Customer Reviews

MANDRAKE-LINUX Mandrake 9.2 PowerPack (PC)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is not a review but comments to things I encountered when working with the system.

I have a download version of 9.2 (3 CDs) and I used extensively version 9.0, also download.

Pluses:
Much better support for sound: totem program manages to play all my Windows files.
Better support for external hard disks: my FireWire Maxtor 40GB works very well, and I even can use portable USB FireLite Smartdisk 40GB (both configured automatically!). In fact, it works so good that all my coping on windows partition I do in Linux!

Do not like:
- Connection to the internet still very slow compared to Windows 98SE. I have both Mandrake 9.2 and Win 98SE on the same computer and both connect the same way to the internet - through the router as LAN. Still,
- Certain programs are not easily available (though they may be in full version), like xine; there are some other programs that "dissapear" but I can not recall now.

I've been a Windows user since the early days of 3.1. That said, I've seen the system grow larger, more unstable and less secure with each new version. WinXP is no better, although everyone seems to tout how great it is. Ask any 12 year old hacker and they'll tell you just how easy it is to hack or write a virus for it.

Now, I'm not a total stranger to Mandrake, having briefly used version 7 a couple of years ago. I installed it two weeks before I sold the PC. I was so impressed with Mandrake I told all my friends about it. Unfortunately for me, I built my next PC and some of my hardware wasn't supported by Mandrake, so I dropped it.

Fast-forward to today. I got a copy of Mandrake 9.2 and installed it. I'm just as impressed with it now as I was three years ago. The GUI (graphic user interface for newbies) is crisp and clean, and reminds me of Macintosh graphics. The menus are very easy to use, as well as configure. This is one of the more flexible aspects of Linux. Windows never will give you the kind of flexibility that Linux does.

When it comes to stability at security, there's not much better out there. Linux stability goes without saying. We're always hearing about people who run linux systems for months without a reboot. These stories are not only fantastic, they're generally true as well. In fact, it's not unheard of for a system to be up for a year or more without a reboot.

With rock-solid firewalls, Linux systems are much more secure than MS based systems. The administrator (root) password can be entered if you're making a configuration change, without having to be logged in as such. This makes quick changes to the system fast and painless. User accounts are also more configurable than Windows systems because user accounts can be tailored per program. i.e. One user may have a higher level of program access than another, while a third could be an admin for that program.

Because Linux is open-source, there are literally thousands of people looking at the very code the programs are made up of. If they see any vulnerability in the system, it's changed immediately. This is an inherent problem with MS, as they have only a small number of software engineers who actually see the code. The more people look at a problem, the more likely it is to be solved.

Mandrake has done some good things with the kernel (base Linux program) by adding their own flair. The purchased versions of Mandrake come with some excellent software like VMWare, which allows you to install Windows in a Mandrake 'subsystem'. You lose some performance because Windows runs in a Linux 'Window', but I think it's worth it.

The program comes with the install CDs (7) which contain the OS and literally thousands of programs to make using Mandrake complete. It also comes with a starter guide to help you get up and running. The only thing I'd like to see in this pack is the reference manual that's included with the Pro version. This book contains lots of information that should be readily available to all users, not just the pros. Online documentation is also difficult to sort through in a pinch. Still, I can't give it less than 5 stars for the reasons I've outlined.

Summary: It's easy to install and configure. It's ultra reliable and secure. It's inexpensive. All-in-all, it's a great program.

Have been Mandrake user, loved it. Dual booting with
Win 98 & Win 2k & briefly with WinXP. But not since latest
version which is incompatible with dell machines. Swapped
out the LG cd-rom with a new Sony cd-rom befoe installing
and failed to install. Hope they fix the problem.
Moved to SuSe Linux which installed easily after trying
their evaluation version which can be downloaded from their
site as an iso image. (Takes a long time due to many dropped
server connections even with dsl.)
Mandrake has a downloadable evaluation iso image called
Mandrake Move. Downloads faster. Try before buying.
Best wishes.

This is not a review but comments to things I encountered when working with the system.

I have a download version of 9.2 (3 CDs) and I used extensively version 9.0, also download.

Pluses:
Much better support for sound: totem program manages to play all my Windows files.
Better support for external hard disks: my FireWire Maxtor 40GB works very well, and I even can use portable USB FireLite Smartdisk 40GB (both configured automatically!). In fact, it works so good that all my coping on windows partition I do in Linux!

Do not like:
- Connection to the internet still very slow compared to Windows 98SE. I have both Mandrake 9.2 and Win 98SE on the same computer and both connect the same way to the internet - through the router as LAN. Still,
- Certain programs are not easily available (though they may be in full version), like xine; there are some other programs that "dissapear" but I can not recall now.