Mandriva (pronounced "Man-dree-vah"!), the company formerly known as Mandrakesoft, today released Limited Edition 2005, a special new version of its operating system that blends the most up to date popular open source applications, including Firefox 1.0.2, with specific customisations resulting in advanced multimedia, internet and development capabilities. These features include out-of-the-box Webcontent RSS reading and software sound mixing (so multiple applicationscan play sound at once). Limited Edition 2005 is the only Linux systemto allow the trouble-free coexistence of 32-bit and 64-bitapplications.
It also offers enhanced hardware support for removable devices, including the ability to boot from USB keys. Sold exclusively online by Mandriva, this new release is available right now as a download to Mandriva Clubmembers who benefit from privileged as well as discounted access to the company's products. Other customers can purchase the Limited Edition's DVD set on Mandriva Store.
View: Mandriva Limited Edition 2005
It also offers enhanced hardware support for removable devices, including the ability to boot from USB keys. Sold exclusively online by Mandriva, this new release is available right now as a download to Mandriva Clubmembers who benefit from privileged as well as discounted access to the company's products. Other customers can purchase the Limited Edition's DVD set on Mandriva Store.
View: Mandriva Limited Edition 2005
"People have always turned to Mandriva Linux for the latest and
hottest in Linux. Limited Edition 2005 is a strong embodiment of that
desire, while maintaining excellent stability. Some open source
enthusiasts don't want to wait 10 months to take advantage of Linux's
breathtaking pace of innovation. Those enthusiasts will find great
value in LE 2005," commented François Bancilhon, Mandriva CEO.
Summary of important applications:
- Linux kernel 2.6.11.6
- KDE 3.3.2 (with some backports from version 3.4, including kpdf)
- GNOME 2.8.3
- Firefox 1.0.2
- GCC 3.4.3
- The GIMP 2.2
- Cdrecord 2.01.01a21 (with DVD+R dual-layer support)
- OpenOffice.org 1.1.4
- MySQL 4.1.11
* Power user's dream *
Linux power users will welcome the advanced Web experience, enhanced
hardware compatibility and expanded development options brought by
Limited Edition 2005, along with significant performance
gains. Firefox 1.0.2 offers the most advanced Web browsing experience,
with multi-tabbed navigation, pop-up blocking, increased speed, and
unmatched security. Limited Edition also offers the RSS reader
Akregator. RSS is a format used to simplify the aggregation and
syndication of Web content. RSS feeds contain news and updates from
websites and blogs, providing personalized access to information.
Limited Edition 2005 is built to optimize and increase performance. It
has been developed with x86-64 technology in mind, which allows for
the use of more powerful applications. Support for dual-core
technology adds to potential performance, allowing the use of advanced
new processors. Developers and power users running demanding
multimedia configurations will appreciate the additional power those
features provide. Some special optimizations enhance the overall speed
delivered by the system. For instance, KDE 3.3 is 10% faster, thanks
to special tuning by Mandriva.
Addressing both the x86 and x86-64 architectures, Limited Edition 2005
is the only Linux system to allow the seamless installation and
running of 32-bit applications on 64-bit platforms. This will allow
users to benefit from all the power and performance of 64-bit
technology while continuing to use vital 32-bit
applications. Developers will welcome the ability to develop 32-bit
and 64-bit versions of the same application on the same machine,
without the need to use chroot. Finally, Limited Edition allows you to
copy the contents of the DVD to the hard disk during installation,
removing the need to use the DVD for subsequent software installation,
and so saving even more time.
Limited Edition 2005 provides better support for removable devices
such as digital cameras, CD-ROM drives and USB keys through immediate
detection of devices as they are plugged in, and by allowing you to
boot the installation from a USB key.
Also available is DKMS which allows kernel modules to be
dynamically built for each kernel on your system in a simplified and
organized fashion.
A special feature that will certainly appeal to gamers and enthusiasts
is that the new release from Mandriva has support for the Xbox
console, empowering users to bridge the divide between gaming and
other computer activities. Additional hardware enhancements include
full support for Adaptec Host RAID controllers (RAID, SCSI, SATA) and
extended recognition for the most recent flat screen monitors,
including widescreen resolutions.
Since im a newbie to linux i can honestly say i have found the OS that is perfect for me, I dont game as much lately (maybe cause im just getting older, who knows) and Ubuntu does everything i did in windows. But bottom line is that Funtionality > name
Earlier it was the "Warty Warthog".
Here "Mandriva" are having just released a fully functional and user friendly, strangely windows like 64-bit linux alternative and suddenly decide to charge muchos money for it while microsoft, blissfully unaware, continues to slowly develop their version of xp 64 bit to be released in the "first half of 2005".
Mandriva could make A LOT of money out of this if they get it right
That's a matter of opinion. I haven't used a Linux distro yet that offered a "user friendly" interface. And frankly neither Gnome nor KDE measure up to OSX or XP in terms of well designed graphical environments. Aside from Redhat's well designed BlueCurve theme, all Linux distros use the same ugly interface with tacky open-source Fooods icons which have been done to death. The worst mistake open-source devs ever made was trying to copy Apple's "Aqua" look and feel. It just doesn't look right at all on Linux, not without an advanced underlying composition engine to drive it.
The problem is that Linux GUis are being developed by amateurs, not professional designers or usability experts (all of whom get PAID for their services). XP may look "Fisher Price" to l33t haXorz but it is very well engineered and easy to understand for novice and business users. And OSX is just plain elegant! No open-source project has even BEGUN to touch Apple's desktop, and probably never will. My personal belief is that both GUIs (KDE and Gnome) should be scrapped. Apple had the right approach; design proprietary software layered over open-source underpinnings. Build a professional commercial desktop and license it out. Until then Linux GUIs are purely amateurware.
The problem is that Linux GUis are being developed by amateurs, not professional designers or usability experts
With "amateurs" like Rasterman who needs professionals.
(I swear i really do remember visiting the XP site very recently and them kindly informing me that XP 64-Bit is not out yet, but maybe im just crap
I was thinking less from a gui point of view and more from the fact that they seem to be including a more user friendly software base (like Firefox for example and perhaps the apparently increased device support)
The gui may not quite be up to scratch, but they are beginning to catch on to some of the elements that, IMO, make an OS useable to more than just the experts - useability straight out of the box.
More to the point, if windows XP was so perfectly designed, microsoft would not have begun the ridiculously long process of recoding half of its OS from the ground up (+ perhaps ripping off apple just a tiny bit) for several years.
Admittedly windows XP is like nothing microsoft have ever produced before in terms of non-crashability and useability and it was clear that when it was released (or maybe when 2000 was released?) they had risen to a new level of OS development. Having said that however, ALL of its features are found on other operating systems too, its just a case of better implementing the way in which users... umm... use them.
I admit I am no linux expert but from my amateur viewpoint, this distro looks very inviting for me to try out compared to all of the others i have heard about. On top of all of that, it is half the price of windows XP. If all an OS needs is a universal installation system and a slight touch up to the gui so that people actually understand what is going on i would say its not far off flawless.
But then again you don't exactly see me frantically punching my credit card details into their website as quickly as I possibly can and you wont any time soon.
1) larger community
2) Stronger Base
3) Cutting Edge
4) Stability
5) Security
and after all its 100% Free
The problem is that Linux GUis are being developed by amateurs, not professional designers or usability experts (all of whom get PAID for their services). XP may look "Fisher Price" to l33t haXorz but it is very well engineered and easy to understand for novice and business users. And OSX is just plain elegant! No open-source project has even BEGUN to touch Apple's desktop, and probably never will. My personal belief is that both GUIs (KDE and Gnome) should be scrapped. Apple had the right approach; design proprietary software layered over open-source underpinnings. Build a professional commercial desktop and license it out. Until then Linux GUIs are purely amateurware.
I have to agree with you that OS X's aqua user interface is very good: clean and offers a good consistency.
In what refers to win XP's UI, I must say you are blind, It's the worst UI ever built, I really mean it.
Linux: presonally I prefer gnome and xfce over kde for being more clean, and I assure you they are far better than win XP's one, It's not even comparable. But they are still behind os x's UI imho.
And in what concerns the underlying technology, windows's is prehistorical if compared.
Edit: This was meant being a reply
Not Longhorn. OSX's Quartz engine and Longhorn's Avalon make Gnome and KDE look like Windows 3.1, which isn't far from reality. Neither desktop environment is innovative or original; just borrowed concepts from Windows and MacOS.
Longhorn hasn't been released yet by the way, you can't compare it to current linux desktops.
Check projects like luminocity or e17 to see the kind of stuff Longhorn will face.
Correct, but Avalon is available now for developers.
Err, there's more to "technology" than visuals.
Especially if you explicitly talk about UNDERLYING technology.
Also, Avalon can make something look and work like crap and it can make something look and work well. It doesn't automatically make something good; that depends entirely on the designers, not the technology. And no one of us have seen how it'll look in Longhorn, besides in an ugly alpha-stage, so how can you say anything about what it'll look and work like... Maybe it'll get the same horrible transformation as Watercolor -> Luna went through. We don't know, but I hope MS has hired better designers this time around, or Windows users will once again have to put up with an ugly default UI.
Same with Luminocity and E17 with the EFL.
First of all, Longhorn hasn't even been released and by the time it gets shiped, It will already be passed.
If you wan't more info on what I'm talking about, search for stuff like:
luminocity
enlightenment
Looking Glass
X.org
xcompmgr & transset
etc etc etc ...
Eh? Anyone elaborate on this?
No idea, but anyway I don't think it has anything to do with playing Xbox games on the PC
I think you haven't seen "project looking glass" when its final version comes it will revolutionize the GUI of desktop
I can't see any signs of a revolution either.
Yet another 3D desktop enivornment, yes, but unfortunately, we're still working with 2D devices (mouse & monitor), usually making working in 3D involve additional steps in order to get the same thing done compared to if you worked in a 2D UI.
EU have to sue them. Multimedia player is included
Actually, several are included!
Oh, wait... I guess that is the ultimate in freedom of choice. What are they going to be sued for???
What!! You mean they are in a position to restrict your rights and choices by integrating a media player into the core OS files in an attempt to create a monopoly on media services... oh wait.. nope, wrong company, these guy actually give you choices of multiple players from many developers. Care to try again?
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