Customer Reviews

Red Hat Linux 8.0 Personal

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Red Hat's 8.0 release has the features to move Linux closer to the mainstream acceptance it has been deserving for years. The old features such as stability, security and more included applications than can be listed in this 1,000 word max review. With the Bluecurve desktop configuration, a uniform look and feel for both Gnome 2 and KDE 3 new users will find desktops similar and should cut down on people getting confused by the choices. Both are still completely customizable, giving long-time users the independence they have always enjoyed. Installation can be either a simple point and click to accept the defaults, or customizable down to individual packages. There is a lot of discussion about Red Hat removing support for the MP3 format, support can be added by simply downloading a module and installing it, but, in my opinion that is a bit like trying to get your DVD player to play the old Laser Disks, the included OGG format offer better compression and sound quality. I first upgraded my development server from RH 7.3, I was then so impressed that I just finished upgrading all of my companies machines. This review was written on a Dell Inspiron 4100 running RH 8.0

Let me qualify my remarks by stating up front that I am not a linux guru by any stretch of the imagination and know nothing about programming. I'm a network engineer with a Cisco background. In August 2002 I installed Red Hat 7.3; no sooner had I done so when 8.0 came out and I promptly migrated (It's inexpensive enough for me to afford the "latest and greatest"). Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed running Linux on my desktop at home. In early January 2003, I began using Red Hat almost exclusively (I have to keep Win2k around to be able to open Visio diagrams).

OpenOffice has handled every single Microsift file that I have given it (with the exception of the aforementioned Visio diagrams); surprisingly, two days ago, I even opened a PowerPoint presentation in OpenOffice.org Impress. I'm told that if you write/run complex macros in Excel, OpenOffice Calc won't handle some of those, but that doesn't apply to me as my usage typically includes creating hardware & services quotes for customers.

As most reviewers have mentioned, 8.0 doesn't come with support for the mp3 file format. However, even as new as I am, it didn't take long at all to figure out that anything I need is on the internet at FreshRPMs dot net, RPMfind dot net, and other places. the mp3 plugin for xmms is a no-brainer to install, as is Ogle, the dvd player. The other change that I made was to upgrade to Evolution version 1.2 from the native 1.0 (I had some printing problems with Evolution 1.0). Having Red Hat 8.0 allows me to "tinker" just like some guys do with a '69 Camaro (except I don't get my hands dirty).

I'm not going to bash Microsoft Windows. Windows 2000 works just fine. However, using conservative estimates ..., you would pay approximately $3100 for a 5 user office with a server. I can get the same thing from Red Hat (including a year of free upgrades) for [less]; Don't tell me about "TOC," I know enough right now to set that up and I'm a newbie. It's just not that difficult. Microsoft's claims to a lower TOC are just that...Marketing Claims.

Go forth and enjoy yourself! :)

I was really pleased with the installation process. The GRUB boot manager was installed during the process ( already had Windows XP on the computer)without me having to make any decisions. Defining my printer, broadband internet connection and email was fairly easy. Now reading "Official Red Hat Linux User's Guide" and have ordered "Red Hat Linux 8 Bible" to help me learn Linux. Documentation CD that comes with Linux 8.0 is very helpful. Linux appears to run as fast on my Pentium III 450 Desktop as Windows XP runs on my Pentium III 1.2 notebook.
TERRIBLE SUPPORT SERVICE ON PROBLEMS. THEY LET YOUR WARRANTY TIME EXPIRE AND CLOSE THE INCIDENT. ORDERED SUSE PERSONAL 8.1 TO REPLACE IT ON MY NOTEBOOK COMPUTER.

With each new release Redhat continues to impress. Now, with an increased interest in the desktop, Redhat has it's strongest release to date. New config tools, along with a streamlined desktop make this a good choice for all those new to linux. While on the other hand, the inclusion of the latest version of most developemt and server apps create a distro for the experience user among us.
So basically, if you haven't tried linux before or if you swear by it, this is certainly something you might want to pick up.

Don't listen to the last guy. All you have to do is reboot your computer with disk #1 in your cd-rom drive. This gets the RH setup running. BTW, setup in RH8.0 is a breeze. It is actually quicker to setup RH8.0 than any recent version of windows (win98-winXP).

Linux is increasingly adding functionality making it easier to use. The new Gnome2 window manager is very easy to navigate the desktop, especially by Linux standards. There's software that come with RH8.0 for using digital cameras, scanners, etc. The only thing that bothers me about Linux is the difficulty of setting it up to watch DVD's if you have an nVidia graphics card. Also, there is a little program you'll have to download to enable Linux's media player, XMMS, to play MP3s, but that's not a big deal at all.

If you are a programmer, Linux is still the best OS, but I doubt the hardcore Linux power users will like RH8.0 since RH8.0 seems to be made for the new and inexperienced Linux users. It is a good effort by Red Hat to make a distribution of Linux that most people can setup and use, quickly and easily.

p.s. One other area of concern for many potential Linux users is partitioning the hard drive (if you want windows and linux on the same computer). Just defrag windows and shrink the windows partition with disk druid in the RH8.0 setup. It works just fine 99.9999% of the time. Partition Magic is even easier to use if you really want to spend the money.

I have been using RH since their 5.1 release and am an RHCE. By far, this release has the cleanest install process (as compared to their previous releases). However, if you have been become accustomed to Gnome1.4 or KDE3 (my preference), you may be disappointed. Frankly, I like the look of KDE3 and the options (e.g. translucent menus). RH also hacked it to make double-click the default action for KDE. Also, Konquerer is not on the panel, although it can be invoked from the command line, but it doesn't display the tree navigation by default.

Administration is simpler and more powerful now (e.g. changing XF86 settings without manually editing the text file), but the mp3 patent prompted RH to remove mp3 support from XMMS and Noatun. A novice user would not know how to download xmms, compile, and install it.

I think that RH truly is targeting the corporate customers. With Windows, you only have one interface out of the box (other shells have been created but none have become prevalent, and most users don't even know that). By RH tweaking Gnome and KDE to what appears to be a unified desktop, the typical mindless corporate customer won't become "confused" by choices - "Which one should I use? Which is better, KDE or Gnome?". Those questions are avoided with RH's approach. Savvy users will feel constrained.

I went back to RH7.3 after trying 8.0. Granted, 8.0 is faster because of the O(1) scheduler (order of one, for those not familiar with algorithm efficiency). In short, this is not for the Linux enthusiast; it's for the corporate desktop.

The difference in operability between 8.0 and it's predecessors to me is astounding. Installation was flawless, just like Windows. The desktop is even smoother than it was under my version of 7.2 and 7.3.

Believe it or not, even my USB interface digital camera now works under Linux.

Performance is smooth, even though I'm running it on my slowest computer, a P-II/450 with 128 MB.

All we need now are some more applications. I'd even welcome some commercial software written. This is a much better deal than paying for Lindows with the false promise of being able to use your Windows applications.

My Dad called me the other day to ask for help in installing RedHat 8 on his laptop to dual boot with Windows2000. I thought the end of time must be near for my Dad to want to try Linux.
However, this is the first Distribution that I would feel comfortable for someone who is not computer litterate/competant. The main move by RH was to make Gnome and KDE much more "alike" in looks, thus not confusing the newbie. The cut and paste interoperability between KDE and Gnome apps has been greatly enhanced.
However, there is one big gotcha for a desktop user: mp3 support has been remnoved. Why is it not enabled? Licensing issues.<...
This is a great distribution and anyone already familier with RH should feel right at home. For those who are not familier with Linux, this is a great place to start.

I've been using Linux for about six months now. Red Hat 8.0 works well with my home LAN & Macintosh PPCs. The earlier versions 7.1, 7.3 used to be challenging especially undoing my WindowZ mentality. I like the way that RH8.0 smoothly configures on my Ethernet LAN. I intend to use Linux exclusively after test driving it for a few months. I don't need to reboot on every system change, only once an a while I would even have to logout. My system is dual OS'd with Windows 2000 Pro. and Grub startup. When or if I need to upgrade to RH9.0 I won't hesitate. I finally bought a Red Hat manual so you know that I've been winging it.

I admit I was skeptical leaving a comfort zone due to the knowledge I had with Microsoft Windows. I've used Microsoft Products since I was in highschool (Over 15 years ago) and all through college because I simply did not know of other alternatives. Redhat Linux is a usable operating system that gives you everything you need for the 39.99 and 149.99 versions a person needs. There is one hitch for me and that's the exclusion of some type of video player which Redhat had not included. Out side of that you can use the equipment that Windows use and there aren't any intrusions with the operating system. The operating system just works and doesn't try to think for you as Windows XP does with its users. All in all, purchasing this product does not place a drain on your wallet and actually helps you be productive with your computer. You do the math Windows 199.99, Visual Studio 1,800.00+, Office 400 - 800+ (dev) compare to Linux, C/C++ compiler (included), OpenOffice for 39.99.