[OFF TOPIC] Re: Question on Linux Distros

[Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just to balance the picture, I have been using Mandrake since version
6.0 and found just the opposite: The performance was several times
faster than RedHat, and many of my RedHat 6.0 bugs vanished.  I had
some problems with Mdk 7.0 because I was using the very first beta of
that release.  RedHat also upped their prices to 3x the price of
Mandrake.

Disagreeing on the stability of linux distros is a popular sport:
Stability of one distro over another largely depends on how you use it
and the hardware you run.  If you have the very latest SCSI drives and
other hardware, Caldera or TurboLinux are good choices. If you have
the very latest graphics and sound cards or want the very latest GUI
(not an issue in this group), Corel has the most coverage; if you need
speed, SPIRO and Mandrake are compiled for Pentium (I believe
Slackware is also, and there are probably others).

Anything based on RedHat, such as Mandrake, will use the RPM package
managers (to simplify the install and uninstall new software).  Those
based on Debian (like Corel) use the dpkg which does the same job
(some say better) but does not have the huge catalog you find with
RPM).  Slackware uses no package manager at all (if you want to remove
a package, you had better keep really good notes)

All indications are that RPM-based systems dominate the Linux world,
and it is fuzzy whether Corel or Mandrake/MCP are the top _selling_
desktop distros (most Linux installations did not buy Linux in a
store), and RedHat and TurboLinux seem to dominate in the server
sector.

There are over 100 different flavours of Linux distributions. Always
remember that _somebody_ likes each and every one of them otherwise
they would not invest so much time, effort and expense to maintain and
distribute it.

Never let _anyone_ tell you there is a 'best' or a 'worst' Linux:
Those people are working for Microsoft (whether or not they realize
it).  Instead, ask them what they like about their own distro, and
draw your own conclusions.

In that vein, I like Mandrake _because_

1) I run on Pentium hardware and appreciate the speed, but I have no
   great need for the latest 3D graphics or state-of-the-art soundcards.

2) The 'cooker', where they decide what goes into Mandrake, is an open
   community process; anyone can contribute to Mandrake

3) RPMs are not perfect, but do a decent job of managing installed
   packages while also being widely supported.

4) Has an auto-update feature to find and install distro updates

5) It's KDE based and I find GNOME wastes too much screen space (not
   an issue for a BLinux machine).  My experience, however, suggests
   GNOME may be a better core design and many (most) KDE apps are not
   really ready for prime time.

6) Mandrake runs on a 2.2.14 kernel patched to give supermount support
   which means CDs and floppies are magically mounted and unmounted.

7) Mandrake is otherwise very RedHat compatible so any packages made
   for RedHat will install without problems.  Since I use a lot of
   software which is not part of the distribution, this is very
   important

-- 
Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@xxxxxxxxxxx>: office voice/fax: 01 519 4222723
TCI - Business Innovations through Open Source : http://www.teledyn.com
Canadian Co-ordinators for Bynari International : http://ca.bynari.net/
Free Internet for a Free O/S? - http://www.teledyn.com/products/FreeWWW/


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