There’s Something About Pardus 2008

Because Pardus 2007 left a lasting impression on me, I have been eagerly waiting for its next release. So when the stable version of Pardus 2008 came out just recently, I never hesitated to try and test this promising distro from Turkey once again.

From Pardus project's website:

"In compliance with the main goals of the Pardus project, Pardus 2008 has lots of new features for ease of installation and use, both at the infrastructure and interface levels. In addition, Pardus 2008 provides enhanced hardware support, stable and reliable Linux infrastructure and numerous applications on a single CD. You will go through a brand new experience of freedom, using Pardus 2008"

So what are the improvements and new features of Pardus 2008? Read on to find out...

Test Machine Specs:
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 256 MB allocated to VM memory

Installation:
Unlike the previous version, Pardus 2008 is only available in installation "Kurulan" edition and doesn't have the Live CD "Calisan" option. In my case, it's no big deal as when I'm testing a distro, I always want to go directly to installation to really know how well it handles my hardware. However, the Live CD can be handy at times as it can both function as a rescue CD, and as a way to try a distro without even touching the hard drive.


Once Padus 2008 was loaded, I was greeted with their logo and a brand new fresh orange background as seen on screenshot. Then, a boot menu appeared with the default language set to Turkish, so I had to press F2 and changed it to English. --I really find it great that Pardus supports plenty of languages. Next was the installation process that is handled by YALI (Pardus custom-made installer). It started with accepting the GNU/GPL license; followed by checking the CD's integrity, keyboard layout set-up, time zone set-up, creating user accounts, partitioning, bootloader set-up, the summary of installation, and lastly, installing the system.



Surprisingly, Pardus 2008 installation took about 40 minutes to complete compared to 20 minutes in the previous version.

Look and Feel:
Pardus puts on a new look in this 2008 version as seen on its sleek installer and login menu. Just like before, Kaptan Desktop Wizard appeared at first login and helped me configure my mouse, panel, wallpaper, network connection, etc. For "panel", I was given an option to use Classic, Modern, Next Generation, and Transparent, and whether to use the enhanced Kickoff style menu or not; -- "Classic" for those who wants a lighter and faster desktop, and "Transparent" for those who wants a more stylish desktop. I personally like the classic look, but as before, I used transparent to see how my hardware can handle the added eye-candy. For wallpaper, there are plenty of good-looking backgrounds to choose from, however, it's interesting to note that there are no leopard-themed wallpapers this time around. By the way, Pardus 2008 is still using the updated KDE 3.5 as its default desktop environment.



Software/Features:
Pardus 2008 has plenty of changes and improvements on its custom applications such as:

-faster package management system (PiSi)
-YALI includes a new and improved partitioning interface
-Kaptan Desktop has been completely rewritten
-new graphical display manager

It has also updated most of its important software applications:

-Updated KDE 3.5.9 Desktop Environment;
-Updated Linux kernel (2.6.25.9);
-Important infrastructure improvements including gcc 4.3.1, glibc 2.8, Python 2.5, Java 6;
-The most recent, fastest and most capable internet browser Mozilla Firefox 3.0;
-OpenOffice.org 2.4.1;

…and plenty more;



Stability/Hardware Detection:
Pardus 2008 had no trouble detecting and configuring my virtual machine hardware. Everything was functioning well like the audio, display, and Ethernet. Changing the screen resolution is really much easier now thanks to the new graphical manager. It is also possible to painlessly tweak some of the hardware preferences using the very reliable Pardus Configuration Center (TASMA).



Conclusion:
Pardus 2008 is not perfect and has some minor issues that need to be fixed. However, its overall stability is intact and it really made some significant improvements over its previous version. Also, its speed has improved (not including the installation), it has a more polished look, and it is even easier to use than before due to enhancements in several of its home-cooked system tools and applications.

In my opinion, Pardus is definitely the best government funded Linux distribution at the moment. I hope our very own Philippine-made Bayanihan Linux in the very near future will at least equal what Pardus has achieved.

To those who are still looking for a user-friendly, efficient, and stable Linux distro, why not give Pardus 2008 a try. --The download page can be found HERE.

A Date with Elyssa

After dating Cassandra and Daryna, I spend some time with the newest Mint girl in town. Elyssa is her name or you can simply call her Mint 5.

I was really impressed with the past versions of Mint, so I made a vow to always keep track of its latest development. Since Mint 5 is derived from Ubuntu 8.04 LTS, I expect it to be filled with exciting new features and should be more of like a much polished "Hardy Heron". So, immediately after its release, I downloaded the "Main Edition" of Linux Mint 5 and thoroughly tested it to see if it was able to meet my expectations.

Here is how my date with Elyssa went out:

Test Machine Specs:
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 512 MB allocated to VM memory

Installation:
Mint 5 installation was flawless as usual on my test machine, and I was not surprised. It's actually the same straightforward installation similar to that of Ubuntu. However, unlike in Hardy Heron, you are not given an option to install the operating system right away. You have to boot to the Live CD desktop first for you to install Mint 5.

An interesting and handy feature of Mint is an application called MintAssistant. It's a wizard that appears immediately after the installation (during first log-in) that asks you a few questions to customize Mint based on your level of knowledge and comfort with various Linux components. It will also give you options to enable or disable fortune-cookies in the terminal, and whether to enable the root account or not.



Look and Feel:
One of the things that has drawn people into using Mint is its elegance. Right now, I think it's next to openSUSE in terms of looks and x-factor. Mint 5 comes with 5 new themes: Peppermint, Wildmint, Aurora, Carbon and Lightning. These themes take advantage of the new Aurora and Candido GTK engines and they are fully customizable. The default dark wallpaper in Mint 5 is almost the same as that of Daryna, but there are plenty of pleasant-looking Mint-themed wallpapers that are available out-of-the-box just in case you are tired of black. The other thing that makes Elyssa gorgeous-looking is its set of icons called Mint-Green. Those who are not contented with the basic beautification and wanted more desktop bling can always enable desktop effects provided they have a capable graphics card. Overall, Mint 5 has a very polished and professional looking GNOME desktop.



Unlike Ubuntu, Mint utilizes a single panel with its very own MintMenu --a python-coded menu that allows for fully customizable text, icons, and colors. Some may like this setup but I still prefer the two-panel and classic GNOME-menu combination.



Software/Features:
Mint 5 has indeed plenty of improvements over its predecessor in terms of features and installed software packages. There are also improvements in mintMenu, mintUpdate, and mintInstal among others. You can read Elyssa's full list of features HERE.

The all essential list of software packages installed by default in Mint 5 is almost the same as that of Ubuntu 8.04. It has Firefox 3, GIMP 2.4, OpenOffice.org 2.4, and a whole lot more. Plus, important proprietary plugins like flash and multimedia codecs for playing DVD and MP3 are already loaded in Mint. If you need more software packages, you can easily get and install them using the very reliable Synaptic Package Manager, or you can install applications with one click of a mouse using Mint's very own mintInstall.



Stability/Hardware Detection:
From installation, Mint 5 has been running smooth and steady on the virtual machine environment. It never failed to detect and properly configure the VM hardware like USB, audio, CDROM, and Ethernet. Also, I have easily and successfully adjusted my screen resolution to my preferred setting. I’ve really never encountered major headaches while using Elyssa while doing some of my computing tasks.

For those who are using unsupported graphics and wireless cards, Mint comes with Envy, a proprietary graphics card driver installer, and a Windows Wireless Driver installer. Though I have not tested them both, I think they are very practical tools for those who want a painless graphics and wireless card drivers installation.



Conclusion:
With Elyssa, Linux Mint has cemented its place as my top rated distro for Linux newbies particularly those who have just migrated from Windows. It is so easy to use that you can call it Ubuntu for dummies. Plus, it is filled with necessary tools and applications that make desktop computing a breeze. All in all, Elyssa is yet another successful release for Mint. No wonder why Mint is really on the rise and has now overtaken some of the most popular Linux distributions.

As with several positive reviews HERE and HERE, I highly urge those who are not yet married to a particular distro to have a date with Elyssa. You can start by visiting her download page HERE :-)

Essential Linux Tool: SystemRescueCd

SystemRescueCd is a Gentoo-based Linux distribution that specializes in repairing unbootable computer systems and recovering data after a system crash. Since it is loaded with system utilities, its main aim is to provide a handy tool to anyone that needs to perform computer admin tasks.

I already have micro distros like SliTaz and DSL that I may someday use in case of emergency. However, I needed a more powerful and more complete rescue tool. SystemRescueCd is the answer. Just recently, I got the freshly released SystemRescueCd version 1.0.3 HERE , and then loaded it for a test drive.

Running SystemRescueCd
To run SystemRescueCd, you have to burn the ISO image first to a CD ROM. You can also install it to a USB stick in case your CD drive is inaccessible or is not available.

SystemRescueCd will start off by giving you several options since it contains four main boot images such as:

* rescuecd --the default choice for 32bits systems with Framebuffer disabled; best choice;
* altker32 --an alternative kernel for 32bits systems; Boot with this kernel in case you have problems with rescuecd;
* rescue64 --the default 64 bits kernel; Use it if you want to chroot to a 64bits Linux system installed on your hard disk, or if you have to run 64 bits programs;
* altker64 --an alternative kernel for 64bits systems; Boot with this kernel in case you have problems with rescue64;

Other boot option parameters are also available for performing special tasks. Here are some of them:

* docache --with that option the system will copy all the files it needs to the RAM of your computer. Once the files are cached into memory, you can eject the disc from the drive and continue using the Live CD. It allows you to insert another disc in the drive, and the system is running faster. That option requires at least 256MB of memory;
* setkmap=xx: --usually the systems ask you which kind of keyboard you have during the boot process. If you enter this option there will be no question to answer during the boot. Replace 'xx' with the keyboard you have: 'us' for USA, 'uk' for British, 'de' for German, and so on;
* ide=nodma or all-generic-ide --use these options if there is a problem related to the hard disk, for instance if the kernel boot process hangs on a driver related to the storage;
* doxdetect or forcevesa --use these options if you cannot get the graphical environment to work when you type startx in the shell prompt;
* acpi-off / noapic / irqpool --use these options if you have any problem when the kernel boots: if it hangs on a driver or if it crashes;

Working in console mode or in graphical environment

In console mode, you can mount partitions of your disks in order to troubleshoot an installed Linux or a Windows operating system. To troubleshoot Linux, you can mount any Linux filesystem (ext2fs, ext3fs, reiserfs, reiser4, jfs, xfs). SystemRescueCd is also able to mount FAT or NTFS disk used by Windows. If you want to mount your windows disk use ntfs-3g (eg: ntfs-3g /dev/sda1 /mnt/windows). The well known vim and qemacs editors are also available if you have to edit files.

To start the graphical environment, use the "startx" command. You will then be taken to SystemRescueCd's JWM desktop where you can work with Gparted (Partition Magic clone), Leafpad graphical editor, and Firefox web browser among others.

SystemRescueCd will also allow you to make backups over the network, download some files, work remotely using ssh and telnet, or access files that are shared on a Unix server (with NFS) or on a Windows machine (with Samba). You also have a read/write access to MS Windows NTFS partitions using Ntfs3g. In addition, there’s a Test-disk tool to check and undelete partition that supports reiserfs, ntfs, fat32, ext2/3 and many others.

Conclusion:

SystemRescueCd 1.0.3 is an amazingly handy tool that's essential for system administrators and IT technicians. However, it's also very easy to use that I think even a regular Linux user can handle it. I'm so glad that I found SystemRescueCd because it has all the tools that I need to keep me from being paranoid of losing all of my essential files.
---

openSUSE 11: Ubuntu Killer?

I have been an avid openSUSE user in the past as it worked perfectly on my main workstation. However, I switched to Xubuntu as I'm more obsessed with speed and simplicity nowadays more than anything else. Since the latest version of openSUSE is about to be released and it promises some major enhancements over its predecessor, I decided to take a look at my former favorite distro to see what's been going on.

openSUSE 11 (Release Candidate) is out already, so it's the one that I grabbed. At first, I was still contemplating on which flavor to get since openSUSE is available in both Gnome and KDE Live CD versions. I usually go for GNOME, but this time I got the KDE 32-bit edition. My main reason for this is that I wanted to finally try out the much talked about KDE 4.

So, what's up with openSUSE 11? Is it good enough to finally beat Ubuntu on the desktop? Read on to find out...

Test Machine Specs:
Board: Intel Corporation D102GGC2
Processor: 3.40 GHz Intel Pentium D
Hard Drive: Samsung 80GB ATA with 8GB allocated to VM disk
Memory: 2GB DDR2 RAM with 512 MB allocated to VM memory



Installation:
This is the part where I'm really impressed. The installation was very straightforward that I think even my grandma can figure it out. The process is very simple and it only requires a few steps to get the system fully installed.

Here's my openSUSE 11 installation walkthrough -- The Live CD set-up kicks off after clicking the "install" icon, of course. The "Yast Installer" welcome screen will then open where you can set the "Language" and the "Keyboard layout". You will also have to agree to the "License Term" to go on. Then, you will have set the "Clock and Time Zone", followed by the easy "Partitioning". I said easy because there's already a suggested partition and you can just use it if it suits you. The last step is creating a new user, and then you will be given an option to double-check before the "Live" image can be copied to the hard drive. After the installation, you will have to reboot to use your newly installed system. -- Simple as that.



Look and Feel:
This is the interesting part. Almost all those who have used the most previous versions of openSUSE can definitely notice its trademark elegant and professional-looking themes and artworks. openSUSE 11 is no different and can surely satisfy those who loves a beautiful looking desktop. Everything looks polished -- the grub menu screen, the boot image, the login menu screen, and the default wallpaper.

Now let's talk about KDE 4. I'm not really a big fan of the K Desktop Environment as I've always said before. However, after having used KDE 4 in openSuSE 11, I must say that I'm loving it, although not totally. KDE 4 looked stunning indeed, and the good thing is that it didn't sacrifice "speed". It is very responsive even when running in VM (Virtual Machine) environment. If you have a not-so-old machine and want to experience desktop bling, then KDE 4 might satisfy your desire. It's true that KDE 4 is still quite buggy as I've encountered some of its minor glitches, but I think it's pretty much usable and stable enough for daily and productive use.



Software/Package Management:
openSUSE 11 is packed with plenty of important free and open source software. To name some, there's Firefox 3 (Beta 5) web browser, Kopete IM, OpenOffice.org office suite, Amarok audio player, Gwenview image viewer, and plenty more. I'm a little bit disappointed that GIMP was not included out-of-the-box, so I downloaded and installed it with the help of Yast graphical installer. I also installed the non-oss "flash player" for watching flash-based videos on the web.

Installing, removing, and updating software packages through Yast is hassle-free. To get additional packages, you have to enable the software repositories first, and then just search for the applications that you want. You can also easily browse for installed or available packages as they are well categorized. I must say that the Yast software installer has really improved through the years and has become much faster than before. In my own opinion, it's now almost as good as Synaptic Package Manager.



Stability/Hardware Detection:
openSUSE 11 worked perfectly well with the VM hardware as USB, CD-ROM, audio, and Ethernet were properly configured and were functioning immediately after the installation. SaX2 (YaST module used for configuring the X11 graphics system) worked flawlessly after I've tweak my screen resolution and other graphics options to my preferred settings. I also want to point out the faster boot/start-up speed of this new version. However, as noted on the release announcement, OpenSUSE RC1 is not yet fully cooked and has still some issues that need to be fixed.



Conclusion:
Based on my brief but thorough experience using openSUSE 11 (RC1), I'm expecting a very solid release for this Novell-sponsored Linux distribution. If those minor bugs that I've encountered will be ironed out before the release day comes, then this is going to be the best openSUSE version ever. Does it have what it takes to beat Ubuntu on the desktop? -- openSUSE has always been a distro of choice for mainstream and new-to-Linux users for so many years now, hence overtaking Ubuntu is not far from reality.

If openSUSE 11 can deliver the goods at the right time, who knows, I might give it another chance.

Puppy Linux 4.0: Has it Learned New Tricks?

Puppy Linux 4.0 has been unleashed recently. It is a major distribution release version of this well-known mini-distro that is why I took some time to check it out. I have used Puppy Linux 3.01 before, and I have said that it was more than just a cute-named distro. So what are the improvements of this latest edition over its predecessor? Has it really learned new tricks?

First, some Puppy Linux facts:
I just looked at the distro ranking of Puppy Linux over at Distrowatch and found out that it has slipped to #16 from #15 since the last time I checked. I wrote on my past review that Puppy Linux is Slackware-based but many have corrected me that it is not. Puppy Linux since version 3.01 is Slackware compatible and not Slackware-based. So there, I just corrected my mistake. What else? Puppy Linux is proudly made in Australia and is developed by Barry Kauler.

The download page for Puppy Linux 4.0 can be found HERE. It is worth noting that while Puppy 3.01 was built from Slackware-12 binary packages, Puppy Linux 4.0 has been totally compiled from source utilizing the so-called T2-project. Because of that, this latest edition of Puppy is even smaller in size at 87.1MB (before 98.6MB).

Installation:
There are plenty of ways to make Puppy run. You can boot it as a Live-CD, install it on a USB Flash drive, and even set it up to an internal/external hard drive. You can also remaster the Live CD if you want your very own customized Puppy. In my case, I made Puppy run on virtual machine (VMWare) to save me from the hassles of burning a CD.

Puppy Linux 4.0 started-off with the usual boot options menu where I was given a choice to add boot parameters, which wasn't necessarily needed, followed by keyboard layout set-up, and lastly the graphics configuration. At graphics set-up, you will be given an opportunity to test if your display is supported or not, which I think is very handy.



Look and Feel:
Puppy Linux 4.0 is still using the very lightweight window manager called JWM (Joe's Window Manager) and ROX-Filer as its file manager. However, it abandoned GTK1 and Tcl/Tk in favor of GTK2-based system. This particular change was made to achieve user-interface consistency and to reduce the size even more. The wallpaper or desktop background was new which I'm sorry to say I didn't like. I wanted the cute puppy background used on the previous version not only because it's cute but also because it's kind of a like a trademark for Puppy Linux. I have a little suggestion to Mr. Kauler. Why not have a contest and let everyone submit a photo of their puppy, and then make the winning photo the default wallpaper for Puppy 5.0. Isn't that interesting? What do you think?



Software/Package Management:
This latest version of Puppy now includes some valuable GTK2 applications. To name a few, there's Fotox (image viewer), Gwhere (disk catalogger), Prename (batch file renamer), gFnRename (batch file renamer), Pfind (file search), Pprocess (process manager), Chtheme (GTK theme chooser), Pidgin (multiprotocol chat client), Gadm-Rsync (GUI for rsync), Wireless Autoconnect, Gtkam (digital camera interface), Xsane (scanner interface), ePDFView (PDF viewer), Pschedule (cron GUI), Osmo (personal organiser), Pcdripper (audio CD ripper), RipOff (audio CD ripper), mhWaveEdit (audio editor), Pburn (CD/DVD burner), MTR (traceroute), Pnethood (Samba client), Pwireless (wireless scanner) and more. Abiword word processor and SeaMonkey web browser is still included as well as other important applications that were available in the previous version.

Installing additional packages is still handled by the much-improved PETget. The GUI window is fully refurbished, which now features categorized packages and allows easy access to multiple repositories.



Stability/Hardware Detection:
Puppy Linux 4.0 worked perfectly well on the VM environment, with properly detected and fully working Ethernet, USB, CD ROM, audio and display. I have heard that this Puppy even has all drivers built-in for scanning, digital camera, printing, and audio recording and editing, more of like a complete multimedia environment as they say it. I didn't have the opportunity to test those hardware drivers so I hope someone can attest or share if those stuff were working well on their machine.



Conclusion:
Puppy Linux 4.0 has really underwent a major overhaul that even its distro logo is changed. And based on what I've seen and experienced, the changes were overall for the better. The speed and responsive have improved considerably, and those added applications and features have really made Puppy Linux deserving to be among the best mini Linux distribution out there. Puppy Linux 4.0 not only learned some new tricks but also performed those tricks in flying colors.

Xubuntu Hardy Heron is Ready for Takeoff

“So far, so good.” That is all I can say when I tested Xubuntu 8.04 RC last night on my Macbook Pro. I didn’t want to wait for tomorrow’s distribution release because I know the download will be slow during that time due to expected heavy traffic. Anyway, the Release Candidate version will almost be the same as the finished product, I think.

My first impression with Xubuntu “Hardy Heron” was rather respectable because first and foremost, the installation was trouble-free and it was smooth sailing all the way. The bug that I talked about on the Xubuntu Beta release was fixed. I also want to point out that the partitioning was much simpler and the overall installer was much more responsive and quicker than its predecessors.



The looks were pretty much the same as that of “Gutsy Gibbon” except for the default wallpaper. It’s not the usual boring light-bluish wallpaper anymore. The “Murrina Storm Cloud” theme was kept which I think was a good decision, because for me, it’s one of the best gtk themes out there. Also, I’m glad that there is now a ‘places menu’ at the top panel which I find very useful. I know that it is very easy to add the "Places" plug-in, but I think it is handy to include it by default for those who are new to using an XFCE desktop like that of Xubuntu.



There were some good and bad changes with the included and excluded applications or packages in this latest edition of Xubuntu. Let’s start with the good. Xubuntu now features the latest XFCE 4.4.2 desktop, Linux 2.6.24 kernel, X.org 7.3, Gnome Office 2.20.2 and Firefox 3 Beta 5 among others. Also worth noting is the new image viewer called Ristretto. The bad part is that I can’t seem to find the ‘Screens and Graphics Preferences” in the Settings menu. I think it is not included anymore or they must have forgotten it, I don’t know.


Some of you maybe curious to know how well my Apple (Macbook Pro) hardware handled “Hardy Heron”. As of the moment, the important components that are working properly are USB, Bluetooth, graphics card, CD/DVD drive, and Ethernet. The track-pad worked but with no multi-touch function. The keyboard is also usable although I still can’t get the special keys to get going which means I can’t use the screen brightness keys, eject button, and volume control shortcuts. Also, the audio and wireless Internet still needs to be configured. However, I find it consoling that the suspend/resume is working flawlessly, and I have successfully extended my laptop display to a secondary monitor.


To extend the Macbook Pro (Penryn) display to a secondary monitor in Xubuntu, you have to install and enable the Nvidia proprietary driver first, and you will need to reboot after the installation. Then, open a terminal and install Nvidia settings manager with this command:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-settings

Next, open it with the command:

sudo nvidia-settings

A graphical Nvidia settings manager will appear, and from there you can now easily configure your dual monitor setup.


I noticed a slight glitch or bug every time I’m selecting a screen saver because the X server will restart on its own. I hope this will be fixed with a patch or in the final release.

Though I was kind of disappointed with the hardware support I’m getting with my Macbook Pro, I have high hopes that I will get everything going in due time. I will just keep you all posted especially those who are having the same problems like mine as soon as I have them fixed. For now, I will hang on to Xubuntu because it is still the best Linux desktop distro for me.

UPDATE: WiFi card is now working!
Keyboard Special Keys and Sound is Fixed!

Slax 6.0 on an Ancient Prestigio 109 Laptop

My first good impression of Slax was documented on my Slax, the Shrunken Slackware post. It was with Slax 6.0 RC7, a development release version which I tested under VMWare Server. So recently, I decided to take a closer look at Slax, by getting the latest “Distribution Release” which is version 6.0.3. This time, I’m using our ancient Prestigio 109 laptop to fully check the features and capabilities of this tiny distro. By the way, you can get Slax from their project website HERE.

This old mobile computer of ours has 1GHz VIA Nehemia processor, 256MB RAM, and 20GB hard drive. The hardware specifications may not seem that old to some of you, but if you’ll compare these to today’s laptop specs, you will agree with me. Just a little history of our beloved Prestigio 109 laptop; its original operating system is Windows XP. I decided to install Zenwalk later on after my wife complained that XP is starting to run like a turtle. I then switched to Ubuntu, then Mepis, and then finally settled with Xubuntu.

So how did Slax 6.0 get along with our ageing not-so-portable machine? Read on.


When the Slax Live CD was loaded, I was greeted with the familiar Slax boot options menu screen. I had a choice to start Slax in the default Graphics mode. I also had an option to copy Slax first to RAM to make it run faster, to start it in Text or command prompt mode, or to begin in VESA mode. I opted to start Slax the default way and then let it boot. Without delay, I was taken to the Slax KDE desktop.



The desktop look is still the same since the RC7 version of Slax. It's cool-looking default wallpaper and its splash image are still unchanged. There’s really nothing fancy about its overall appearance, just a simple KDE desktop with very minor customization. But, I don’t want to judge the book (I mean the distro) by its cover alone.



Slax comes with plenty of useful applications to keep the average desktop users happy. Some of its included free/open-source software packages are KOffice suite (contains a word processor, spreadsheet, and slide presenter), Kuickshow image viewer, KolourPaint (where’s Gimp?), Kplayer (video player), JuK (audio player), K3b (CD/DVD burner), Perl scripting language (where’s Python?), KWrite (Text Editor), Konqueror file and web browser (where’s FireFox?), some games, and plenty more. Flash is already installed by default so you don’t have to worry about it if you are into watching Youtube or any other flash-based videos.



There’s a Slax Module Manager with a purpose of getting and installing additional packages, but it seems the modules are not available (see screenshot below) in this distribution release. I find it odd because the modules were available in the “Release Candidate” version without me having to configure anything. I'm sorry to say that I just didn’t have the luxury of time to dig further and find the cause of this problem.


The good thing about Slax 6.0 is that it jelled well with Prestigio 109 laptop’s old hardware. The audio, USB, CD drive, and Ethernet were properly recognized and were functioning the way I want them to function. The display was also correctly set to its default 1024 x 768 resolution. I really had no problem hardware-wise and I can say that it was smooth sailing all along.



Because Slax is fast and lightweight, it is naturally an ideal distro for older computer machines like our ancient laptop. However, I must say that it is still not for everyone. I think it is not yet ideal for Linux beginners since newbies will probably need a distro that is a lot easier to use and has a widespread community support. Also, there are still issues that need to be fixed like the one I said above. But, as I’ve stated before, Slax is a good tool for those who are technically oriented because Slax can be utilized for rescuing a broken system. Or if you are willing enough, it is possible to build your very own Linux distro out of Slax.

Though Slax 6.0 needs a little improvement, I feel that it still a quality, reliable, and stable distribution release. I will be keeping an eye on Slax and hope for the best on their future releases.

Xubuntu “Hardy Heron” Beta Still Can’t Fly

Being a fully satisfied Xubuntu 7.10 user, I've been eagerly waiting for the distribution release of Xubuntu 8.04 which will be coming out most probably at the end of the month. Codenamed "Hardy Heron", it is a "long-term support" LTS release that promises some new and exciting features and incremental improvements on stability, security, and overall performance.

To have a feel of what's yet to come, I downloaded and installed the recently released Xubuntu 8.04 Beta. I also wanted to find out for myself if Hardy's enhancements are crucial enough for me to upgrade without disturbing my peace of mind.

So, is Xubuntu "Hardy Heron" tough enough? Here's my quick observation:

Installation:
The first of the many changes in Xubuntu can be noticed at the boot options menu. You will now have a choice to skip the live session and start the installation process immediately. This is really a handy improvement since it somehow saves some extra time.



I found no changes in the Wubi installer. It's still the same old straightforward Ubuntu-style installation. I noticed a slight bug when choosing the country and timezone. I can’t click on the bright orange dots or in any part of the world map when selecting the area, so I used the drop-down menu instead. Anyway, the set-up was finished in less than 30 minutes and without further problems.



Look and Feel:
Xubuntu Hardy's looks or appearance is pretty much the same except for the new and brightly colored log-in menu screen and wallpaper. It is still using Murrina Storm Cloud as its default theme. Other significant change is the inclusion of the "Places" menu plug-in found at the top panel for easy access to most frequently used files and documents.



Software/Package Management:
Xubuntu 8.04 has plenty of upgraded and added packages out-of-the-box. It now features the latest XFCE 4.4.2 desktop, Linux 2.6.24 kernel, X.org 7.3, Gnome Office 2.20.2 and Firefox Beta 4 among others. Also worth noting is the new image viewer called Ristretto. It is indeed more functional than Gqview. The PulseAudio sound server is already integrated in the desktop for quality sound output. There's also a new "screen resolution utility" with added feature that will let you easily configure multiple video displays. Other significant addition and improvements were virtualization support and security features.



Stability/Hardware Detection:
There are quite a number of issues that I've encountered in this Beta version of Xubuntu 8.04. Some of my important hardware devices were not properly configured like my Ethernet for example, and I had to add "apic nolapic" parameter at boot which was not needed in "Gutsy" at all. Since I understand that it is still a development release, I don't want to enumerate further all the minor problems that I have noticed in Xubuntu 8.04 Beta.


Conclusion:
The expected release date is getting nearer and nearer, but Xubuntu 8.04 “Hardy Heron” still can’t fly. I have high hopes for this LTS release version, and I expect Xubuntu developers will unleash a well-polished Linux operating system at the right moment. For now, I’ll sit back, wait, and hope that this heron, I mean distro will soar in due time.

PS: If you want to try Xubuntu 8.04 Beta, you can get it HERE.

PS2: I'll be updating my Xubuntu on Macbook Pro post soon.

PS3: I guess that would be all :)

SliTaz GNU/Linux, the Smallest “Desktop” Distro Ever Created

“At 25 MB, it has to be the smallest desktop distro ever created”. These were the words of Ladislav Bodnar in the most recent issue of Distrowatch Weekly when he announced this fresh and minuscule distribution as a new addition to the waiting list. Its name is SliTaz, and I was so intrigued about it that I tried it out.

The smallest distribution that I’ve used so far is Geexbox at 8MB. But, it can’t be considered as a complete “desktop” distro since it only specializes in playing multimedia files.

So what about SliTaz? As described in Distrowatch, SliTaz GNU/Linux is a mini distribution and live CD designed to run speedily on hardware with 128 MB of RAM. SliTaz uses BusyBox, a recent Linux kernel and GNU software. It boots with Syslinux and provides more than 200 Linux commands, the lighttpd web server, SQLite database, rescue tools, IRC client, SSH client and server powered by Dropbear, X window system, JWM (Joe's Window Manager), gFTP, Geany IDE, Mozilla Firefox, AlsaPlayer, GParted, a sound file editor and more. The SliTaz ISO image fits on a less than 30 MB media and takes just 80 MB of hard disk space.

I didn’t hesitate to get SliTaz because I wanted to compare it to the slightly larger and most popular micro distro DSL. By the way, you can get SliTaz GNU/Linux 1.0 from its download page HERE.

So, here is what I found out about this ridiculously “petit” distro:

SliTaz can be loaded as a LiveCD which I did, or through a bootable USB media. Once I fired up the LiveCD, the traditional boot options menu screen first appeared. The instructions are still in French so I didn’t care to dig further and just went on by pressing ENTER. Next was the local configuration or the language options, followed by kmap setup, soundcard selection, X configuration, and Login screen. The default user name is: HACKER and the root password is: root.



In no time, I was inside SliTaz’s desktop which utilizes JWM (Joe's Window Manager). The desktop is pretty simple and uncluttered, and also incredibly responsive. JWM is still fairly limited in functionality, like you can’t instantly edit the panels or add shortcut icons on the desktop. The good thing is that it’s extremely fast and lightweight, and I know that’s what SliTaz is aiming for. To my surprise, there was this “Desktop Effects” option which added shadow and fade effects to windows and menus if enabled. That was a cool feature I think, but not really useful.



When testing a distro, the software application that I always open first is a web browser. In SliTaz, I found out that I was already connected to the internet when I ran Firefox without having to configure anything. The audio is also properly configured and my screen resolution was correctly set.

At 25MB, SliTaz includes some amazing list of free/open-source software applications out-of-the-box. To name some, there’s ePDFView (PDF Viewer), ISO Master, Burnbox (DVD/CD ISO Burner), Leafpad (Text Editor), GPicView (Image Viewer), mtPaint (Image Editor), Asunder (CD Ripper), Alsaplayer (Audio Player), mhWaveEdit (Audio Editor), Geany (IDE), and a few games.



Additional packages can be downloaded and installed using the text-based Tazpkg manager. Tazpkg will also let you list, remove, extract, pack, search, repack, upgrade, or get information about available or installed packages. Using the Tazpkg Shell, I encountered difficulty when I tried to download and install Python or just about any other packages that were available from the repo. I just can’t find a way to make it work. Then I opened xterm and tried to install Python there. It worked (as shown on the screenshots below).



Another important feature that I would like to point out is the option to install SliTaz on the hard disk. “SliTaz Installer” can be accessed inside “System Tools”. One problem with the installer is that the language used is still in French. Anyway, I think the installer is still pretty much under development so the language issue is not really a big deal for me.


After having extensively used SliTaz GNU/Linux 1.0, I can honestly say that it is a highly capable distro with a bright future ahead. It is ideal for rescuing a broken system, and even for full desktop usage especially when employed on older computer machines since it is fast and ultra-lightweight. I just hope that those minor bugs that I’ve encountered will be fixed by the next release version. Despite those slight troubles, I’m keeping my SliTaz GNU/Linux LiveCD just in case. DSL should watch out, because this new distro on the block is surely here to stay.