MandrakeLinux 9.2

Mandrake is the most user friendly Linux distribution I have ever used. The best thing about it has to be its control centre. The control centre allows you to set mount points, partition disks, configure / setup hardware/software & users as well as a multitude of other things using a nice graphical user interface.

When I installed Mandrake 9.2 it automatically setup USB storage drivers so that a USB flash key or hard drive will work without fiddling around with module configurations - something many distros are lacking. Mandrake is also very stable (welcome to Linux) and has some very nice graphics (if wanted) for cleaner boot / shutdown sequences, oh and of course a graphical installation - including the partitioning program diskdrake, allowing you to resize a windows partition & retain the data (for those who dual boot).

The only problems I have encountered with Mandrake are compiling programs such as cmms and rivatv, due to the extra development-type RPMs needed were not available. (I use Debian to compile if Mandrake doesn’t – a very good distro to do that though it lacks the user friendliness (& up-to-dateness) of Mandrake).

Mandrake is very up to date - im still talking about 9.2, I haven’t tried 10 yet [its got the 2.6 kernel] - with the great deal of programs it comes with (including openoffice, Xine, KDE, Gnome, and much more…) – if the version’s out when Mandrake was made it is included.

Mandrake is ideal for first time Linux users as well as those who like the latest software, really like using a GUI, or just like nice looking OS’s.


Screenshots can be found here:

http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en-us/fscreenshots.php3

How Do I Make a Shared Library?
How Do I Make Backups?

See our index for more reviews

Write a review and win an Apple Ipod