On Thu, 25 Nov 1999, Frank Rocco wrote:
> I am new to Linux and want to install it in a duel boot config for Win98. I
> heard of Redhat, Caldera and now Coral.
> Should I get Coral as it is the latest release?
Since you're posting to a Red Hat list, you're probably not expecting
unbiased answers. ;)
I've actually tried all of them, so here's what I think of them (Note: I
am a Red Hat developer. I'm trying to be neutral, but you should know I
might be biased without realizing it):
- Corel Linux may be the latest release, but it contains numerous
completely outdated packages. Some of them (proftpd 1.2.0pre1, bind
8.1, ...) even have major security problems.
It's installation is very easy unless its hardware detection hangs the
system (which happened on a notebook I tried).
There are several bugs left (after one otherwise successful
installation, I had to add "/usr/X11R6/bin/startkde" to
/etc/X11/window-managers to see their KDE changes - prior to that, it
wouldn't start anything but twm.)
Their KDE changes are partially very nice for a beginner (they put in
a new file manager that behaves pretty much like a bugfixed Windows
Explorer), but also partially confusing for people who have already
used Linux (they changed package names, moved some options to different
places etc).
They go to X only; if you want to try the command line mode, it's
definitely not a good choice.
Also, it is lacking some important programs (ever wondered why their CD
has only 300 MB on it, while Red Hat Linux 6.1 has 640 MB +
powertools?). For example, it's KDE only (no GNOME, no real text mode
support unless you tweak it).
Their choice of package managers (dpkg, not rpm) is surely a matter of
taste, but considering that almost everyone else is using rpm nowadays,
I'd prefer RPM.
All in all, I'd say it was a rushed release - their final would be an
ok beta. Maybe their next version will be more interesting. If you know
how to fix some potential trouble caused by installer bugs, it's ok for
a desktop machine, but it's a danger on a server.
- Caldera has a nice installer (unfortunately not entirely bugfree - I
could make it mount a swap partition as root filesystem).
The installer is completely multithreaded - it installs packages while
you make selections. The installer's biggest problem is that it doesn't
have individual package selection, which is not very important for
beginners.
The problems here start after installation - for example, COL enters
graphics mode using the kernel's framebuffer devices, and then starts
a normal X server, which is a definite DON'T.
It's ok for most graphics cards, but completely breaks on others.
The kernel documentation explicitly warns of doing it:
"XF86_FBDev should work just fine, but it is non-accelerated. Running
another (accelerated) X-Server like XF86_SVGA might or might not work.
It depends on X-Server and graphics board.
The X-Server must restore the video mode correctly, else you end up
with a broken console (and vesafb cannot do anything about this)."
Their KDE settings are probably a matter of taste - I personally
don't like them. They've turned off the "close" button of a window by default.
They don't include GNOME.
- While Red Hat Linux isn't perfect (YET) either, I've had least problems
with it - it leaves you most choices (Installation in graphics mode or
in text mode, KDE or GNOME, individual package selection (optional),
...)
In general, it can't hurt to try all of them and pick whatever you like
best.
LLaP
bero
--
Nobody will ever need more than 640 kB RAM.
-- Bill Gates, 1983
Windows 98 requires 16 MB RAM.
-- Bill Gates, 1999
Nobody will ever need Windows 98.
-- logical conclusion
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