Been using SimplyMEPIS more often

I like using SimplyMEPIS as a base desktop system. For me, it tends to have all the software I need for routine activities already correctly configured for me. For other uses, especially testing and experimenting, I use Libranet as my base system. Libranet has long been my favorite desktop software. But since I sometimes mess it up and it takes a while to get things fixed properly, it sure is nice to have another solid desktop system handy, and that other system is SimplyMEPIS.

Downloaded aLinux Friday, checked it out today

I installed aLinux (formerly Peanut Linux) today. It installed cleanly and ran cleanly, but the choice of Web browser leaves something to be desired. As configured, the Mozilla Web browser, a test version, terminates whenever you attempt to select fonts. Not a good first impression.

Tested two distros tonight

I got Chubby Puppy 1.04 with Mozilla and Open Office, and I also got Klax KDE 3.4.2 this evening, burned and tried each of them, both of which are Live CD desktop systems.

Chubby Puppy, in spite of its name, is very small and compact, bloated only slightly by the presence of two well regarded large applications, the complete Mozilla browser suite, and Open Office, the most complete free and open office software suite. To say that Puppy is fast is an understatement. It is the fastest desktop system that I have ever used.

Klax KDE 3.4.2 is a concept Live CD, intended primarily for the purpose of testing out KDE 3.4.2. It works VERY well, certainly well enough to handle by browsing needs for the past hour or so.

Distros, distros

I like testing distros.

Ended up getting the latest SimplyMEPIS 3.3.1-1 instead

Instead of installing White Box Linux 4 or Lineox 4, I downloaded and installed the latest release of SimplyMEPIS. This release simply has a few bug fixes and updates to the previous release. It is really easy to install and I did not feel like a long installation, so I downloaded the single ISO image, burned it, loaded the Live CD, and away I went. Then I clicked on the Install Me icon, indicated which disk partition I wanted to use, told it to retain the contents of /home for me, to install the GRUB boot loader in the root partition instead of the MBR, to create user accounts masinick and root and to set the password for each, and to retain the existing local time zone. That was it, installed quickly, and I am already using it. I also used a Konqueror browser briefly as I was doing the installation, but then I went off onto another system and ran Konqueror from PC-BSD, a KDE based spinoff from the FreeBSD project.

This baby is done, I now have an upgraded MEPIS installation and it is working fine.

White Box or Lineox next?

I have had a good week testing out Puppy Linux 1.0.4 and Kate OS 2.1 before that. Live CDs are easy to run and you can test out their basic functionality and actually use them rather quickly, which is what I have done.

I am hoping to have a bit more time to test out either White Box Linux, Lineox, or both. Each of these distributions are Red Hat Enterprise Linux based distributions, but neither of them are directly produced by Red Hat, they are created from the Red Hat source code by two completely separated and unrelated groups.

More details later.

Puppy Linux 1.0.4 tested: Outstanding!

Puppy Linux has been my favorite small Live CD in the size category that can easily load completely into RAM. This distribution is so carefully optimized that it still has room to install the gigantic Mozilla mail, news, and Web browser suite into memory along with the Linux kernel and a carefully chosen set of utilities. If you have never run an entire operating system directly from RAM (Random Access Memory) before, you are in for a treat!

Running from CD is slow, running from disk, though the norm, is still pretty slow. Booting a moderate sized system live from CD, then loading it into memory and running it is quite the treat.

This latest version of Puppy contains a beta test version of Mozilla that runs better than anything I have ever seen. Starting up a browser directly from memory is downright fast, and so are rendered pages.

I had no problems whatsoever during the entire time that I ran Puppy Linux. Granted, I did not beat every application into a pulp, but I did run the browser for a long time and I attempted (successfully) to install several additional applications during my testing, and they installed and did not adversely affect the running system!

Congratulations to the developer of this fine software!

KateOS Live CD tests successful

Those tests that I did a few days ago with Kate OS proved to work out very nicely indeed.

I also quickly downloaded DSL 1.3 and tried it out; not much different than the previous version I tested, but quite solid, usable as a Live CD, also installable to disk.

CD Puppy is up to V1.0.4, and I downloaded it this past evening. I have also downloaded White Box Linux 4 and Lineox 4, both Red Hat Enterprise Linux replacements. I have not tried any of these last three distros yet; will probably try Puppy next, simply because Puppy is small and doesn't take much to try it out.

Successfully loading and using Kate OS Live CD

Not only am I using the Live CD, I have also created my own user account, whose information I have stored on a Kate OS saved context file. This means that I can use it just as if everything were saved to disk. The revelant config files and home dir stuff is saved.

So far it is working very well.

Downloading and testing KateOS 2.1 Live CD

I downloaded another Live CD to test out. This time, it's called Kate, and it comes from a development effort in Poland. The software claims to be lightweight, easy to use, and based on Debian GNU/Linux software packaging and the XFCE desktop. Should be interesting.

I want to find out if I can easily install this to disk without having to create my own hack or if KateOS, like many distros these days, provides an easy way to install to disk. If this edition does not easily install to disk, they do have other versions freely available as well.

Anyway, I am burning the CD now; will probably wait until Sunday evening or Monday to actually try it out.

Been off the air for a while

I had my Internet service cut off for nearly a week. Bills have been piling up because of a lack of income... in between jobs, the one I had hoped to be working for the past three or four weeks did not materialize. Will have to regroup and set new goals and new employment targets.

xref to another blog

Ian Murdock on the Debian Core Consortium and Ubuntu Foundation by ZDNet's Joe Brockmeier -- Yesterday, I promised a follow-up on the Ubuntu Foundation and comments from Debian Founder and Progeny Chairman and Chief Strategist Ian Murdock. One of the things that was up in the air yesterday was the possible creation of an "enterprise" Debian distribution. An eWeek story last week cited sources "close to [...]

Good wrapup on PCLinuxOS

I had a good time testing and installing PCLinuxOS the other day, but I stayed up way to late doing it. I do recommend it as an excellent alternative to Mandrake/Mandriva. It is based on Mandriva LE 2005, but it is actually more current and even easier than Mandriva to install.