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Mandriva Linux 2009 Released

Posted by timothy on from the still-crazy-after-all-these-years dept.

Adam Williamson writes "Mandriva has today released Mandriva Linux 2009, the new major release of the popular distribution. 2009 is a bold release which brings the new KDE 4 as the default desktop, along with a re-designed installer and Mandriva Control Center and many other new features. Other significant updates include GNOME 2.24, OpenOffice.org 3, Mozilla Firefox 3, and kernel 2.6.27. Key features include new graphical in-line upgrade capability, netbook compatibility, class-leading hardware support, and further improved support for working with mobile devices. For more details, see the Release Tour and the Release Notes. Get it at the download page, or go straight to the torrent list."

7 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Wow, now that's a trick! by djcapelis · · Score: 4, Funny

    It includes a kernel that hasn't been released yet?

    Wow!

    --
    I touch computers in naughty places
    1. Re:Wow, now that's a trick! by AdamWill · · Score: 4, Informative

      http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Docs/Choosing_the_right_edition

      Basically, One is a hybrid live/install CD which includes proprietary drivers and browser plugins. Free is a traditional installer edition (2xCD or DVD) which is 100% free / open source software, no NVIDIA / ATI drivers or anything (though you can add them from the non-free repository after install, if you're that way inclined).

    2. Re:Wow, now that's a trick! by AdamWill · · Score: 4, Informative

      Shipping with 2.6.27rc8, final 2.6.27 will be provided as an official update when it shows up.

  2. KDE by Psychotria · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Really, I love KDE 4.x. The work they have done is magnificent and a great achievement. I cannot, however, use it (at the moment) day-to-day. At least Mandrake has waited for a while before including it (KDE 4). At the end of the day though how is it helping Linux? Supposing I was a new Linux user (I'm not, been using it since 1994 and Yggdrasil) I would have to assess Linux on it's "interface". Say I am interested: I will grab the latest "linux version" and install it. I will be presented with KDE4. As an average user, would I judge linux, overall, on the interface. Most LIKELY I WOULD. Distro's have to be current, yeah. But if we want to make linux attractive to joe six pack, we have to start deciding WHAT goes into a standard distro. Including unfinished stuff (IMO) is a show stopper.

    This comment is not meant to detract from the great work the KDE people have done for 4.x. They are building a GREAT system and I admire their work.

  3. Useless summaries by Enderandrew · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Each distro includes OpenOffice.org, Gnome, KDE, etc. I can get Gnome 2.24 by upgrading packages within my existing distro. openSUSE 11.1 and Fedora 9 will ship with it. So what actually sets this apart? I haven't used Mandriva since it was Mandrake, and I'm curious.

    I hear they got a great "Control Panel" that rivals Yast. What is it like? What unique features does the distro have?

    Wouldn't that be the pertinent information to have?

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  4. Re:Obligatory by AdamWill · · Score: 4, Informative

    Via VirtualBox or VMware, yes. Yes it does. :) And, of course, vice versa.

  5. Re:Once Upong a Time... by markdavis · · Score: 3, Informative

    Um, Mandrake/Mandriva has *always* been a commercial company with commercial offerings. But they have also *always* offered free versions of the distro. And this is what Redhat did before they went completely commercial-only, and what SuSE still does.

    http://www.mandriva.com/en/download/free