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Conectiva Linux 7.0 is Out
rsd writes: "Conectiva Linux 7.0 is out. Here is the original announcement. And here is the babelfish translation. They are already shipping Portuguese box and will start the english soon. However the CDs (iso for what matter) are available in english already. Their main ftp server is overcrowded. Hoever, Rik VanRiel provided us with a really
fast server. I will not describe every feature on it but the main change is the
Synaptic tool, which in my opinion is the best APT frontend ever written."
The product substitutes version 6.0 launched at the end of 2000, and will be presented in two editions: Conectiva Linux 7.0 and Conectiva Linux 7.0 Professional Server.
São Paulo, July 2001 - The new version of the open source operation system that is most used in all of the world, will be available starting at the next Fernsaoft (São Paulo computer show), which will be from the 30th of July to the 4th of August. The product substitutes version 6.0, launched at the end of 2000, and will be presented in two editions: Conectiva Linux 7.0 and Conectiva Linux 7.0 Professional Server.
The biggest new features of this version are the tools to facilitate the use of the RPM automatic upgrade utility, called APT. Thanks to resources which are exclusive to Conectiva, it is possible for each user to install only the packages which are suitable for them.
Another modification which Conectiva prepared for CL 7.0 was the extinction of the boot (startup) disks, seeings that practically all modern machines are able to accomplish this process directly from the CD-ROM. But, if necessary, the user can create their own boot disk with the utilities and images on the five CDs which are part of the product. They also bring a program to help in the creation of the diskette and facilitate the installation in machines with the Windows operating system.
According to the company's new strategy, which intends to show that Linux is now profession and has won a large part of the market, the design of the boxes has also changed. CL version 7.0 has a more simple appearance than the earlier versions, and maintains the predominance of the colour blue, whereas the Professional Server version also follows this 'clean' look, with an emphasis on the colour white.
Among the advantages of the new version, it is worth also mentioning the support and documentation, which is even more complete, and directed towards the user. Conectiva Linux version 7.0 documentation is composed of the "User's Guide" and "Quick Installation Guide", whereas the Professional Server version has the "Quick Installation Guide", the "Conectiva Linux Server Guide" and the new book "Understanding Conectiva Linux", which presents information about the operating system through pratical examples. In addition to the manuals, the package is composed of five CDs, one for installation (operating system and applications), one of extra applications, two with the source code of the first two CDs and one containing StarOffice for Linux in various languages.
To provide support, the user will have coupons in the packet which give the right to two hours of telephone support and three months via email. If the validity of the supports expires, Conectiva also offers extended support, in both versions, so that the user can adquire more time to resolve their questions.
Technical Characteristics
In this version, the automatic upgrade tool for RPM packages, the APT, has a system which is much more stable and better integrated with tools such as Synaptic. This, in turn, is a graphical interface created to simplify the remote installation and upgrading of programs through APT, without needing to resort to the command line. "To meet these objectives, various packages were rebuilt, being subdivided into smaller packages, for the purpose of economizing disk space and making them more flexible", explains Alfredo Kojima, creator of Synaptic and the WindowMaker graphical interface, and a member of the Conective development team.
In Conectiva Linux 7.0 it is worth mentioning as well the inclusion of the Kernel 2.4, which signficiantly improves the performance of the version, principally on servers which run large applications and multiprocessing systems. This performance also helps a lot in the utilitization of Linux in the corporate environment. In addition to the Kernel 2.4, you can also choose the 2.2.19 Kernel.
XFree86, a Linux graphical interface server, is now in edition 4.03, which has new drivers for SiS and S3 cards, both very popular in Brazil. This upgrade resolves stability and performance problems which previously existed. In addition, it has 3D image support and anti-aliasing, a resource which smooths-out fonts on the screen for easier reading.
The standard graphical interface for Conectiva Linux 7.0 is KDE 2.12, which now has various upgrades and improvements in terms of security. KDE has integrated a series of applications, such as the e-mail reader KMail, the dialer KPPP, the browser and file manager Konqueror and the office suite KOffice, as well as other small tools.
As always, another advantage of the Linux operating system, which is repeated in this new version, is the better utilization of the hardware, make available constant investments in upgrades. In Conectiva Linux 7.0 there are four installation profiles available: minimum, standard, complete and personalised, each with a package of pre-determined applications. The standard installation occupies an average of only 510 MB, which is little when compared to other Open Source distributions. Also it is worth saying that the whole installation process has interactive help available.
Conectiva Linux 7.0 will be available for sale at the Fenasoft (computer show), at suggested prices of R$ 88,00 (around US $36) (Conectiva Linux 7.0) and R$ 225,00 (around US $105) (Conectiva Linux 7.0 - Professional Server).
Linux doesn't necessarily need the learning curve that many people attribute to it. Sure, back in the Slackware-only days, installing, configure and using Linux required some knowledge and effort. But today, it really depends on what you want to do. If you just want to run a few office apps like most people do with windows, you never need to touch source code, or bother with the tricky stuff. Just buy a good distribution (like Mandrake or Redhat or [insert favorite here]), and install it.
Now, what makes Linux difficult? First, there is partitioning your hard drive and installing file systems in preparation for the install. This makes many users really nervous. But here's the reality. If you started with a blank hard drive and installed Windows from scratch, you'd still have to set up the file system on the hard drive during the install. You might not have to *partition* the drive, but you don't have to do that with some of the Linux distributions if you are running them without a dual-boot situation. Don't want to go through the trouble of installing it yourself? Do what most people do with Windows -- buy a machine with the OS preinstalled. While rare, you can find machines with Linux preinstalled.
The second difficult thing about installing Linux is the reported problems with recognizing hardware. Note that this is getting better and better, but you'll find that there are problems with devices designed specifically for Windows (WinModems and Windows Printers), and there are also problems with proprietary hardware in which the manufacturer has not opened the specs to Open Source developers. Want to avoid this problem? Make sure your hardware is fully supported by the Linux distribution BEFORE you install. Think consumers wouldn't go for this? Surprise! They did a few years ago when Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0. It was funny how all of those machines my former employer bought from Compaq weren't certified to run Windows NT, and when we had installation and reliability problems, we were outta luck. And these were high-end machines at the time.
While I'm rambling on, let me tell you where I see *real* problems with Linux. The problem is with user interface consistency. You see, one of the great Linux strengths is also a weakness. There are lots of choices for your desktop, and each has a set of applications tailored to it. Great! Nobody is going to tell me what desktop environment I have to use. But if my favorite applications require various environments, I have a slight problem. Yes, I can run all of them under my favorite desktop environment, but they look, feel and interact differently. In many cases, you almost have to know which libraries the application was written with to fully understand how to use it. This can be very confusing for the average user -- it's bad enough that they have to learn something different from Windows, but try explaining that they have to learn two or three different styles of user interface. It can be frustrating. I hope to see this improve. Perhaps authors of good applications tailored for one environment will port them to another. For example, if your favorite web browser is Konqueror under KDE, but your favorite desktop is GNOME with Enlightenment, wouldn't it be nifty to see a port that interfaces really well with GNOME? Maybe we'll see these kinds of things in the future.
GreyPoopon
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Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
What makes this one different from other Linux distributions?
It combines the Linux Standard Base packaging system, RPM 3.05, with the most well known automatic software installation frontend, APT, a tight set of packaging guidelines, and a nice GUI for APT called Synaptic.
Also, most people don't live in North America or speak English, and internationalization for most general purpose distributions is quite poor.
Agreed on all points, especially the last one. Interface consistency is something that has frustrated even *me*, and I'm a died-in-the-wool UNIX old-timer. (Hell, I actually _like_ the way that Motif looks.)
That's why I find KDE so exciting. They are actually acheiving a level of consistency and quality in the interface that meets (or, in my opinion, exceeds) that of Microsoft, Apple, or really any other desktop I can think of.
What I'd really like to see is KLinux. A distro centered entirely around KDE, with no non-KDE apps available. At this point that might make the app selection just a little slim, particularly since KOffice is still not on-par with the functionality of something like StarOffice. But I think there are many users that would really appreciate the level of consistency that would be achieved by such a distribution, and the distro maintainers could focus on a 100% KDE-based system, hopefully producing a more integrated final OS.