My experience with Mandriva (and 64 bit)
March 24th, 2008 — BoomerSo after reinstalling windows, hunting down drivers, and setting everything up properly, I realized that all I really needed in windows was steam. Since I had a fresh reinstall, that would mean I had to download and install everything. I’ve always wanted to try Linux, but it was always impractical, since I had some stuff installed that I needed, and it would take ages to get everything working smoothly on Linux. But now, with a fresh reinstall, why not install Linux as well? I downloaded it as I was working with the sound card drivers, and as soon as everything was working properly, I burned it onto a DVD and started it up.
The installation was pretty easy. I was able to understand mostly everything, and it was able to partition itself without touching windows. The only problem I had with it were the packages. As a first time Linux user, it was very confusing, and I didn’t know what everything did, and I wasn’t sure which ones I would most likely need or not. There also seemed to be a limit to the amount I could install, which sort of caused some issues. When I started installing all the packages, it seemed frozen. I clicked cancel, and nothing happened. After a couple of minutes, it started installing the packages, but then it canceled. It went back to the list of packages, but it was empty. It installed them properly however in the end. Apart from this, it was quite smooth.
I logged in, and it looked very clean and visually appealing. I saw 5 icons on the desktop, 2 which had to do with Mandriva which I deleted, since they weren’t useful. I was left with Home, Trash, and Storage Media. Basically, from here on out, I set about configuring everything to my liking. It took me a while to find out how to get Compiz working, until I realized that I had to get the proprietary drivers for my 8800GTX. I am still figuring out how to get Compiz-fusion working, or maybe it is and I don’t realize it. I downloaded the package, but I didn’t notice anything new. The effects are very nice, and it’s not just eye candy as it does do some useful things, especially with the multiple desktops. It is a very different environment, but it feels very flexible. Installing applications is as easy as looking through a list and selecting which ones I want. Updating is done for everything. It has only been my first day since installing it, so I still have a lot to learn, like tarballs. There is also a lot of programs that are 64 bit. I never realized that there were so many.
I do not really notice any difference between 64 and 32 bit. But then again, I’ve never used 32 bit linux, so all I can really go by is how much faster Linux is compared to windows. I did have one big problem however, and that is to do with flash. Come on now Adobe, can’t you make a version of flash that is 64 bit? The problem is not going to go away, as more and more people are going to use 64 bit machines. It is unfortunate that I can not do many things now, and until I find a workaround, I can’t even see the youtube videos I embedded on my site! Hopefully, adobe will get it’s act together and release 64 bit flash soon. While I wait for you, Adobe, I’ll be spinning my desktop-on-a-cube, while I watch a tropical storm on my desktop. Oh, did I forget to mention it’s free?
March 24th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
I finally decided to write a comment on your blog. I just wanted to say good job. I really enjoy reading your posts.
Tina Russell
March 25th, 2008 at 4:18 am
Which version of Mandriva did you install ?
+ To enable Compiz-Fusion, you just need to launch drak3d. You can find it in the Mandriva Control Center -> Hardware -> Configure 3D Desktop
+ I guess that the issue when installing the package is more a GUI issue. I guess that the UI is frozen when installing packages. Should be fixed in latest updates of rpmdrake, or you may want to do a bug report at http://qa.mandriva.com
+ You may want to read the documentation to see how to use correctly your system. Have a look here :
http://club.mandriva.com/xwiki/bin/view/KB/OfficialDocumentation
March 25th, 2008 at 9:01 am
I installed the latest version, 2008. Thanks for all the help, I decided to jump into the Linux world before doing any reading, think that my computer knowledge would help me. It turns out it’s more like XP knowledge. Unfortunately, I can’t find drak3d, even though I have the packages. I’ll have to look into that. And thanks for the links, it will help me a lot.
March 25th, 2008 at 11:02 am
“As a first time Linux user, it was…” this review doesnt sound like a genuine 1st time linux user.
March 25th, 2008 at 11:09 am
[...] My experience with Mandriva (and 64 bit) [...]
March 25th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Nice review… You have potential. Try out other distributions such as opensuse or ubuntu as well. Mandriva uses KDE which might be a bit unstable.
March 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
@A
Ok, I lied a little. I put linux on a usb stick to show my friends, as well as putting it on my ipod to use (only to go back to apple firmware after an hour). However I have never actually installed Linux on a hard drive, and used it for more than a couple hours. This is the first time where I have actually installed it, used it, and configure it to my liking so I can continue using it. This does not mean that I have the knowledge that a normal Linux user has. However, I happen to have a friend which uses Linux every day, and I learned a lot from him. I would never have known about Compiz-fusion, or the many Linux distributions, or wine, or many other things. This person is also writing a review of gOS for Tech Smartly, but he is rather busy at the moment. No, I am not really a first time linux user. However, I have never used linux enough to be a normal user as opposed to a first time user.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Why compiz ?
It is a useless hack to an already unstable X server. It serves no purpose toward useful work. We all got by this far without spinning windows ( and potentially freezing the kernel via X).
It is disgusting how linux newbies are always redirected towards the most frivolous and least productive things by the same zealots who profess despising windows for the same reason(s).
Again, I express my disgust at this crowd.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Linux is an operating system perpetually used for hacking and cracking. There is no practical reason one should use linux unless they are highly technical and can extensively use the OS to its full potential. For an average user, gamer, or even IT specialist, using linux is just a mere expression of one’s taste.
If one despises Windows or any other commercially successful products, that person has not reviewed and compared the differences and pros/cons of each operating system which reveals the potential use of each system.
March 25th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Flash:
install nspluginwrapper - with this you can use 32bit flash plugin with 64bit web browser (I’m sure you will find some guide about installing the flash plugin with the nspluginwrapper, which is very simple).
Compiz-Fusion:
As far as I remember, if you use nVidia gfx card, then you have to configure it before using Compiz-Fusion (add some options to /etc/X11/xorg.conf). But I’m not 100% sure - you will find more on that also on the web.
March 25th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Alex: You are wrong. KDE is not so unstable, and Mandriva allows in a easy way to install KDE or GNOME when you install the system. And allows expert people to install fluxbox, xfce, or whatever desktopr or window manager is on the CDs or DVD installation.
Ubuntu does not have that option in the installer.
Boomer: use whatever you like and wish. Mandriva is as good as other Linux distributions. Just test, use and compare.
good luck!
April 6th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Alex, I am afraid you’re quite wrong about KDE. KDE is more stable than gnome, it uses less memory, it is faster, more consistent and is much more powerful and configurable (it also can be much more complicated). That said, the GNOME group has implemented some really great concepts with respect to SIMPLICITY and USABILITY (which the KDE folks could really learn from), for example the gnome “SLAB” the common control center, and other cool features. However, GNOME’s main calling card is that it has been open-source and GPL from day one whereas KDE’s underlying QT libaries were ambiguous in terms of GPL/FOSS (it no longer is ambiguous, but it was). Due to the FOSS/GPL issue and the simplicity (i.e. lack of configuration options) many corporate site prefer GNOME (IT depts. don’t like End-users customizing their GUI). FYI, KDE is written in C++ an object-oriented language. Object-oriented languages ‘naturally’ lend themselves to GUI development (after all a GUI is, in effect, composed of virtual objects of varying similarity and differences, windows, widgets, icons, scrollbars, dialogue boxes, the desktop, etc). GNOME is written is C language, which means a hell of lot more effort on the part of the developers to keep their code clean and well structured for GUI devel. This isn’t the only reason why KDE is much cleaner and more stable WM/GUI than GNOME but is a real contributor to KDE’s stability and speed.
April 6th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
‘vm’ please get a life and stop behaving like such a linux/unix fascist snob and luddite - go look up the terms as you probably don’t know what they mean. The fact is that a 3D desktop IS productive for most people because most people aren’t so weakminded that they can’t handle 3D vector processing in their visual cortex (i.e. occipital lobes). It may surprise you to learn that we humans tend visualize better in 3D than in 2D (that’s because we have stereoscopic vision and are evolved to think in 3D). You remember the location of open application windows far better on a 3D desktop than you would on multiple 2D virtual desktops. Also, the 3D desktop is something that really turns on window$ users to linux and it is a big reason why young adults have developed interest in linux. If we follow your logic we should still be using text terminals (ONLY) to do all of our work.
Don’t limit linux/GNU/OSS by holding back innovation.
May 13th, 2008 at 11:42 am
[...] and setting everything up properly, I realized that all I really needed in windows was steam.http://www.techsmartly.com/blog/?p=41PC World - How to Reinstall Windows XPMar 20, 2007 … But sometimes, the only cure for a windows [...]
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:04 am
“# jx Says:
March 25th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Linux is an operating system perpetually used for hacking and cracking. There is no practical reason one should use linux unless they are highly technical and can extensively use the OS to its full potential. For an average user, gamer, or even IT specialist, using linux is just a mere expression of one’s taste.
If one despises Windows or any other commercially successful products, that person has not reviewed and compared the differences and pros/cons of each operating system which reveals the potential use of each system.”
jx, congratulations!
You just won the retard of the millennium award.
Only used for hacking and cracking? What rock do you live under?
Linux, as derived from Unix/Minix, is -the- most powerful operating system in existance, period.
It is used on the Internet backbone, on countless webservers, on countless mailservers, game servers owned by big name companies, it runs hospital systems, it runs your bank, it runs your insurance, it runs your airplanes, it runs your battleships and it runs your bloody space shuttles! You know what? it runs on that mobile phone you’re carrying around!
You’ve been using Linux all your life and you don’t even know it!
Where are the thousands and thousands of viruses and trojans we should have if Unix/Linux was a hacking and cracking tool? Oh, that’s right, we can list the names of those that run ‘in the wild’ on a single A4 sheet. On one side only.
Hacking tool.. you should be a comedian.