I figured it was about time that I started sharing some of this information. This is marked Part 1, because tracking Linux distros is a continuous process, and it is never finished.
So first, lets take a stab at some classes of linux.
- Minimal -- small installs for low-end processors, small hard disks, and vintage machines
- Live -- CD or DVD-based live installs that don't leave anything on the harddrive
- Gaming / Workstations / Desktop -- distros for a good user experience on modern hardware
- Clusters and Servers -- distros for taking care of business
How about we list a few criteria:
- Hardware Works -- Of course, this is only relevant for my hardware and quite frankly, anyone that has hardware that didn't work has a bad experience with any OS (i.e. Vista)
- Workable Software State -- There are certain software packages I need everywhere (pico/nano) and there are certain software packages that are required for a user (Firefox). I am only slightly annoyed if they aren't included, but if they aren't, they better be easy to install. And don't annoy me, the user, with you philisophical "I can't include this free software because" crap. I need software that works. If you don't like somebody elses license, rewrite the functionality so I don't care, give me their software, or give me a way to easily install it.
- Performance -- The last thing I want is an OS that wastes the resources I need on stuff I don't. For example, if the system has beagle desktop search, I had better be able to easily disable it.
- User Efficiency -- User efficiency is hard to measure. My expectations are that *I* can easily do the things I need to do. All it takes is a bit of a hassle in doing a simple thing and I am deeply annoyed.
- Documentation -- Ok, so if I have a question, I don't want to deal with people. I want answers on the web so I can get to them with google. This, of course, tends to draw me towards widely used distros so I can find another user with the same problem (and hopefully a solution). Thankfully, linux is standard enough in most cases that underlying problems are common across distros, but not always.
- ZenWalk -- the current distro I have on my Compaq Armada 1750 333MHz
- PCLinuxOS -- the current distro I have on my gaming machine
- SuSE/openSuSE -- my favorite server/cluster OS
- Ubuntu -- a solid distro and the basis for many other distros
- Fedora -- an OS I use on one of my servers
- Mint Linux -- an Ubuntu derivative
- DSL -- a classis small OS
- Mepis -- interesting little distro
- Puppy Linux -- unique live distro
- Knoppix -- THE classic live distro
Detailed distro information can be found here at distrowatch.
The Review
Need 1: Minimal on Compaq Armada 1750 33MHz
I tried MEPIS, DSL, and ZenWalk. ZenWalk had the best overall hardware detection, application base, and customizeability in this realm of computers. Before ZenWalk, I also ran a stripped down version of SuSE with the blackbox window manager, but SuSE is really just too large to use on small machines.
With the ZenWalk configuration, I have been running the Compaq Armada in an unheated garage for months without a failure. The system is always responsive, though really I only run two main apps: GAIM to talk to my wife in the house and Firefox for researching whatever.
It will play YouTube video, but I have gotten around to recompiling the kernel with ISA support for the sound card.
Overall, I am impressed with ZenWalk.
Need 2: Old Gaming Desktop
PCLinux OS was my old gaming desktop of choice, mostly because it was quick, responsive, and dealt with video cards well. It had everything I wanted until the video card support just ran out -- not on the OS -- but for my old ATI video card.
In this case I also tried serveral distros including Ubuntu. The boottom line problem was always the video card. PCLinux OS had help that brought me the solution quickly. The other distros left me hanging.
Need 3: New Gaming Desktop
This will be a future post. I will be comparing the possibilities of OpenSuSE, Mint Linux, Ubuntu, and PC Linux for use on my new system.
Need 4: Low End Home Server
You just can't beat SuSE Linux for a fully functional server. It takes time to dig through the install process, which will soon be better with the release of SuSE 11. For now I am going to run openSuSE 10.3. With a minimal X install it is reasonaly small and responsive, but still alows easy remote access. It comes with everything, and the update system is easy to use.
Fedora is always an option to consider, but it has historically been too leading-edge for stable use. I consistently run into problems on my old Fedora install with bugs and problems. The latest is a USB disk problem. I never did get the update system to a state I liked.
Need 5: Take-Anywhere Live CD
Knoppix is king, but I choose to settle for the customizeability of Puppy Linux. I like the fact that my changes are saved back to the CD. One minor issue is that the more changes you save, the longer it takes to start up. I need to look into remastering the CD to get rid of that problem.
Don't get me wrong, I keep a couple of copies of Knoppix (CD, DVD) around just for those times I need more than just basic functionality, like for sysadmin stuff. Puppy, however, is my mobile platform for hardware du jour.
Need 6: Quick Server Distro
If you need a server in a hurry, there is nothing faster than Ubuntu. In my faster server install ever, I got a full LAMP system up in no time. The system has been stable and efficient. There aren't as many packages on the Ubuntu server, but sometimes you just don't need them.
Need 7: Full Server/Workstation/Cluster OS
openSuSE 11 Alpha 2 with KDE 4 -- KDE 4 is slick. The KDE 4 install neatly organizes things so you can find them. I uninstalled beagle with no problem. There are some glitches, especially with Yast. Firefox is up to date. Lots of good solid apps. I had problems with the video installation and couldn't up my resolution. No nano/pico. Performance seems good overall. Shutdown was fast. Bootup was quick too. Still, at the end of the day, I can't recommend jumping on board with an alpha version. Wait for the release of 11. It will be sharp, I am sure.
openSuSE 10.3 -- I have to admit that I was disappointed with the releases of SuSE 10.x. Quite frankly, there were a lot of problems with 10.1 and 10.2. 10.3 is much better. It is easier to navigate from a command-line perspective. There are a lot fewer documented issues with 10.3. It just runs.
The one drawback I have found with 10.3 is that it doesn't clone well over netcat. Next time maybe I will use the yast autoinstall system instead of cloning.
No comments:
Post a Comment