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Archive for the ‘reviews’ category

45

Sabayon 5.5 review

Sabayon Linux 5.5 is the latest release of the Gentoo-based Linux distribution. It is also the first Sabayon release this year and judging from this distribution’s release history, we should expect to see at least three more releases before the end of the year. Sabayon offers a separate installation image for each of the major [...]

Published by on March 9, 2011 4:43 am
8

PC-BSD 8.2 review

PC-BSD is a desktop distribution based on FreeBSD. The latest stable release, PC-BSD 8.2, was made available for public download last month. This article presents a review of this latest release. Installation: The installer offers several boot methods. The default is to boot directly into the graphical installation program. There is also a Live Mode [...]

Published by on March 3, 2011 3:28 am
25

Linux Mint 10 KDE review

Linux Mint 10 KDE is the latest release of Linux Mint. It is one of several editions of Linux Mint, a desktop-oriented distribution that is based on Ubuntu Desktop Edition. This release comes more than three months after the main Linux Mint 10 edition was released. The main edition, by the way, uses the GNU [...]

Published by on February 25, 2011 4:41 pm
10

Debian 6 review

Debian 6.0, aka Debian “Squeeze”, is the latest stable release of Debian. It was made available for download earlier this month. In Debian country, a major release of this sort is a once-in-a-very-long-time event, unlike other distributions where it happens at least twice a year. This article provides a detailed review of Debian Squeeze, and [...]

Published by on February 14, 2011 4:58 pm
3

SalineOS 1.1 review

SalineOS is a desktop-oriented distribution based on Debian GNU/Linux, and uses the Xfce desktop environment. The latest stable release is SalineOS 1.1, released late last month. This is my first review of this distribution and also its first listing on this site. Installation: Like all Debian-based distributions that I have used or reviewed, SalineOS does [...]

Published by on February 1, 2011 3:52 pm
41

Pardus 2011 review

Pardus is a desktop-oriented Linux distribution with roots in the National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE), Turkey. This article is a review of Pardus 2011, the latest stable release, which was made available for download on January 20, 2011. Installation: Pardus 2011 is the first stable release (of Pardus) to feature the newly [...]

Published by on January 25, 2011 4:55 pm
15

Linux Mint Debian Edition review

Linux Mint Debian Edition, or LMDE, is the edition of Linux Mint based on Debian Testing. The latest release was made available for download on December 24, 2010. LMDE was announced as an alternate edition of Linux Mint in first week of September 2010. A review of that release was focused on the installation program. [...]

Published by on December 29, 2010 1:30 pm
1

Pardus Corporate 2 beta review

Pardus Corporate 2 is the corporate (professional) edition of Pardus, the Linux distribution developed and maintained by the National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE), Turkey. This is the first beta, released on December 13. The final release will be made available on February 16, 2011 (see the release schedule). This article presents a [...]

Published by on December 16, 2010 6:00 pm
2

PC-BSD 9 installer preview

The current stable release of PC-BSD available for download is version 8.1. Version 8.2 is due sometime very early next year (mid to late January is the likely release time frame), and version 9 much later. A snapshot release of version 9 has just been made available for download and testing. SysInstaller, PC-BSD’s installation program, [...]

Published by on December 15, 2010 1:08 pm
8

Jolicloud 1.1 review

Jolicloud 1.1 is the latest stable release of Jolicloud, the cloud-based, Ubuntu-based distribution. Other than being a cloud-based distribution, the most distinctive feature of Jolicloud is the netbook-optimzed interface, which is one of five netbook-optimized interfaces available on Linux and BSD distributions. Reviewing Jolicloud amounts to no more than telling you what types of applications [...]

Published by on December 10, 2010 4:13 pm
11

Ubuntu 11.04 Alpha 1 review

Ubuntu 11.04 Alpha 1 is the first release in the run up to Ubuntu 11.04, aka Natty Narwhal. The unique feature of Ubuntu 11.04, when it is released, will be the Unity interface, which will be the default desktop interface on computers that meet the minimum hardware requirements. Other computers will be able to use [...]

Published by on December 4, 2010 3:40 pm
12

Linux Mint 10 review

Linux Mint 10, aka Julia, is the latest release of Linux Mint, the desktop-oriented distribution based on Ubuntu. Like most distributions, Linux Mint has editions, or versions, for several desktop environments. There is, for example, GNOME, KDE, LXDE, Xfce, and Fluxbox editions. The main edition is GNOME-based, and is always the first one to be [...]

Published by on November 16, 2010 2:54 pm
2

Fedora 14 review

Fedora 14, aka Laughlin, is the latest update of Fedora, the Red Hat-sponsored, Linux distribution. Like Ubuntu, it is a GNOME-based distribution. However, there are spins for the K Desktop Environment (KDE), the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE), and Xfce. This review is based on the main edition, that is, the GNOME edition, using a [...]

Published by on November 11, 2010 5:51 pm
9

Sabayon 5.4 E17 review

Sabayon 5.4 E17 is one of several “Experimental Spins” of Sabayon Linux released just this week. It is based on E17, version 0.17 of Enlightenment, a multi-platform stacking window manager and desktop environment. This is the first time in more than two years that I have reviewed a distribution using the Enlightenment desktop environment. It [...]

Published by on November 5, 2010 5:36 pm
16

Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook review

After reviewing Ubuntu 10.10 and Kubuntu 10.10, the next logical Ubuntu edition to review I think should be the Ubuntu Netbook Edition, or UNE. As the name implies, UNE is the edition of Ubuntu optimized for small screens, such as you will find on netbooks and tablet computers. Like Linpus Linux Lite 1.4, UNE features [...]

Published by on October 29, 2010 5:36 am
11

Kubuntu 10.10 review

Kubuntu is the community developed, KDE-based version of Ubuntu. The latest edition, Kubuntu 10.10, was released on 10.10.2010, the same day that Ubuntu 10.10 was released. This article offers a detailed review of this KDE-based distribution, and also marks its first listing on this website. Installation: The only real difference between Kubuntu’s installer and the [...]

Published by on October 20, 2010 12:13 am
46

Ubuntu 10.10 review

Ubuntu 10.10, aka Maverick Meerkat, is the latest stable release of the Debian-based Linux distribution. This is the second and the last release for the year. As is customary for Ubuntu, three editions were released: The Desktop, Netbook, and Server editions. This article offers a detailed review of the desktop edition. And as is the [...]

Published by on October 13, 2010 6:38 pm
10

Sabayon 5.4 review

Sabayon 5.4, released at the end of last month (September, 2010), is the latest version of the Gentoo-based, multi-purpose Linux distribution. This is the third release this year. The other two releases, Sabayon 5.2 and 5.3 were released in March and June respectively. Going by the recent history of this distribution (there were four releases [...]

Published by on October 4, 2010 4:36 pm
3

Linpus Lite 1.4 review

Linpus Lite is the distribution for netbooks and smartbooks developed and maintained by Linpus Technologies, Inc. of Taipei, Taiwan. The company’s flagship Linux distribution used to be Linpus Desktop until it decided to focus on the Lite and QuickOS line. Linpus Lite 1.4, announced on July 30, 2010, is the latest update, and also the [...]

Published by on September 21, 2010 6:56 pm
2

Momonga Linux 7 review

Momonga is a Linux distribution based on Fedora. It is a community-developed distribution with roots in Japan (the name is derived from a species of flying squirrel found in Europe and parts of Asia). Like Fedora, it is a multi-purpose distribution, a Free distribution, with a script that makes it easy to build and install [...]

Published by on September 16, 2010 11:51 pm
16

Linux Mint Debian review

Linux Mint Debian is the latest addition to Mint’s suite of Linux desktops. Mint has long promoted itself as a distribution based on Ubuntu and Debian, a claim that I have long discounted as misleading. This release, while still experimental, is one, as the name implies, that is truly based on Debian. The package manager [...]

Published by on September 8, 2010 2:16 am
0

Zentyal 2.0 review

Zentyal, formerly known as eBox Platform, is a multi-purpose Linux distribution based on Ubuntu server. It can function as a network gateway, unified threat manager, office server, infrastructure manager, and a unified communications server. It is developed and maintained by Zentyal, a software solutions provider based in Spain. Zentyal 2.0 is the first stable release [...]

Published by on September 6, 2010 6:29 pm
1

Jolicloud 1.0 review

As the name suggests, Jolicloud is a cloud-based operating system. It is derived from the desktop edition of Ubuntu 9.04, and is the first stable and publicly downloadable, Linux, cloud-based distribution that I am aware of. Version 1.0, the first stable edition, was released several weeks ago. This review, the first for Jolicloud on this [...]

Published by on August 26, 2010 8:30 pm
0

Alpine Linux 2 review

Alpine Linux is a distribution designed primarily for use as a router, firewall and application gateway. The latest stable version, Alpine Linux 2.0, was released last week (August 17, 2010). This review is the first for this distribution on this site, and also marks its first listing in the Firewall & Router category. Installation: Installation [...]

Published by on August 23, 2010 7:25 pm
12

PC-BSD 8.1 review

PC-BSD 8.1 was released on July 20, 2010, roughly five months after version 8.0 was released. Some of the suggestions made in the review of PC-BSD 8.0 have been carried out in this latest release. In fact, the changes were made within one month of that review being published. It is an encouraging example of [...]

Published by on August 17, 2010 4:07 pm
12

Mandriva 2010 Spring review

Been awhile since Mandriva 2010 Spring was released. Considering the company’s financial woes, and the rumored takeover negotiations, we thought they might never release it, but they did. Mandriva Linux 2010, aka Mandriva Linux 2010.1, was made available for download on July 8, 2010. There are three versions: Mandriva One 2010 Spring – the free [...]

Published by on August 10, 2010 12:38 am
7

Sabayon 5.3 review

Sabayon is a multi-purpose, Gentoo-based Linux distribution. It is part-source, part-binary distribution. I just call it a hybrid distribution. The latest update, Sabayon 5.3, was made available to the public in early June. Installation images are available for the GNOME, KDE, LXDE and Xfce desktop environments. This review is based on the GNOME edition. The [...]

Published by on July 25, 2010 5:30 pm
81

PCLinuxOS 2010 review

PCLinuxOS is a APT-ified, Mandriva-based Linux distribution. It’s one of those distributions that offer a separate version for virtually every existing desktop environment. Four of them – Enlightenment, LXDE, Openbox and Xfce are recommended for intermediate to advanced users, while the GNOME and KDE versions are recommended for all user levels (beginner to advanced). If [...]

Published by on July 20, 2010 12:32 am
19

Linux Mint 9 review

Mint 9, aka Isadora, is the latest update to the desktop-focused, Linux distribution based on Ubuntu (10.04). It is one of the more exciting desktop distributions, with a nice selection of custom-developed graphical management utilities. Because it is based on and closely tied to Ubuntu, Linux Mint versions are always released after Ubuntu has been [...]

Published by on June 8, 2010 4:34 am
11

Ubuntu 10.04 review

We are in the middle of another release cycle. Folks in the community are updating their systems, and demoing distributions that hold promise. Should Ubuntu 10.04, Lucid Lynx, be on your demo list? I can’t answer that for you. The best I can do to help you decide, is present to you a list of [...]

Published by on May 26, 2010 10:09 pm
0

ClearOS 5.1 review

ClearOS is a network and gateway server distribution derived from RedHat and CentOS. Formerly known as Clark Connect, it is developed and maintained by the Clear Foundation, an IT solutions provider based in Wellington, New Zealand. Installation: ClearOS is designed to be installed to a hard disk. The installation program is ncurses based and offers [...]

Published by on April 16, 2010 3:36 pm
2

Vine Linux 5.1 review

Vine Linux is a Japanese, RPM-based, multi-purpose distribution. It is developed and maintained by Vinecaves, and it’s based on an earlier version of Fedora. It is one of those distributions that excludes non-free (proprietary) applications from its default installation. Unlike similar distributions, however, it has developed a smart method to make installing non-free applications very [...]

Published by on March 1, 2010 2:43 pm
25

PC-BSD 8 review

PC-BSD is a FreeBSD-based desktop distribution, with KDE as the default desktop environment. It is the most actively developed of the BSD, desktop distributions listed on this site. This review is of PC-BSD 8, the latest stable edition, which was released earlier this week. Installation – PC-BSD 8 sports a redesigned graphical installation program. It [...]

Published by on February 26, 2010 7:48 am
7

Parsix 3.0r2 review

Parsix is a Linux distribution based on Kanotix and Debian. It is purely a desktop-focused distribution. The last major release was Parsix 3.0r0 (aka Kev). This review is of Parsix 3.0r2, the second update release of Kev. Installation – Parsix is the second distribution reviewed and listed on this site with a menu-type installer (the [...]

Published by on February 12, 2010 1:23 am
23

Pardus 2009.1 review

Pardus is a Linux, desktop-oriented operating system developed by Onur Küçük and his team from Turkey. At a time when nearly every new Linux distro is based on or derived from Ubuntu, Pardus is a rarity. It is an original, not based on or derived from any other distro. As such, its package manager and [...]

Published by on February 1, 2010 1:27 am
9

Linux Mint 8 review

Linux Mint 8 (aka Helena) is the latest version of the popular, desktop-oriented distribution. Helena was actually released late last year, but I’ve just gotten around to reviewing it. As with prior releases of Mint, Helena is based on the latest version of Ubuntu, which in this case is Karmic Koala. For this review, I’ll [...]

Published by on January 6, 2010 12:59 am
1

Simply Linux 5 review

Simply Linux is the Xfce-based distro from the same team that publishes ALT Linux. It is optimized for usage on the desktop. The major distinctions between Simply Linux 5 and ALT Linux 5 Ark Desktop are mostly limited to those between Xfce and GNOME desktop environments. I think it would make more sense to call [...]

Published by on December 24, 2009 9:28 pm
2

ALT Linux 5 Ark desktop review

ALT Linux is an APT-ified, RPM-based distribution developed and maintained by the ALT Linux Team (ALT is recursive for ALT Linux Team). It was originally based on Mandrake (now Mandriva) Linux. There are two main development branches, “ALT Linux 5.0 Ark, a suite designed for making integrated solutions, and ALT Linux 5.0 School, a suite [...]

Published by on December 23, 2009 8:16 pm
5

Fedora 12 review

Fedora 12 is the latest major update to Fedora, the Linux distribution that counts RedHat as a major sponsor. Fedora is Free Software and as a consequence, it is not one of those distros that we expect to “just work” out of the box. So if you are new to Fedora, don’t expect the same [...]

Published by on November 19, 2009 1:20 am
0

Ubuntu 9.10 text-installer review

Ubuntu 9.10, also known as Karmic koala, is the latest version of the popular Linux distribution published by Canonical Ltd. Aside from Ubuntu Netbook Remix, the netbook edition, Canonical also publishes the Live CD edition, and the alternate or text-installer edition. The Live CD edition is the edition that most users are familiar with. Though [...]

Published by on November 9, 2009 2:16 am
3

Sabayon 5 GNOME review

Sabayon is a Gentoo-based, multi-purpose, GNU/Linux distribution. The latest version is Sabayon 5, released October 2, 2009. Two iso images, Sabayon 5 GNOME and Sabayon 5 KDE, are available for download. This post is a review of the GNOME edition. As always, let’s start with the installer…

Published by on November 2, 2009 4:05 am
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Hymera Open review

Hymera is a Debian-based, GNU/Linux operating system. It is a relatively brand new distribution developed and maintained by Hymera Engineering S.r.l., an Information Technology outfit based in Milan, Italy. Hymera Engineering publishes four versions of their Linux distribution – Hymera Open, Hymera Desktop, Hymera Evolution, and Hymera Server. This review is of Hymera Open, the [...]

Published by on September 28, 2009 1:18 am
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Zenwalk 6.2 Review

Zenwalk 6.2 is the latest version of Zenwalk, a Slackware-based, desktop-oriented Linux operating system. The last review of Zenwalk on this site was of Zenwalk 6. That was just six months ago. What changed between Zenwalk 6 and Zenwalk 6.2? Where the changes of a cosmetic or bug-fix variety, or where they much more substantial? [...]

Published by on September 21, 2009 12:12 am
7

Sabayon Linux 4.2 KDE Review

Sabayon is a Gentoo Linux-based, multi-purpose distribution. Previous releases of Sabayon came in one huge DVD iso image with the option to install your favorite desktop. However, the latest release is available in iso images distinguished by desktop environments. For example, we have Sabayon 4.x KDE, Sabayon 4.x Gnome, etc. This review is based on [...]

Published by on August 15, 2009 5:16 am
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