Comments on: Ubuntu 9.10 Live CD and Mandriva One 2010: Reviewed and Compared

By: Chu Sports

Chu Sports — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:58:30 +0000

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By: Linux Newb!

Linux Newb! — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 08:25:31 +0000

there is no “PERFECT” linux distro. but i am pretty sure that MS is also not a “PERFECT” OS… in fact MS is the CRAPPY OS out there compared to LINUX…

By: gr

gr — Sun, 30 May 2010 03:35:59 +0000

Mandriva has an excellent control panel, it also runs most all media files (using “restricted”).
All Distros have their strong points. What distro you end up choosing is you own personal preference.
Windows work great (except the consent attacks, the MS monopoly, spying and other issues), but Linux somehow seems to advance faster. We URGE YOU, THE USER TO EXPERIMENT, YOU WILL FIND THE “PERFECT DISTRO”. At least Linux systems allow you to decide what is best. Please do not take the communities efforts for granted.

Thank you sincerely a devoted Linux User. Peace

By: Oddvar

Oddvar — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 09:07:47 +0000

My favorite since 2004 has been Ubuntu. Now I’m using Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 and I like it. Cant understand what problems mr Keith Stracchino experienced. Ubuntu is by far the easiest OS I’ve ever installed. It find all my hardware without problem. The only problem I’ve experienced with Ubuntu is a thermal program in 9.10 that bring down my computer unexpectedly. After installing Ubuntu 10.04 the problem disappeared. This is a beautiful distro with lots of new goodies. For me its Ubuntu 4ever!

By: finid

finid — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:05:24 +0000

The reason we do not have perfect distros is because no one is trying to develop them. The best we can do, that I'm trying to do, is to point out to developers what we want in a distro, the perfect distro. It entails getting involved in the development process. it also entails publishing articles like "In search of the perfect Linux and BSD desktop distribution" and "A perfect Linux or BSD desktop distribution".

By: bob

bob — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:13:39 +0000

I can’t speak for Mandriva never tried it but Ubuntu just works. I haven’t found anything wrong with it either despite updating 7.04 several times to 9.04. It won’t run som M/S games true but that’s the only thing I’m now using Windows for. Oh and some sites that are only coded for IE (yes I could fix that) and some flash stuff.
There is no such thing as a perfect distro of anything including Windows 7 which is on a laptop I purchased.

By: finid

finid — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:04:44 +0000

If you are looking for something that works out-of-the-box, it’s not going to be Debian. And it’s not because it is a bad distro, but because Debianites are free software purists. You can customize it after installation to make it as user-friendly as you want, but you can do that with any distro. Give Mandriva a shot. It’s not a perfect distro, but none is (I’m still looking for one).

Part of what I’m trying to do with these reviews is a search for the perfect distro or distros. when I do find one, I’ll sing its praise ’til thy kingdom come. But do give Mandriva a shot.

Btw, could you describe for us in some detail the experience you had with Ubuntu. It’s not my fave distro, but I’ve never had any problem installing it on any hardware.

By: Keith Stracchino

Keith Stracchino — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:45:59 +0000

Since I have become disenchanted with MS and its expensive bloatware, I decided to try a Linux distribution. Following “good” advice I obtained a Ubuntu source disk and attempted to install the OS from it. Well, well, despite all the eulogies about the ease of use of Ubuntu, I have been unable to install it, even starting from a clean HDD. (Low-level formatted to ensure no clashes.) Yes, my hardware meets all of the requirements specified, and then some. To put it mildly it has not been a pleasant experience, I have wasted too much time and have now abandoned Ubuntu completely! I’m still trying to decide my next move. It was to have been Mandriva, but after reading the comments here, I’m dubious about that too. Perhaps Debian is the way to go.

By: finid

finid — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:23:28 +0000

Mandriva is just as easy to use as any other distro. Take a look in the Mandriva Control Center. Mandriva has the best graphical management utilities of any distro I’ve used. But this is the beauty of Free Software. Choice ….

By: John

John — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:11:05 +0000

I have tryed Mandriva One 2010. But it take some time to learn Mandriva. The problem for them I think they have the best in the Powerpack version.
Why pay for it when you can get all (mediacodecs etc) in Linux Mint 8 or Pardus 2009 for free?
To install thoose in Ubuntu 9.10 are very easy to if you compare with Mandriva.

By: finid

finid — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:35:52 +0000

If you are using chart position on Distrowatch to judge a distro, then you do not understand how Distrowatch works.

By: Rod

Rod — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:14:03 +0000

Interesting comparison. I used PCLinuxOS for a good while, a few years back, and found it excellent. It got me hooked on Linux.
PCLOS is to Mandriva what Mint is to Ubuntu (roughly). Having had a positive experience with PCLOS, I tried out Mandriva and found it a buggy mess.
PCLOS dated quickly, however, and I found myself using the Mint version of Hardy (8.04). Absolutely sterling!
Now I’m using newer hardware and Ubuntu 9.10, and having played with Mint 8 on a variety of hardware and in a vm I’m kind of wishing I’d waited a bit and gone with that. Not because Ubuntu is terribly flawed, but because it has small annoyances that Mint has fixed, and Mint is a bit more aesthetically pleasing.
Bottom line is that Ubuntu just works, and just works everywhere. Mint adds a bit of polish and follows the release cycle.
Mandriva more often than not has major issues that are simply showstoppers, and as much as I would have liked to have stayed with Mandriva/PCLOS I just had to go with what worked AND stayed up to date.
So when I read a review that compares Ubuntu and Mandriva, and comes out in Mandriva’s favour, I have to scratch my head. Why then isn’t Mandriva top of the pops at Distrowatch, or ‘up there’ by any other rule-of-thumb measure. The punters vote with their feet.
Try using Mandriva as your general purpose desktop,on a variety of hardware, and see how far you get, and how quickly you get there, if at all, rather than just doing a superficial point by point comparison. Then you might arrive at a more realistic conclusion.

By: wazzat

wazzat — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:17:40 +0000

Thanks for the time taken to compare these distros. On my spare computer- Windows won’t install on it- I’ve installed Ultimate Edition 2 {Ubuntu 904 based} and after 5/6 years of trying Red Hat, Mandrake/driva, KUbuntu, etc. have yet to find one that does everything and installs all hardware. And doesn’t BREAK while updating or installing extras. Let us know when you find the perfect NON MICROSOFT OS which will run MS games and apps.

By: David

David — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:33:13 +0000

This comment’s a little late, but I just wanted to say thanks for the article. I’m not going to argue the finer points, because I can’t. I’m a newbie to Linux and this article helped me a lot.