Mandrake Linux PowerPack Edition 9.1

Rating:
Summary: Overall, excellent Linux Distribution
Review: First of all, I gave Mandrake Linux 9.1 5 stars because there is no option for 4.5 stars, and I rounded up. Second point, I am using the download edition, so I am reviewing a product that is no as extensive and complete as the Power Pack. Third point, I am giving ML 9.1 5 stars as compared to the state of the art in the Linux world.

Having said all that, Mandrake Linux is the only OS I run both for work and for personal use. Some of the bright points in 9.1 include:

(1) Easy to use. The Control Center makes administration of your machine very simple, including software installation, upgrades and removal (see point 4 below). The documentation is nice and simple to understand.
(2) Ready to use. It works out of the box, at least for what I use my computers (and I use them a lot).
(3) It is current. They have the latest available software.
(4) Urpmi, Mandrake's front end to RedHat's RPM, makes your life so much easier regarding software installation and management.
(5) General purpose. It is ready to be used as a server, as a workstation, as a home machine, as a Laptop operating system.
(6) Fonts are very nice in 9.1
(7) Easy security/bug fix updates, from the Control Center (you pick a download mirror and Mandrake does the rest for you)

One caveat: Mandrake has a slight tendency to be more concerned with having the latest than with having the most stable. But I had no problems so far. Only a few isolated episodes in one machine, that may as well be hardware related. I used to Red Hat, another excellent distribution. I find Mandrake more intuitive and I am spending far less time on administration of my computers since I switched to Mandrake 9.0

In summary, I consider Mandrake Linux an outstanding operating system, and very likely the best Linux distribution overall.

Rating:
Summary: My brother and I really love it!
Review: I first see this Mandrake Linux PowerPack Edition 9.1 on my brother's notebook. Together with my brother, I found it so flexible and durable. It can recognize MOST plug-in peripherals so easily without any problems. Since my brother works in an IT company, we both agree that Linux is THE BEST choice for us. Even, my old Linux 2.2.6 performs far better than the leading brand OS, especially in networking. The best of all, it is cheaper but performs far better than the leading brand OS. If you need a durable, flexible, compatible, and dependable OS, try this Linux!

Rating:
Summary: Best Linux Distro! Great for windows users!
Review: I have had several different versions of Linux before, including Red Hat 6 and 7, SuSE 8, and now Mandrake 9.1. I can easily say that this is the best distribution hands down. I installed this on my windows XP machine, using another (blank) hard drive (XP is on the master drive). The install detected the blank drive and auto-prtitioned it while keeping XP in tact and untouched. The only change that was made to the windows drive was the boot record, which was changed to LILO. This allows the user to select which operating system to load at startup. The whole install went without a single problem. The windows NTFS drive was automatically configured to mount at boot, allowing access to those files (although I had to create a shortcut to /mnt/windows on the desktop, but that was easy enough). The only other thing that required input was that the sound was turned way down in the mixer for some reason.

Overall, this is a GREAT linux disro. Tons of apps, seems to be solid as ever, great display/graphics/fonts, easy to manage, and fast.

Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, but some small issues
Review: I will start by saying that I am still new to Linux, but I have tried several different disto's and so far Mandrake 9.1 has to be very nearly my favorite.
The install is amazingly simple, and extreamly fast. The interface is very nice, it doesn't have the look of BlueCurve from Redhat (a bonus in my opinion).
And everything is well layed out. My only real complaint involves the control center. Here Redhat still has Mandrake beat.

Rating:
Summary: The best Mandrake yet!
Review: Mandrake has done itself proud with this release. One of the biggest changes that you'll notice is the icons and the fonts. Extremely professional looking and very easy on the eyes.

I am blessed with hardware that Mandrake runs on nicely, and I have yet to have any major problems that could not be fixed with Mandrake.

The Control Center has been enhanced and everything--including the new Galaxy theme--is right here waiting for you to try. Mandrake makes Linux for the masses and this version has reached critical mass in my opinion.

I've tried Suse, Red Hat, and Libranet Linux distros and this one can't be beat for ease of use and having the latest software.

Red Hat is stable as well but their paranoia about MP3 licensing issues and mpeg-related concerns keep their distro a bit off pace with Mandrake.

Mandrake recognized my hardware, LAN card, printer, video card and monitor without a problem. Just turn your printer on along with your computer when installing and Mandrake will do the rest.

Functions nicely as a desktop workstation or a file server. It can't be beat for the quantity of its tools or the quality of the distribution.

This may be the release that puts Mandrake financially back in the black.