Rating: 
Summary: It gets better and better
Review: Having previously been disappointed with Mandrake 7.2, I was pleased to find this version a vast improvement. Like previous versions (and most Linux distributions) it has everything you really need and then some. Like previous versions the installation is userfriendly and the interface beautiful. But there is added flexibility in the installation, and the selection of applications has matured, becoming more stable and well selected. Mandrake has truly made Linux "ready for the desktop" of the average, non-technical user -- something I thought was way off not only a year ago. (But note: If your computer came installed with Windows XP, be warned that installing Linux may destroy XP -- XP preffers a different disk format, NTFS, from DOS and older versions of Windows, so partions cannot be conveniently shrunk to make room.)
Rating:
Summary: Linux thoroughly and pleasantly surprises!
Review: A *great* product for any level of linux or windows user. The install was easier than windows, just boot from the CD and for every option there after there is a description/help box. The partition manager, diskdrake, works like a dream, too. (didn't try with NTFS, but great with FAT32!) Once loaded, it looks and feels like windows, WITHOUT THE CRASHES! My little sister found the KDE desktop environment easier than windows (yes, there are about 7 different types of windows managers to choose from!) ....2 hours after installing, I was playing Quake 3 Arena with better framerates than in windows. The software manager makes installs and uninstalls very easy, too. My only words of warning are to make sure your hardware is supported (check online). If it isn't, you could be lucky or unlucky getting some hardware to work. Overall, a bit of a learning curve, but completely customizable and stable!!! STABLE!!! There is an XKill icon on the desktop - if any app seems to be taking too long, hit that, click the window and it's gone. If the whole windows manager seems to be frozen, just hit ctrl-alt-backspace and you're back at the command line!! startx and you're back in, no reboot. I haven't had to reboot in 2 weeks now. A *great* product for any level of linux or windows user.
Rating: 
Summary: Newbie-easy
Review: As a Linux newbie, I found this distribution to be easy as pie to set up. Piece of cake. Hmmm, is it lunchtime yet?
Anyway, I had a couple of false starts in installing, but feel that they were due to my own incompetence. Also, after installation I determined that my modem is not Linux-compatible, so was unable to go online right away. Although this package is nearly as user-friendly as MS products, I think it shows that it's an open-source product which is still evolving. A little less intuitive, a few more rough edges; perhaps after I become more Linux-competenet I'll look back on this review with a laugh, but that's how it looks from here. One more thing: it's not real apparent before you get the package, but it does come with Sun Microsystems' StarOffice 5.2. Nice addition.
Rating:
Summary: Newbie-easy
Review: As a Linux newbie, I found this distribution to be easy as pie to set up. Piece of cake. Hmmm, is it lunchtime yet?
Anyway, I had a couple of false starts in installing, but feel that they were due to my own incompetence. Also, after installation I determined that my modem is not Linux-compatible, so was unable to go online right away. Although this package is nearly as user-friendly as MS products, I think it shows that it's an open-source product which is still evolving. A little less intuitive, a few more rough edges; perhaps after I become more Linux-competenet I'll look back on this review with a laugh, but that's how it looks from here. One more thing: it's not real apparent before you get the package, but it does come with Sun Microsystems' StarOffice 5.2. Nice addition.
Rating:
Summary: Piece of cake!
Review: As a long-time Red Hat user, I have to admit that Mandrake packs a strong punch. The installation process is the best I've seen: so easy to navigate and choose options, very predictable and generally humane. The default configuration is good. Gotta love those goofy penguin icons!
Rating: 
Summary: Mandrake 8.1, Good News, Bad News
Review: I bought M8.1 because of all the reviews I read, this was supposed to be the easiest to install and it is. Remember that. If you are happy with Windows9/N/X/? and all of the hardware that works with it, you might not want to change. There is a lot to be said for plug and pray, when it works. I bought M8.1 so I could do UNIX programming at home and not because I wanted to, but the alternative, Telnet was just unacceptable. I did not trust the guarantee that Windows and Linux can co-habitate on the same disk, so I bought a used 4GB just for Linux. I know lots of people say it's easy, it's safe, yada yada yada, but I know a couple of folks who lost all their Windows files and apps when the Linux installation claimed to have found a large un-used chunk of memory and asked "would you like me to install here?" I just swap a cable, no harm, no foul. Winmodems, probably what came with your machine from the manufacture, "are not now and will not be in the future, supported by Linux". I have 2 Epson printers and neither works in Linux. Spent about 24 hours on them before I gave up. If a Linux app needs to leave the machine, I just save it as a text file, to a floppy and open it up in Windows. Now for the good news. It is vey easy to install. But the documentation is somewhat weak. However, there is a very good users forum, that I have used extensively. However, I never needed a Windows user forum. In summary, if you are the type of person that cares deeply about the operation and management of the minutia of your system, Linux might be what you're looking for. If buying a new modem and/or printer were on the agenda anyway, hey, this could be the system for you. If you have ever been to a software store that sold Linux compatable apps, you are definitely on the right road. If you have a lot of free time to research what should be written in the user's manual, buy this. Just so you understand, I'm not bustin' on Mandrake8.1, it is probably the the better of the Linux packages. But Linux, like UNIX is really meant for "craftsmen". I never had any problems with Windows crashing and even if I did, I spent less time in the last 10 years rebooting than I did in the last 3 months trying to get a modem and a printer to (not) work in Linux. As for me, I'll keep it as a place to do Fortran and Ansi C++ programming. Oh yeah, if you ever wondered why Bill Gates is worth $70Large, buy any Linux package.
Rating:
Summary: Mandrake Linux 8.1 Power Pack-Good Value
Review: I bought this product as an alternative to MS Windows 2000. I had had major system problems with Windows 2000 -- multiple crashes arising from conflicts between it and other so-called windows compatible software (including its own drivers and service paks). The Linux install went very smoothely. It recognized all of my hardware. I picked the Gnome desktop and found it as appealing as Windows but more flexible. Linux is another flavor of Unix and as such is very mature and stable. Though I did something which caused the system to freeze, I was able to work around it, and regain control without rendering the OS unusable. There's a load of software that comes with the package and I'm having a great time exploring it. Star Office is a powerful integrated package that includes a word processor and spread sheet (MS Office has to be purchased separately and may conflict with Windows 2000) I've discoved that there is a desktop beyond Windows that delivers stability and operability but without a big price tag or licensing restrictions.
Rating:
Summary: a Converted MS USER
Review: I originally bought this being very unfamilliar with Linux (I knew that it was a relatively new OS). I did a little research and found that this package camely highly recommended for beginners to the world of linux. I purchased this a week ago and that is when my world changed. The program installed in 30 minutes. The install tool guided me through partioning my system so that I could boot into windows or linux. After that was installed I advanced into the desktop environment selecting KDE at random. Inside I found everything that I need for day to day use of my computer (email, web browsing, an office suite, multimedia players, etc...). Since I installed this I haven't looked back. the biggest testimoney comes from my wife who has adapted to the new OS very easily. We now only use windows to play games. In fact, I am constructing this review under Mandrake Linux 8.1 now!
Rating:
Summary: This is the definitive easiest choice of Linux distributions
Review: I use it on my laptop and are so pleased with it. I am a fairly advanced user having a lot of BSD boxes (OpenBSD and others) but for my Dell Laptop, I chose Mandrake. Mandrake 8.1 provided me an out-of-the box compliance with my videocard, my cd-burner (cdrecord and gnome utilities). My wireless Lucent network card worked INSTANTLY after boot, even with WEP encryption (yes, the installation program asked for the WEP-key!). This distribution gives you nearly everything you need. The only thing I miss after installation are rdate and StarOffice. KDE rocks and if you partition well (Always keep the homedirectories on a different partition), then a crash-recovery is done within an hour. NO TWEAKING was necessary after installation. My regards to the french hackers that made this possible.
Rating:
Summary: Want to try linux? Then this is for you.
Review: I'm a long time MS user (dos 2.? and up) and i finally decided i couldn't deal with another lackluster OS(XP). So i started researching Linux. Mandrake seemed to be getting great reviews for new users... and they were right. The install only took me a half an hour and it detected all my hardware without a hitch. The only peice of hardware i own that wasn't linux friendly was a winmodem that came bundled with my Dell Dimension Desktop. But i've already found some online sources to help me with that problem (at the installers suggestion). The OS comes fully loaded with an MS compatible office suit and all the tools i need to scan, edit photos, play multimedia, and burn cd's. I beleive the pro-suite boasts a full 7 CD's full of applications for whatever your heart desires. It has everything from internet chat programs (icq/aim/yahoo compatible) to applications for developing your own programs. The firewall is a big plus since i'm switching to a cable modem and i'll constantly be online. It has a bunch of window managers (gnome, kde, sawfish, etc.) and it even installed a graphical LILO that let's me choose which OS i want to run, since i'm still dual booting with Windows ME. But hopefully after i get my feet wet in the linux world, i will eventually be able to stop using that. Plus it's very multiuser friendly and supports true type fonts... the list just goes on and on and on. I would definately recommend this product to any desktop users considering switching to linux. I've been blown away by this product, especially if your hardware can't keep up with the rigorous demands of XP... my 800mhz pc feels top of the line again when i'm running linux.
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