Spiffy KDE 4.1, plus LXDE for netbooks
THE SOPHISTICATED international Linux vendor Mandriva released several versions of its latest Mandriva Linux 2009 distribution on Thursday.
The respun and updated Mandriva 2009 is the first of two anticipated releases this year, if Mandriva continues emulating Intel's "tick-tock" chip technology updates with its autumn and spring releases of Linux. Both releases are typically of high quality.
As is its practice, Mandriva released three versions of its Linux distribution. All three of the flavours include basically the same software base of the Linux kernel, GNU utilities, vendor-written tools and applications, but each separate Mandriva version incorporates a different complement of software packages appropriate for its constraints and audience.
The three main versions of Mandriva Linux 2009 are: Free, which is downloadable free of charge and includes only free software; One, which is also free of charge, can run from a single CD without modifying the hard disk, and can be installed to hard disk by clicking on a desktop icon; and Powerpack, a boxed version that costs a relatively modest amount of money to buy and comes with a large library of applications including some that are commercial software.
The company has also offered a version of its Linux distribution loaded onto a USB stick, and one imagines Mandriva 2009 will be eventually forthcoming with that option as well.
Mandriva Linux 2009.0 builds upon the well integrated Mandriva Linux 2008.1 with major new components and a number of added features... on top of Linux kernel version 2.6.27.
Perhaps the sexiest new component provided in Mandriva 2009 is the KDE 4.1.2 desktop. As the version number indicates, that's built upon the rearchitected and streamlined KDE 4 base.
New features of the K Desktop Envirionment KDE 4.1.2 include: a new desktop shell called Plasma that enables unprecedented flexibility for desktop plasmoid entities such as the task bar panel, icons, folders, applets and launchers; Phonon, a new multimedia framework for many KDE applications; the Dolphin file manager; the Okular document viewer; the Dragon Player media player; and Nepomuk, a metadata framework for tagging and organising files in any KDE application.
However, those who prefer to stay with the familiar KDE 3 a while longer can do so, as the latest release KDE 3.5.10 is also available in Mandriva 2009.
For somewhat resource constrained netbook PCs, Mandriva 2009 includes the relatively lightweight but modern LXDE desktop. LXDE offers a fast and good looking desktop with a launcher menu and panel, a full set of desktop configuration controls, file manager, task manager, display configuration tool, image viewer, notepad editor, and archive manager.
Mandriva 2009 also offers users the alternative of using the latest release of the Gnome desktop, Gnome 2.24. That includes incremental additions such as: the Empathy instant messaging client; tabs and a compact list view in the Nautilus file manager; a time tracker applet; digital TV support in the Totem media player; and support for configuring multiple monitors in the Control Center.
In addition, Mandriva 2009 includes the latest Firefox 3.0.3 web browser, the full suite of Open Office 3 applications, updated Compiz Fusion 3D effects software, and Virtualbox virtualisation.
Headquartered in France with a major development office in Brazil and a large cadre of contract developers and volunteer contributors worldwide, Mandriva has become one of the leading distributors of Linux, particularly in European and Latin American countries. Founded under the name Mandrake in 1998, the company changed its name to Mandriva in 2005 after merging with South American Linux distributor Connectiva.
Mandriva has always provided a stable, reliable and highly-integrated Linux distribution, and its overall polish has steadily improved over the last 10 years. Its strengths include its versatile and easy-to-use installer, its truly excellent video card and monitor configuration capabilities, its extensive system, security, networking and printer configuration utilities, and its sophisticated semi-automated software updating facilities.
This is being written on a system running Mandriva Linux, and we're downloading the ISO DVD image of Mandriva Linux 2009 even as we type.
We'll provide a review soon.