Review: Mandrake Linux 9.0

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Product: Mandrake Linux 9.0
Pro:Excellent documentation, easy for beginners
Con:Some options are expensive
Summary:      A great distribution, easy to install and very user friendly. Good for beginners and those migrating from Windows.
Score:Rating 9
Company:Mandrake




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SuperGuide:
Desktop Linux Blowout!

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>Monday:
Mandrake 9.0

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>Tuesday:
Red Hat 8.0

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>Wednesday:
SuSE 8.1

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>Thursday:
Libranet 2.7

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>Friday:
Lycoris Desktop/LX

Mandrake Linux 9.0 from MandrakeSoft has established a reputation for being one of the easiest to install and user-friendly Linux distribution (often called a distro) on the market. That reputation is well deserved, and the latest release continues to improve on what has been previously offered. Like SuSE 8.1, Mandrake 9.0 has excellent documentation, designed with the beginner in mind. allowing the inexperienced or potential Linux user to easily install a system.

Mandrake is particularly appealing because a person who is unfamiliar with Linux software can learn a little at a time with this distribution, yet Mandrake still offers features that the experienced user and administrator will also appreciate. Mandrake offers a complete graphical interface through which the user will learn to manipulate and use the system while learning more and more, much like Windows would be to someone newly initiated to the PC.

The documentation is so good and the community of users so helpful that further support is rarely necessary.

Mandrake Linux 9.0 comes shrink-wrapped in three different forms:

  • The Standard Edition includes 3 CDs, including a commercial applications CD not available in the download edition, 30-day technical installation support through MandrakeExpert and a quick installation guide. At $30, it is also the least expensive of the officially supported Linux distros.. A download version of the Standard Edition is similar, but doesn’t include the physical CDs and printed documentation, and is priced at $6.95 (plus shipping and handling) at Linux Central, or you can download Mandrake Linux at no cost from a number of sites, including Mandrake’s own download site.

  • The Power Pack Edition costs $69. For the additional cost, this version adds a second commercial products CD, supplementary applications CD, installation source code CD, an installation and user guide in addition to the Quick Installation Guide, a reference manual and server guide in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, unlimited security update subscriptions, and 60 days (instead of 30 days) for the installation support.

  • The ProSuite costs $199. In contrast to the other offerings, this version targets the server environment instead of the desktop. Instead of the installation CDs, it comes packaged with two installation server CDs and IBM DB/2 for Linux Workgroup Edition 7.2. Except for substituting the installation server software for the desktop software, the ProSuite is exactly like the Power Pack Edition.

    Unlike previous versions, the ProSuite is the only edition that now offers telephone support. In the current edition, five telephone incidents are supported within the first 60 days. Additional phone support is available for the ProSuite at $149.99. 48 Hour response installation Web support is available for 90 days. The 9.0 Prosuite Edition not only provides all of your server needs, but also includes a workstation DVD packed with the most recent and full-featured office applications such as Sun’s famous StarOffice 6.0. The DVD makes it easy to install all the workstation applications from one source, instead of managing multiple CDs.

    The average consumer, who simply wants to learn about GNU/Linux is well served by Mandrake Linux. Many Linux vendors seem to be retreating from providing any free access to their products. MandrakeSoft seems more willing than most vendors to engage the user community in the process of obtaining, evaluating, and providing feedback for Mandrake Linux. This seems to be more apparent than ever. For that reason, they have chosen to make downloadable versions easily accessible. In addition to Linux Central, other small Linux businesses, like Cheap Bytes, Edmunds Enterprises, and The Tech Broker, offer Mandrake Linux 8.1 for around $10 (including shipping and handling costs).

    Mandrake 9.0 Standard Edition


    In this review, we’ll discuss the new features in the latest Mandrake release, explain the basic installation procedures, provide some advice for new and intermediate Linux users, then we’ll suggest some additional learning tools and usage pointers.

    Additional Linux Resources

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