From LinuxQuestions.org:
PCLOS 2007 Review #1
Before I get technical, I will say: PCLinuxOS is the ideal release for a beginning Linux user. With its Control Centre and automatic detection and setup of most hardware, the non-geek can use Linux without too much trouble.
PCLinuxOS originally forked from Mandrake (as was) 9.2. From the first public release, it was possible to upgrade to the next version without a re-install. However, by the time version 0.93a arrived, excellent though it was, its time had run out. Many source files would no longer compile against the v3 compilers without a few ugly hacks, and bringing in the new, v4.1 compilers meant a complete rewrite of every package.
It would have been easy, I guess, for Texstar and the gang to just recompile everything as was, but using the new compiler. But they had more ambitious ideas than that and the real guts of PCLinuxOS has been improved tremendously. Christmas saw a Test Release of PCLinuxOS 2007, a necessary step because, as a small distro built by a small group of volunteers, it was impossible to test the new base on a sufficient range of hardware. Whilst the majority had no problems with it, a number of people did and Texstar, ever the perfectionist, decided not to move to a full release but to go through 3 further test releases before issuing the Final on 20th May 2007.
Maybe it's the fact that it is a small team of people, rather than a big company, but the distro has attracted a whole cottage industry of connected sites/projects dealing with graphics, hardware capability and so on. So if you thought that the last version was a looker, then the new one is a real beaut. The default mouse behaviour is that icons require a double-click like Windows, less confusing for the new Linux user, easily changed from KDE Control Centre (which takes care of personal desktop stuff).
Although it's a complete new build, many of the good ideas introduced in version 0.93a have been kept and built upon. PCLinuxOS Control Centre (systemwide adjustments) has been beefed up even more, the strip-down of KDE has been retained, splitting up certain packages and not including much of the bloat, which creates space on the disk for OpenOffice, and also means that it goes faster. Though it's all there waiting in the repositories should you want it.
Booting up the LiveCD has changed. On the way, you get prompted for details to set up your keyboard, the time zone (and whether you want NTS), and your internet connection. If you then choose to install, these values are retained in your installed version. The are alternate boot/video modes for people who may have awkward hardware, to get them a desktop so that they can deal with it from there.
The improved installation of 0.93a still features.
It's easy to use, you've got automated "partitioning" as an option, or you can use existing partitions, or you can customise it yourself. You can also choose between LILO and GRUB, however Graphical Lilo has been abandoned, if you want a graphical bootup you need to select Grub as your bootloader.
Hardware detection is improved further. As with any Linux, there is always the danger that something does not work (under any Linux), but for stuff that is Linux-compatible, the detection is excellent. Once you have installed, you can use "Synaptic" to add more packages, including the various essentials like libdvdcss, and a number of closed codecs, which are not on the CD for legal reasons.
Bootup is measurably one of the fastest. Closedown is also pretty quick now, too. After a temporary closure when the hosts were unable to deal with the sheer volume of traffic the site was creating, the site (still
http://www.pclinuxos.com) now has dedicated hosting from a partnership deal with ENKI consulting. There were some teething troubles there at first, but now it's up and going. It's a good forum, safe for newbies, and one where you can even get answers from Texstar himself. The WIKI is being rebuilt.
A small number of packagers (though maybe more than in the past), script hackers and testers have been involved in putting the new release together, with Texstar somehow managing to let people get on with stuff but still keep overall control. New scripts have been written which allow users to install nvidia and ati video drivers from the repository, and which correct the graphics configuration file (/etc/X11/xorg.conf), whilst restoring the original if you uninstall the drivers.
Beryl and Compiz have been included, with the full range of spinning cubes and wobbly windows, with an applet in the Control Centre for "central" inclusion. Alternately, there are instructions at the site so that individual users can control whether Beryl runs on their individual desktop.
In my case, all hardware was detected apart from the TV card which, incidentally, I can't get working in Windows either so I think it's faulty. Actually it is detected correctly it just doesn't seem to work which backs up the last sentence! The printer had to be selected from a list, everything else just goes. My new computer has a USB Multicard reader, and it has a SATA DVDRW with lightscribe as well as a SATA Hard Drive. I found that when I tried to install 0.93a on it, as with many distros dating from mid-2006, there was confusion over drive letter allocations, with SATA drive and Card Reader completely confusing one another. No such problem at all in the 2007 release.
Whilst many users report great results at the forum with older hardware, it's the fact that it just works on my more modern AM2/SATA based system which impresses me most.
As in the past, you need 256Mb Ram to run the Live CD, a pre-requisite to installation. It's easy to run, install and maintain. The forums are helpful. Every release just gets better.
You can also use
GParted.
Last edited by a moderator:
May 8, 2015
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