Mandrake 8.1 and 8.2 were big improvements over previous versions. 8.2 is especially nice and has a minimal install option.
John Hebert --- john beamon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The last time I put in Mandrake, it was a 45-minute > installation. I got a > KDE desktop so full of icons I couldn't find the > background color for > three days. There were apps for everything, five > text editors, three > browsers, four ftp clients, stuff like that. The > kind of thing you get > nowadays from full-installing KDE3 and Ximian, but > with every app having > its own icon onscreen. It installed Gnome, KDE, > Blackbox, Windowmaker, > AnotherLevel, Enlightenment, and they were all > available on the login > menu. It was Gorgeous(TM). It was hailed as the > "desktop user's Linux", > as it is now. > > At that time, there were *.mdk.rpm packages that I > was required to use > (it's been a while, this might have changed), and I > was limited in where I > could get common OSS packages. I tried upgrading > some things with > standard Red Hat rpm's, hearing that Mandrake was "a > Red Hat-derived Linux > distribution", and it wouldn't work. I ended up > going back to Red Hat, > forsaking the Gorgeous(TM) desktop experience for a > system that was > streamlined, lightweight, and easy to maintain. Let > me contextualize that > last statement by saying I tried MDK 6.5 and 7.0 in > and around the Red Hat > 6 generation, and I went back to Red Hat 6.1. I'm > not referencing SuSE or > Debian or Slackware in this comparison of > "lightweight" or "easy", so > don't even light THAT flame today! Even Solaris > with lxrun and AIX 5L now > accept standard rpm's, so I will NOT consider MDK an > "enhancement". > > I said all that to ask this question. Since when is > Mandrake considered > "the desktop user's Linux"? I found it slow, > disk-hungry, hard to > maintain, way behind the curve on rpm packaging. > Granted, it was pretty > and full of apps, but who needs five text editors > with separate icons on > the desktop? Who in the world of Windows desktop > users ever wished they > had five editors to choose from? Heck, they gripe > that my HTML resume > "isn't a Word file format"! I'll readily admit I've > seen corporate > Windows desktops with icons for EVERYTHING on them, > so that aspect of MDK > was probably engineered for familiarity's sake, but > people never use all > of them. > > I, on the other hand, use Red Hat 7.3 with > Windowmaker as my default > desktop. I upgrade my packages from redhat, not > from Ximian, which used > to give me NIGHTMARES on dependency versions, or > from source where > necessary. My dock has icons for OpenOffice, XMMS, > Gnomesword, Mozilla, > aterm, and a couple monitors. Most everything else > on the box is either > command-line or not in my daily routine. My > click-menu was generated by > genmenu.pl, which I **LOVE**, then tweaked for my > own preferences. I've > got ready access - with or without a mouse - to > about 15 GUI apps, and I > never, EVER find my daily routine lacking. It has a > memory footprint of 2 > MB, and it starts from the *dm login manager in > about five seconds on a > P2-266 notebook. THAT, to me, is all I'd want from > a mom-n-pop appliance > or a corporate workstation. Am I in a tiny little > minority here? > > -- > -j > > John Beamon > > On Wed, 19 Jun 2002, Nashid Hasan wrote: > > > Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 11:28:30 -0500 > > From: Nashid Hasan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Reply-To: [email protected] > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [brlug-general] Mandrake on Microtel > systems at Walmart.com soon > > > > This time its Mandrake...... > > > > > > As early as next week, Walmart.com will begin > selling Microtel PCs loaded > > with the Mandrake Linux distribution. > > Keep your eye on Walmart.com for new Microtel > systems bearing the Mandrake > > logo. The systems will sell alongside the newly > announced Lindows-based > > PCs, say sources. And continue to look for more > online retail > > envelope-pushing from Wal-Mart's online wing, of > all places. > > MandrakeSoft CEO Jacques Le Marois confirms the > news this morning, and > > company spokeswoman Margaret Waters says, while a > contract with Microtel > > has not been finalized, the company is working on > getting Mandrake > > certified to run like clockwork on the Microtel > systems. Waters is hopeful > > that the dotted line will be signed and PCs up for > sale by the end of next > > week. > > Walmart.com and Microtel are getting a lot of > press lately, mostly because > > Walmart.com is the first major retailer to offer > something other than the > > standard Windows PC. With Walmart.com taking the > first leap, it's possible > > that other stores will follow in selling bare > systems and those with Linux > > preloaded. > > Walmart.com has a few well-placed electronics > buyers who are savvy to > > Linux, and a management team looking for ways to > reinvigorate stagnant > > computer sales numbers. The combination has > resulted in innovations like > > the Windows-free Microtel line and has generated > strong sales and low > > return numbers, a trend Walmart.com may hope will > continue with the > > introduction of Linux systems. According to > sources, the buyers chose > > Lindows first because of perceived > user-friendliness. > > But the move to Mandrake may be seen as a better > one for the Linux world > > and for people who want to purchase the Microtel > systems with Linux, > > because Mandrake has been around for years, is > already on the brink of a > > 9.0 release level and has an established > reputation for providing support. > > In support of LindowsOS, however, Rich Hindman of > Microtel says that as of > > Monday, June 17, the version of Lindows that lives > in the systems sold > > through Walmart.com is LindowOS 1.1, not the beta > SPX mentioned in a quote > > from a Lindows PR spokeswoman in Tuesday's report. > > A source close to Walmart.com says that Lindows > itself is "ready to roll," > > and that drivers are the only hold up. The > Walmart.com units contain > > special custom drivers written specifically for > the Microtel project. "The > > only way someone can get Lindows 1.1 is to buy a > computer with it > > pre-installed," says Hindman, vice president at > Microtel. > > There has been some disdain expressed in the Linux > community over the > > perception that Lindows has been reluctant to > release source code under the > > terms of the GPL. Brad Kuhn of the Free Software > Foundation expressed some > > concern that Lindows was going to market at > Walmart.com without a fitting > > EULA. "We have promised [Lindows CEO Michael] > Robertson a rewrite of his > > EULA, and it is waiting for time from our general > counsel to write one. We > > do wish he'd told us in confidence that this > Wal-Mart deal was imminent; we > > could have expedited the work on the EULA if we'd > known." > > > > > > --Nash > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > General mailing list > > [email protected] > > > http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
