefore I don't see them as super-projects but as sub-project. This does not mean they won't add to Ubuntu, at least they do add additional options and desktop editions. So in the end the only big difference in comparison to Fedora is that the Fedora project is delivering these spins on their own, whilst Cannonical counts on volunteers to produce and host these spins. This is the reason why they are seen as separate distros. Not because they add so much to the Ubuntu ecosystem.
A fine line that makes a big difference in my opinion and which is the reason I was not able to hold back and had to point that out.
Greetings from Germany!
Pierre
73 • re: last months OpenSUSE review (by Art Levine on 2013-05-01 17:17:22 GMT from United States)
I read the review, and thought it has been a very long time since I/we tried a SUSE release.
IMNSHO, absolutely one of the worst and most user unfriendly distro's to ever be recommended to/for anyone, especially newbie types.....
YMMV, but I doubt it.....
I am replacing it today, I am so unimpressed with it, that never again will any OpenSUSE anything reside here.
It's unstable, it's "jerky", it's been a month..... If a newbie wanted to burn a CD/DVD using 12.03, I doubt it would ever get done... One must know about and Java and codecs and and and, or apparently you're just plain screwed.....
74 • @70 - Official Ubuntu variants (by Andy Prough on 2013-05-01 18:11:04 GMT from United States)
@70 - >"They're not just different DE's on the same system. They have their own goals, achievements, and processes."
I'm not arguing that. I was really just pointing out that Canonical gets about 10 times as much publicity by having all its Ubuntu desktops and configuration variants reviewed and released separately.
In fact, you could argue that what Canonical is doing is a very smart marketing move, and has probably aided tremendously in making Ubuntu more well-known. Probably Fedora and openSUSE and Mandriva and Arch should follow that lead and spin off each of their desktops and each of their specialty configurations into a different "project", each with its own community and release.
One thing to note though - the fact that a dozen or more Ubuntu derivatives are all able to make their release on the same day as the main Ubuntu release shows how little time is required to re-spin those variants. Either that or it shows that all of those communities are working in complete lock-step, which works against the "separate projects with separate goals and processes" argument.
75 • @73 openSUSE (by Cork on 2013-05-01 18:42:41 GMT from United States)
Interesting how different two people's impressions can be of a Linux system. I've had openSUSE running for a few weeks, and have been so impressed that I'm considering adopting it as my main operating system. I've been experimenting with Linux systems for about 5 months, so I suspect I'm no longer in the "newbie" category but rather in the "wow, do I have an awful lot to learn" category, but I had no issue burning a DVD and installing openSUSE - in fact, I had fewer issues with 12.3 than I have had with many of the other 15 - 18 systems I've tried.
I definitely prefer KDE, and openSUSE seems to be one of the best KDE distributions out there. I have found it easy to get fully operational, very stable, and aesthetically pleasing. Moving to Tumbleweed has converted it into a nice rolling release as well. All of the things one might want to add (codecs, Flash) are well documented, easy to find, and easy to implement. As I said, different people, different experiences!
76 • @86-iPad by pfb (by Ika on 2013-05-01 20:21:00 GMT from Spain)
What can be done with an iPad, how might it be used, look here:
http://www.snotr.com/video/8965/So_papa__how_do_you_like_the_iPad_we_got_you
It's in german but no need to understand the language to get it. ;D
77 • @ #75 and #73 - openSUSE (by Pierre on 2013-05-01 23:25:46 GMT from Germany)
I started my Linux life with SuSE from version 7.2 (I guess) until version 10.3 and left after the too early switch to KDE 4. I came back to openSUSE with their gorgeous 12.1 release and am using it since then, now in version 12.3 on all my systems (notebook, workstation and home server).
That the experience differs so much must have to do with the intelligence of the (potential) user. Those who are blessed with IQ above body temperature most often at least accept openSUSE as a good OS although it might be not to their liking. Others like the one in comment #73 seems to be not among them.
At least since 12.2 openSUSE is rock solid and got very polished. No one has to love it, but I don't like bashing hard work of others only because one is not able to use the internet for more than bashing. Instead of pasting bullshit to the DWW comments section Mr. or Mrs. Art Levine should have used the great documentation on the openSUSE website if questions arise or at least hand that questions over to google.
Questionable how someone with such an attitude was able to get through life.
Greetings from Germany!
Pierre
78 • YUMI (by Neo on 2013-05-01 23:33:43 GMT from United States)
" Remastersys is good software - and I've always received good support on their forums. This tool will be missed."
Google for: YUMI
79 • Mandriva (by Jaglu on 2013-05-02 00:07:08 GMT from Denmark)
Curious to hear comments about Mandriva. This is 2013, right? - Has anybody this year, or the year before, heard about a distro by that name?
80 • Ubuntu variants (by Jon Wright on 2013-05-02 02:36:49 GMT from Vietnam)
> "Canonical gets about 10 times as much publicity by having all its Ubuntu desktops and configuration variants reviewed and released separately"
An exaggeration surely. Actually I wonder if they've ever wondered whether the other editions dilute the strength of their 'brand'?
> "a dozen or more Ubuntu derivatives are all able to make their release on the same day"
It's simply a requirement - don't read so much into it.
> "how little time is required to re-spin those variants"
Six months.
81 • Ubuntu 13.04 & Sabayon 13.04 (by Chanath on 2013-05-02 04:23:51 GMT from Sri Lanka)
I had Ubuntu 13.04 from the time, the cdimage was issued. This was updated all the time and still works well. I had Gnome 3 installed in it too. Downloaded Ubuntu and then installed Gnome 3, but it crashed many times. Then, I downloaded Ubuntu Gnome, but that too crashes frequently. Kubuntu 13.04 lost the bottom panel, after installing. I could re-install the panel, but that's not what I wanted.
Later, I tried Sabayon 13.04 MATE, but MATE crashed as soon as I changed the position of the panels and also when I tried Rigo. Interestingly Sabayon 13.04 Gnome edition works well, no crashes yet. Rigo worked superbly with updates and installing apps. I've been using Ubuntu 13.04 for quite while, from the 1st Beta stage, but now going to give a shot at Sabayon for next few weeks.
Even though, I am using Gentoo--i won't even try to install it--I don't feel I am using the very tough Gentoo, as Rigo does all the updating and installing apps. I suggest you guys try Sabayon 13.04, if I may.
82 • Canonical, 'buntu watchers: confused, confusing (by gregzeng on 2013-05-02 04:47:38 GMT from Australia)
Information explosions leave most people out of touch with reality. Especially the anti-buntu users.
@77 • @ #75 and #73, @80, and more to come.
German, Vietnamese, etc languages may not distinguish between the terms: sub-project, super-project, spin, fork, ... ? but English has each term as very different, incompatible meanings. The Canonical-approved 'spins' are independent of Canonical, but finally have reached the Canonical standards of minimal performance.
The Canonical non-approved 'spins' (all the other 'buntu-derivatives, which is most of them) - MAYBE super-projects. If they are, they included incompatible or proprietary stuff that the official Canonical organization officially cannot be seen as being approved.
Most of the unapproved (by Canonical) 'buntu-spins are specializations that do not meet the official minimal standards: forensics, smartphones, 'hardware-devices', recovery, federal-government (many), specific-organizational, mono-lingual, mono-religious, etc.
Most (all?) the buntu-spins share the same installation process (2 types; the worst senses my ISP-connection FROM Australia, the other senses where I am in Australia). Usually shared is the 'buntu Synaptic Package Manager, which in some 'buntu distros is re-labelled. The RPM-version of the same name, as with PCLOS, is deliberately & confusingly very different. Some 'buntu distros have there own repositories, package managers AS WELL as the Canonical version. In some 'buntu-based distros, the apps offered are sometimes altered, compared to the Canonical version. The most common examples are the defaults of the Internet browsers, which are often pinting to the distro's home page.
SUB-PROJECT ??
In a monothestic, totalitarian world, all the juniors are 'bossed' by Canonical (in this example). However if you read the insiders view of the Canonical's'sub-projects' - the BULLY-VICTIM dictatorship that all of us learnt as babies - does not hold here.
The Canonical approved (officially) spins are voluntary collaborating with 'head office' (my words only). Other non-approved (officially) spins are like the many spins of the voluntary organizational sector: independent charities, Google private-project staff-time, IBM's blue-sky independent-projects, organization pilot programs, etc.
In management terms, these Canonical sub-projects have transcended Malsow's hierarchy of motivation, from isolated, victim nerdism (first four stages), to equal-partnership self actualization, with the agreements of both parties (fifth stage, after appropriate processes of 'corporate bereavement' - to use the managerial jargon).
Some non-approved projects (and nearly all non-buntus) are not self-actualizing, but childishly rebelling about the Canonical placement, as the planet's currently leading Linux distribution. In jealous outrage of all beraevement stages, these intimidated juniors belittle all the Judas's, critics, conformists, fanboys, etc - because reality is too painful to handle. "Shoot The Messenger" syndrome.
Psychology 101, as seen in Distrowatch IMO. YMMV.
83 • Ubuntu variants (by Jon Wright on 2013-05-02 06:44:05 GMT from Vietnam)
> "German, Vietnamese, etc languages may not distinguish between the terms: sub-project, super-project, spin, fork, ... ? but English ..."
We're all using English here, don't be pedantic.
84 • @ #82 by gregzeng (by Pierre on 2013-05-02 07:53:47 GMT from Germany)
Funny to correct the correction. ;-)
But honestly, we all learn english in school and often in university, too - like for example I did - and you can be sure we learned enough to know what we are writing and how to distinguish between terms.
Additionally you should not make assumptions about languages you obviously don't know much about.
I don't know about Vietnamese, but German does indeed distinguish between the terms 'sub-, super-project, spin, fork etc.'. Seems you only needed something vague to base your post on. Unfortunately this is no base to turn down my or other's opinions. And if you had read more carefully you should have been able to see and read in your own native language that I in fact made a recognizable differentiation between these different terms and used them accordingly.
Would now be funny to see how good your German or Vietnamese is. Write us a few sentences. :-) I bet we would have a lot fun and work to correct these. And I am sure we would definitely be more accommodating.
Well, at least in case you were able to write German or Vietnamese...
85 • @82 (by zykoda on 2013-05-02 07:59:53 GMT from United Kingdom)
IMHO I would rate Android (not currently in DW as a distro) as the planet's leading user of the nonGNU Linux kernel. *buntus are not financed to anything like the same degree: and GNU is losing ground! There is some truth in what you say in your first sentence. There is an underlying basis switch underway at present.
86 • openSUSE (by Mac on 2013-05-02 11:38:09 GMT from United States)
@73,75,77 My experience with openSUSE 12.3 has been very good. After being a debian user for several years had a little trouble with the installer in 12.2 that I think now was my fault. Being a kde no eyecandy user 12.3 is giving me a chance to learn rpm and have a long way to go. And I for one say thanks to all the hard work that goes into all the linux distro's!! Have fun Mack
87 • @84by Pierre (by mandog on 2013-05-02 11:44:53 GMT from Peru)
> But honestly, we all learn english in school and often in university.
I'm sorry to disappoint you, You are not speaking for the rest of the world English may be taught as a second language in Europe. I'm English and live in South America they may have limited English in schools but Spanish/Portuguese is the dominant language, And they are proud of who they are. I don't know any Peruvians that speak more than a few words of English except those that have been to England/USA.
88 • My word! (by Sam Graf on 2013-05-02 12:28:57 GMT from United States)
Battling over English and Mark Twain and educators. What a wonderfully diverse conversation DistroWatch can be.
I do wonder if DistroWatch readership centers on hobbyists. The whole "*buntu haters" dialog seems to me an example. At home I used to use nothing but *buntu but have come to prefer plain old Debian on both desktop and server. At work, it's a whole different story. For OS-related products we use Citrix, Ubuntu, Debian, Apple, and Microsoft. My preferences at home and my preferences at work are driven by very different priorities. I see echos of those differences played out here, but the single-computer home/enthusiast-type user seems to be better represented. If true, that's likely an incomplete picture of Linux/GNU/BSD users.
89 • @ #87 (by Pierre on 2013-05-02 12:54:11 GMT from Germany)
You do not disappoint me at all. I simply have to admit that this was no accurate generalization. 'Most of us' should fit better.
And at least you seem to be an exception to the rule. And proud... well, it's a fine line between being proud and narrow-minded, isn't it.
90 • @85 - Android is the planet's leading user of the nonGNU kernel (by Andy Prough on 2013-05-02 14:44:26 GMT from United States)
Agreed. And I would argue that very soon, Chrome OS (based on Gentoo) will be the world's #2 most used kernel.
[posted from my Samsung Chromebook :D ]
91 • @89 (by mandog on 2013-05-02 14:50:02 GMT from Peru)
my wife is English speaking peruvian I taught her English. We try to tell young people the importance of English but all we get is Spanish Spanish,?
@88 I Believe Ubuntu has done both good and bad for linux the good side like Red Hat its brought Linux forward faster than it was going before, the bad side is the corporate side, both Ubuntu/Red Hat are only in it for the money, Thats where the resentment comes from. Personally I don't give a monkey, I don't use either, I do not run them down they both give something back Red Hat more so.
Ubuntu at the end of the day is only a snap shot of Debian Sid. That is why this release is numbed down Debian repositories are frozen, Sid is also frozen. That means Ubuntu is reliant on Debian to do the main work for them.
92 • Re: Mandriva @79 (by Rev_Don on 2013-05-02 16:50:20 GMT from United States)
Mandriva as we have known it doesn't exist. They have EOL'd all of their free desktop distros and are concentrating on various Enterprise offerings. The free desktop versions have forked into Mageia and the upcoming OpenMandriva (if it ever materializes into an actual release).
It's a shame really, as Mandriva/Mandrake was my main Linux distro for years. It was what I migrated to after Corel Linux was discontinued.
93 • @87@84 (by TonyA on 2013-05-03 05:36:49 GMT from Thailand)
Funny, to correct the correction on the correction.
>>But honestly, we all learn english in school and often in university.
> But honestly, we all study English in school and often in university,
but few seem to learn.
94 • @ #91 (by Pierre on 2013-05-03 09:00:19 GMT from Germany)
Especially in Computer Science you can't do without (good) English. Most documentation is published in English. Translations take a lot of time what means they are released when what was documented became outdated already.
As well as most things that get published online often aren't even translated at all and it's always good to speak as many languages as possible because it increases your abilities to communicate with others and therefore increases your possibilities in business. Speaking other languages does not mean to not be proud of the own language and/or origin.
I agree, Canonical and Red Hat have done a favour to Linux. And yes, they earn money with doing so, but they are giving back to the community and open source software. So I don't see any downside on that. Making money with open source is no evil in my opinion.
95 • Mepis (by Silas on 2013-05-03 11:41:40 GMT from United States)
Benn away for a while. What happened to once glorious Mepis and Warren?
I see a new Antix, but only a 9/2012 Mepis.
96 • @94 (by mandog on 2013-05-03 11:55:53 GMT from Peru)
>I agree, Canonical and Red Hat have done a favour to Linux. And yes, they earn money with doing so, but they are giving back to the community and open source software. So I don't see any downside on that. Making money with open source is no evil in my opinion.
But to a lot of people that makes them evil unfortunately.
.
97 • Gentoo (by Chanath on 2013-05-03 13:58:28 GMT from Sri Lanka)
Lot of people don't use Gentoo, because it is pretty hard to install, if you are not a geek. Calculate and Sabayon gives us a chance to use this incredible Gentoo, just like any other distro. This time, I am going to stay with either of them, dropping Ubuntu 13.04 out..
98 • RE: 97 (by Landor on 2013-05-03 14:32:21 GMT from Canada)
If you're using a distribution, that's what you have. You don't have another distribution unless you use it.
Go tell the Debian project leader that you're using Ubuntu to "use the incredible Debian" because it's too hard to install. I may be wrong, but I'm sure he'd point out that no you are not.
Keep your stick on the ice...
Landor
99 • Re: UBUNTU (by borion on 2013-05-03 16:19:04 GMT from United States)
@14,
Leo, I was going to respond to #1, then I saw your post. You cracked me up brother :) My ribs are still hurting from laughing.
#1 must be living in some utopia if he thinks Ubuntu and its derivatives are "useless".
100 • Re: Gentoo (by borion on 2013-05-03 17:52:48 GMT from United States)
@97,
Can you please tell me what is so superior about Gentoo that I go out of my way to use it ... despite its shortcomings?
I'm an avg user. What I care about is the apps. I really don't care how spectacular Linux kernel is compared to BSD or MacOS or Windows or any of that mumbo jumbo.
What is so superior about Gentoo anyway? Sure, I can install gcc and compile stuff locally. How is it going to make it a better app?
Its all about applications folks ... and how well they perform.
101 • @ #100 (by Pierre on 2013-05-03 18:27:04 GMT from Germany)
Right, and some say that apps perform most stable on operating systems like Gentoo and Slackware. Additionally the software collections offered by distributions differs, too.
And one important correction: Gentoo is no app and it's difference has nothing to do about gcc. Gentoo is the operating system. It's this tiny little unimportant thing that builds the foundation on that your apps run.
Therefore the choice of the operating system matters a lot, although the choice is something very subjective because experiences differ a lot.
And then there are these more than average users, those who care about the technology behind all these shiny little apps you are so excited about.
So every difference in technology makes a difference in the possibilities you have. For advanced users some little advantage can make the choice obvious.
102 • @98 Gentoo & Landor (by Chanath on 2013-05-04 01:26:30 GMT from Sri Lanka)
It is quite true, if you're using a distribution, that's what you have. I must've used a much higher value word, "incredible."
How would it sound, if I tell the Clement Lefebvre that you're using Mint to "use the incredible Ubuntu?"
But I like both Calculate and Sabayon. I've been using Ubuntu too long. That's one of the reasons, I can't install Gentoo. The again, if I had used Mint for that long, I won't be able to install Debian...
Have a good day!
103 • @95: mepis (by hoos on 2013-05-04 02:45:57 GMT from Singapore)
Still alive as far as I know. :) I think with Warren, you'll simply (haha) get the new mepis when it's ready. No time frame.
I'm still using mepis 11 with community repos enabled, and it works fine. At the forum, I've read of people using the alpha of version 12 as their daily distro because it already works pretty well.
104 • @101 (by borion on 2013-05-04 04:06:09 GMT from United States)
@101,
I know Gentoo is a distribution and not an app. I was talking about apps compiled on Gentoo and how they are better compared to say downloading a binary from repositories.
105 • Semplice (by PePa on 2013-05-04 05:09:14 GMT from Canada)
I have to say that Semplice Linux is REALLY good: functional, well-done, tasteful, light, based on Debian but with some great innovations, a very active and responsive main developer (whom I think is a genius!), and the development is very accessible. Semplice is absolutely worth checking out.
106 • Sudo security (by PePa on 2013-05-04 05:23:50 GMT from Canada)
@11 and @54
Why would sudo be dangerous and a security risk?? The biggest danger of 'root' login is that an attacker only has to guess the password, the username is already a given. This is the biggest reason to lock the 'root' account.
The issue is, who has access to privileged transactions? Probably certain users, so you put them in the sudo/wheel group. If you don't have sudo, you must get those privileges as a standard part of your account (which is less safe than needing to escalate) or you need to login to a different account that has the required privileges. You can also lower the security barrier to certain things, like installing new software, but that doesn't make things safer. I think we need to renounce the myth that sudo is bad practice. (The fact that Ubuntu uses it does not prove it's bad!)
107 • Flash (by Silas on 2013-05-04 13:05:31 GMT from United States)
I've had so many problems with Flash, I am unable to use Linux on my Thinkpad T23 (1.13GHz, 1M ram). I have 2 of these laptops and they continue to serve me well, when used as 'internet appliances'. Any site that uses Flash for content is off limits to me on my Mint 13 (Xfce) machine, but these sites work fine with my XP machine. I have used Flash with no problems since 2003, but the last two months have been nothing but a HUGE waste of time. I was amazed when I did any sort of Google search with 'Linux Flash', 'Mint Flash', etc. With Adobe dropping support for Flash in Linux (except for security updates), I hope someone comes up with a solution, because I've tried everything.
108 • MEPIS (by Mac on 2013-05-04 15:01:56 GMT from United States)
@95,@103 I still use mepis 11.9.70 I think that is 12 alfa 2 and servers me well and hope that it stays around for a long time. Have fun Mack
109 • 107 • Flash (by mandog on 2013-05-04 15:51:21 GMT from Peru)
I don't think your problem is flash more a system thing more likely the catch is corrupted. try using Adobe flash player in the menu it brings up adobe flash player preferences you can then clean and debug.
failing that use chrome with pepper it was buggy last time I used it
Flash still works for me never a problem. I also use adblock plus that stops unwanted flash and java content.
110 • @107 - Flash (by Andy Prough on 2013-05-05 04:40:50 GMT from United States)
@Silas - >"Any site that uses Flash for content is off limits to me on my Mint 13 (Xfce) machine, but these sites work fine with my XP machine"
=================
Try switching to Chromium as your primary web browser - the built-in Chromium implementation of Flash should ease your pain considerably.
111 • Flash? It's obsolete. (by Skeptical on 2013-05-05 11:13:00 GMT from United States)
Newer versions are used by advertisers to abuse your computer, while HTML5 rendered it obsolete years ago.
112 • Redo and Backup (by Maurice George on 2013-05-05 12:27:43 GMT from United Kingdom)
This live CD rescue disk does what other image savers don't.
How many hours did I spend trying in vain to save an image of my hard disk ?
I tried every live disk and C.L.I. which claimed to be easy, infallible and quick - and never delivered. Bugs, crashes, stalls, unfathomable instructions etc.
RedoandBackup is SIMPLE, QUICK & RELIABLE.
So congratulations to its developers ! I'd like to make a donation but I can't find how.
Maurice (U.K.)
113 • @ #104 and #107 (by Pierre on 2013-05-05 13:22:25 GMT from Germany)
@#104 by borion
Compiling software instead of installing binaries has a few advantages.
One is, that you compile it directly for your own system and not for an architecture. You are in control of dependencies you want to add and in which way and compiler you want to compile. This all results in a - maybe unrecognizable and only benchmarkable - slightly better performance.
@ #107 by Silas
For me Flash still works, no matter which system I am running. On my own systems I am running openSUSE 12.3 but I my girlfriend's machines are running Mint 13 and 14. Both no problems with Flash.
So I have no clue what the problem might be with your Mint and Flash installation. Maybe you try a complete reinstall of Mint 14?
114 • @112 (by TonyA on 2013-05-05 13:33:20 GMT from Thailand)
How many hours did I spend trying in vain to save an image of my hard disk ?
I have no idea :-)
But I spend about 3 minutes per partition of about 12 Gb
And for my data I use Lucky Backup.
Backing up the whole disk ? ? ?
Don't work hard, work smart.
115 • ABOUT KORORA 18 (by Jefferssonian on 2013-05-05 20:32:10 GMT from United States)
Nice to know the Korora 18 is a spinoff of Fedora 18 (latest).
However "it is nicer than Fedora 18" is a bit short ! And going to Korora forum does not help: I could not register.
Actually this goes for most distros: what does it do BETTER (or differently than other distros? "What are exactly the differences?"
Since most of the issues/problems with Linux are device driver related, I really would like to know exactly which drivers do work, and which ones are not available, or do not work, for a new distro.
And yes, Ubuntu did there a pretty good job: I am a Fedora user, however I do love the Ubuntu (+derivatives) to have most hardware working when the install is done, congratulation there to the Ubuntu team: nice job !
The most important device drivers for usability are the video ones, as well as the wi-fi ones.
AMD/ATI , Atheros, Intel, have excellent Linux Devices Drivers: they just work !
NVIDIA have good but hard to install device drivers: avoid Nvidia Based hardware if you wish an easy Linux Experience.
Ralink, and a few Taiwan based hardware company, do not make technical info available, and they are mediocre Linux device drivers: poor Linux experience there.
Now Korora, if I only knew what is different there, I may give it a shot.
J.
Number of Comments: 115
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