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Mandrake Linux... Not Dead Yet?
bloodeu writes "Mandrake Linux has been beaten down by linux experts alike, but this new release of Mandrake may hold many promising Linux users
what they have been waiting for, like NTFS resizing(which is a first), Automatic Network config(zeroconf), Supermount, and
many more. You can download the Mandrake 9.1 RC1 Here"
Um, okay. Maybe I've been out of the loop when it comes to Linux/NTFS compatibility. I thought we were still kinda' afraid to write to NTFS partitions. Now we can resize them.
Can someone please elaborate?
Yes, so it's the really simple distro for thickies and n00bs. It's also by far and away the easiest Linux distro to set up and use that I've tried (and I'm from the days of Yggdrasil, me) so it's my distro of choice - it has (or is easily made to have) all the power of "proper" distros but isn't as condescending as Lycoris and friends.
Mandrake should be kept alive, it would be a loss to the Linux world if it were to die.
-Mark
Now all the new stuff I"m looking forward to, zeroconf network, kde 3.1, gnome 2.2, XFree86 4.3, 4.21 kernel and a cornacopia of other programs, are in mandrake 9.1. While in the end I intend to move over to debian completely, IMO mandrake is the best of the others for me. I can't wait for 9.1 to become available.
I do security
So it's easy, when is the linux community going to drop this attitude of "Linux is supposed to be hard".
In the last three weeks I've tried RedHat 8.0(too slow on a 366mhz machine), Yopper, Knoppix (lots of stuff) and Mandrake 9.0. Of them all, I'm using mandrake. Why? because everything worked, first time, everytime. So I went out and bought a copy. Voting with my wallet, the easiest thing to do. I hope they make it out of Chapter 11 or whatever the french equivalent is. They're providing the gateway to make it easier to switch, without the cost overhead that Lindows requires.
~corporate tool, but employed~
Since some posts appear to be made in ignorance of this fact, Mandrake apparently is no longer going to be the best distro to freeload off of.
Only members will be able to download the new version, or order cheap cd sets when it is first released. Depending on what kind of member you are (I am a Silver member) will determine what kind of bandwidth priority you get. I think the free download version for 9.1 will only be available after the package version is in stores for a while. Maybe the free download to the public will not even be available until the first RC of the next distro is out.
Complain all you want, but you brought this upon yourself. I became a member and was willing to let my membership fees go, in part, to allowing freeloaders download at the same time as everyone else. However, there were too many of you and too few of me, so now if you don't want to pay but want the newest version you will have to just use an RC (sounds fair to me).
Anyway, Mandrake not being dead is not news to me or any other members. It is just news to the people who don't care enough to get involved. Why such people would even care about weither Mandrake is dead or not eludes me.
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
Just because it is available for free doesn't mean there isn't some merit in paying for it sometimes. I won't go up on some soap box about how "every download is a dagger in free software's heart" because that would be absurd. Free downloads are what spur the rapid discovery, reporting and repair of bugs as well as bring noobs into the fold. 95% of the noobs I've brought over have been swayed with the logic "Hey, no risk to try it other than the download time..."
But at the same time, if you get good use out of Mandrake, (or any distribution) the best support you can give them is to vote with your dollars. Spend some money on Mandrake services or products. Buy a t-shirt... I bet your girlfriend would look smashing in a "Mandrake Club" t-shirt... (Is that the geek equivalent of having her wear your football jersey?)
Who did what now?
- Mandrake (afaik) was the first and so far only Linux distro to be sold as a standalone product in Walmart, and I bought several versions there (as the king of Swamp Castle says "... just to show 'em!"). Software specifics aside, this is another good reason to be grateful to Mandrake, whether you use their distro or not. Lindows was *not* the first Walmart-associated Linux :) [And I could be wrong -- perhaps they also had Red Hat, dunno.]
While my example is not Wal-Mart, but, FYI, I used to be able to buy Red Hat and Mandrake from Best Buy. As a matter of fact, I have still have the "Linux-Mandrake 7.2 Professional Suite" box set I bought from Best Buy. I believe that I have seen SUSE available at Best Buy as well. Now, mind you, the choices available at Best Buy have dwindled I think, but I know at least Red Hat is still available. (Right next to all the M$ stuff). Best Buy actually tried to keep a decent selection at one time... I remember BeOS (yes you read that right) on the shelf next to Red Hat, when BeOS was still kicking.