PCLinuxOS gets my vote
|
| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| simfox Nov 24, 2006 7:22 PM EDT |
Every cycle I try the latest, greatest (k)ubuntu/Mandriva/Fedora/Suse/ offerings, plus a half-dozen lesser known distros. After playing around and for a few hours or days each of them gets dropped, and I find myself returning to PCLinuxOS. (I'm actually typing this in Mandriva2007, but the bugs are beginning to grate -- some of the same ones that have recurred in every release for the last four years. Soon it'll be time to reboot into PCLOS!) Why this choice? Reason One: With the PCLinuxOS Control Center (PCC) I can wave goodbye to manual file configuring. With a gui config panel, the Linux Learning Curve becomes a gentle incline, rather than the great North Face of Everest. This is one area where the *ubuntu family falls short. Reason Two: The Synaptic frontend to Apt knocks the socks off urpmi, yum and the ghastly Yast. I can detect no working difference between the Debian Synaptic of Ubuntu and the RPM Synaptic of PClinuxOS. Both do their tasks in half the time of urpmi and yum, and one quarter the time of Yast. Reason Three: Everything just works. With no other distro do I encounter such smooth sailing. The only word I have is "amazing." Reason Four: The responsiveness of the PCLinuxOS forum, the bug-fixing team and most of all Tex, who must be some sort of genius. In my book he walks around with a permanent halo over his head!!! About me: I used to classify myself as a poweruser in my long-ago windows days. I know almost nothing about programming, but enjoy figuring things out. I do a lot of graphic and multimedia work, write articles and books, create websites and read several dozen African newspapers every day -- all on my Linux-Loving Toshiba laptop or DIY desktop. Writing from Philadlephia, heading back to Africa soon! --Simfox |
| jimf Nov 24, 2006 7:34 PM EDT |
And you aren't posting your vote here http://lxer.com/module/forums/t/24133/ because? |
| rijelkentaurus Nov 25, 2006 3:02 AM EDT |
>With the PCLinuxOS Control Center (PCC) I can wave goodbye to manual file configuring. I love PCLOS, but I never use that thing. Odd, eh? I prefer to manually edit files, I never trust a front-end program to get it right. |
| helios Nov 25, 2006 12:53 PM EDT |
"...I prefer to manually edit files, I never trust a front-end program to get it right." I felt the same way forever it seems until I was cajoled into using it by a friend. While opening gedit and "gettin' 'er done" is my usual way of doing things, the pclos control center has always delivered specific and accurate amendments to whatever I was changing. I suppose it's just a matter of preference, but to rest your doubts, the control center pclos offers is stellar...I didn't think anyone could improve the only redeeming factor of mandriva...obviously texstar has done just that. That and webmin are favorites of mine. h |
| rijelkentaurus Nov 25, 2006 1:03 PM EDT |
>.obviously texstar has done just that The guy's a genius, I swear. And, yeah, webmin is great also. The best web interface, IMO, is with Trustix and Zero Touch Linux. It's probably (but I say this with no specific knowledge) taken from webmin and simply improved upon. I've never hesitated with that one to trust the changes, although I haven't used it in a production environment...at least not outside the house (hey, I produce stuff!). Good to know that the GUI from PCLOS is reliable too...of course, I have yet to find anything from PCLOS that wasn't reliable. |
| jimf Nov 25, 2006 1:25 PM EDT |
> opening gedit and "gettin' 'er done" is my usual way of doing things Here too, but that assumes a level of expertise. Using a GUI control center makes it easier for the average user. My only question is whether of not that's good for the user in the long run... Still, I suppose it's inevitable. |
| herzeleid Nov 25, 2006 1:37 PM EDT |
I can take or leave the various control centers - they all have their strengths and weaknesses, but I enjoy the way linux is architected, in that you don't have to use any specific tool or approach. I often recommend webmin to mcses and other technically challenged people, but in my own work, I find that a few seconds with vi, or sed, then a sighup or rcreload, does the trick for me with a lot less fuss. |
| rijelkentaurus Nov 25, 2006 2:01 PM EDT |
>Still, I suppose it's inevitable. Probably. There are many server distros that specialize in the "even Stupid can do it" approach. There's the aforementioned Zero Touch Linux, SME Server, Clark Connect, Xandros, Collax...there will be more. Oh, you still have to have some understanding...emphasis on some...but there's no need to understand the structure of a given conf file and what the options within it mean. |
| jimf Nov 25, 2006 2:03 PM EDT |
> I can take or leave the various control centers - they all have their strengths and weaknesses, but I enjoy the way linux is architected, in that you don't have to use any specific tool or approach. That's exactly the reason why it works for both the noob and the expert. Nice that we have the choice. |
| rijelkentaurus Nov 25, 2006 2:15 PM EDT |
>Nice that we have the choice. Are you listening, Mr. Ballmer? |
| jimf Nov 25, 2006 3:01 PM EDT |
> Are you listening, Mr. Ballmer? I don't waste my time yelling at the deaf... |
| dek Nov 25, 2006 3:06 PM EDT |
GUI's have a built in advantage in that they don't generally do stuff like this as root!! chown -R userId:groupName .* (Yes, I did this. I was testing a shell script to add a user into the system for a class I'm taking. Next thing I knew, it had reassigned the users and the groups on all the home directories and the files in them to the new user! It took a long time to undo it.) What I wanted was this: chown -R userId:groupName .??* (blush) Don K. |
| jezuch Nov 25, 2006 3:14 PM EDT |
How to shoot yourself in the foot: Unix You shoot yourself in the foot or % ls foot.c foot.h foot.o toe.c toe.o % rm * .o rm: .o: No such file or directory % ls % :) |
| Abe Nov 25, 2006 3:26 PM EDT |
Quoting:How to shoot yourself in the foot: Unix& Windows. Experience counts. Most of us made those kind of stupid mistakes. I am sure now we all are aware of why having backups is a good idea! RWCDs, DVDs, spare disks, tapes and most importantly, discipline. |
| dek Nov 25, 2006 3:48 PM EDT |
Let's just say I've done similar things before and will probably do similar things again! It's how I learn -- from the PAIN. This time I was feeling kind of proud of myself -- until the damage was revealed. There's nothing like an "OH CRAP" moment to take the wind out of your sails. :-( Don K. |
| helios Nov 25, 2006 4:35 PM EDT |
How to shoot yourself in the foot: Unix You shoot yourself in the foot or % ls foot.c foot.h foot.o toe.c toe.o % rm * .o rm: .o: No such file or directory % ls % :) LOLOLOLOL Linux Humor, gotta luv it. taken from a cartoon I saw the other day. Two stick figures. one a man one a woman, man figure is sitting in a chair Man says to woman: Get me a beer. Woman: Are you out of your mind? Get your own damned beer. Next frame Man setting in chair: sudo get me a beer Woman: OK helios@localhost # apt-get install gorgeousBlonde.tar.gz ,,,,,gorgeousBlong.tar,gz requires InShapeRichGuy.tar.gz but is not installable due to middleAgeBaldGuy.tar.gz. see man GetA_REalLife.pdf for further information.... |
| rijelkentaurus Nov 25, 2006 4:38 PM EDT |
>There's nothing like an "OH CRAP" moment to take the wind out of your sails. :-( Or your lungs. Yeah, that nice "gonna puke" feeling is one of the best teachers on the planet. I was backing up data when I was preparing to reinstall my OS here at home, and I was deleting folders that I had emptied. Got all of those, and then realized that I had deleted the folder that I was intending to back up! I don't think I lost anything irreplaceable but I'm not 100% on that. Oy! |
| jdixon Nov 25, 2006 5:26 PM EDT |
Helios: > apt-get install gorgeousBlonde.tar.gz Maybe you should just settle for http://dindinx.net/hotbabe/ instead. :) |
Posting in this forum is limited to members of the group: [ForumMods, SITEADMINS, MEMBERS.]
Becoming a member of LXer is easy and free. Join Us!