I changes Linux distributions like I change blog templates. I’m always looking for something new. I’m currently trying Zenwalk linux. It is my first Slackware distro. and I am having a lot of fun with it. It is a clean, simple distribution without a lot of bells and whistles. The developers are using the KISS principle which I appreciate. I’ve had to install a few packages that do not come with the distro., but that’s not much of a problem. It’s just a something that you have to deal with. I think I even like this better than Ubuntu, and I would not be afraid of sitting a Linux newbie in front of it, especially if they just want internet, email, and chat. The XFCE interface is one of my favorites. It is simple, sleek, fast, and it will remind you of Windows. It even comes with Java 1.5 preinstalled, so that’s one less worry. There are three software packages that I can not live without, and I’ve had some trouble finding them, but they are here or at LinuxPackages.net. They are amaroK, Lyx, and Scribus. Amarok is my iTunes, Scribus is my Microsoft Publisher/Adobe Illustrator, and Lyx is a program that will make any written piece of tripe look like a professional publisher put it together. It is a godsend for writing college papers. I will eventually go back to Ubuntu, but I want to stay here for a bit. Maybe until the next Ubuntu version comes out. The problem with Slackware packages is something called Dependency hell. This is something that I have seen little of in Ubuntu. Dependancy Hell is not a problem for the novice who is content with a few pieces of software that work well, but for the Linux adventurer, it can drive you insane.

I’ve always sort of compared the Linux community to the Ham Radio community of a previous generation.  I can say this both as a dedicated Linux user and as a ham.  The Linux community is as diverse as any.  There are going to jerks and snobs.  There are going to be people who demand that everyone compiles everything from source or use an archaic distribution, and there are those who are happy just installing everything from a Knoppix CD.  The people and the support are there, and since we are living in an online world, it doesn’t really matter a whole lot where the help physically comes from.  Quite frankly, I’ve come to embrace the Linux community more than any other online, because there are so many of newbies who want to learn and who want to help each other out.  Open Source is a new frontier, and many of us just want to help each other out.

I’m a Linux user. Like you, I started with Mandrake. It was an early version (5.1) and it was very rough and unpolished. I gave it up quickly. Later on, I bought Mandrake 8.1 and was re-introduced to the magic of Linux. Mandrake 8.1 could actually do stuff. It’s package manager (urpmi) actually worked and was easy to understand. Though, I have to point out that Linux packages (RPM and DEB) are a totally different paradigm compared to installing software on Windows or OSX.

I got a really good deal on a iMac 500mhz computer for my birthday. What would normally cost $150-200 on ebay cost me $50 because the guy didn’t know what he had. I wanted a computer that I could just do my work on and know that it is stable enough to not crash everytime I turned around. My reason for leaving Linux is 2-fold. 1. Serena’s PC crashed and I gave her mine and install WinXP on it for her. 2. I like to tinker with Linux too much, and so I end up breaking it a little too often. Don’t get me wrong, Linux is a fine and stable OS, but I like to play a little too much.

Windows Longhorn 5203 Screenshots

Here are a few free screenshots of the new Windows version that is due out next year. It will be called, “Longhorn”.

I see a lot of “eye candy” here i.e. a lot of fancy graphics. The problem is that it will require equally fancy hardware to support it, not to mention the cost of the OS itself.

This is Fedora Core 4: http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/363_or/1.png http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/362_or/1.png

This is Knoppix 3.9 http://www.softpedia.com/screenshots//Knoppix-Live-GNULinux_2.jpg

I was thinking about this last night. Why does’t any of the main Linux distrobutions contains a Windows conversion package? It would basically make the first CD of a multi-CD installation a live CD. That live CD would contains software that would back up the user’s files in Windows. If the person has a CD Burner, they would then be given the option of burning those use files to a CDR. Then the software would continue with the installation. That way, even if the person screwed up their HDD with the partitions, then would not have lost all of their settings.