Skip Links

Network World

Two New Linux Distros

By Miles Baska on Wed, 10/10/07 - 8:36pm.

Linspire and Mandriva have released new versions of their Linux distros to the world. You can download each from their web site. Linspire wants you to pony up $50 for their full version, or get their stripped down roll-your-own Freespire version. Mandriva has released Mandriva Linux One 2008 -- formerly Mandrake -- providing a full Linux OS on a single CD. They offer a PowerPack version for $50 that includes SQL and web development tools as well as a more complete set of proprietary drivers. In my quest for The Perfect Linux Desktop I'm drawn to Mandriva.

I've just booted Mandriva Linux One 2008 and I'm taking it for a spin on a dated test box, an 800MHz AMD Duron processor with 640M RAM and a GeForce4 video card. It seems to have spotted all the hardware, and functions impressively -- for an old Windows user, this Linux distro may well be the best one yet. I'll be testing it on other hardware, and I'll get back here later with my findings.

Meanwhile, if you have been curious about Linux and haven't tried it yet, download this One and give it a try -- it runs from the CD, and you're up and going after a few simple questions (keyboard layout, clock and timezone, etc.). Word of caution: The default selection was to disable the 3D desktop. I tried to run it and got no joy. Take the default.

(Updates Below)

10/11/07:     Like all Linux distros, documentation is pretty light. But with Ubuntu comes popularity, and that means lots of forums and community written tutorials. I'm not finding that with One. The install was easier than Ubuntu, One finding all the hardware and setting everything up perfectly (I had small issues with display resolution in Ubuntu). One installs a more impressive suite of software, including a VPN and TightVNC; both have robust package managers that make it simple to go out and get more software. I think the software reviews in Ubuntu's package manager give me more information. I asked One to install Gimp and it disappeared from the package manager but didn't appear anywhere on my system -- it's not in the list of installed programs. I'm getting other errors trying to install Windows shares and network printers. My initial feeling is that One gives me a better experience out of the gate, but it quickly drops behind Ubuntu as you round the first turn. More impressions as I plod on.