PCLinuxOS Preview 7 Review

Introduction

I came across PCLinuxOS because I am inpatient. I got a new laptop last week and what I look for in a linux distribution is that it must look good and work good. I keep trying different linux distributions but always seem to come back to Mandrake. So, as soon as I got home, I went to download Mandrake 10, but discovered that it was 4 whole CD's. Shock, horror! I didn't want to wait to download all that before playing with my new laptop! Over I went to DistroWatch and found PCLinuxOS. Livecd (read: only 1 CD to download!), based on Mandrake, installable and latest version of the KDE desktop - perfect!

Livecd

PCLinuxOS can be run straight off the CD without installing anything on your computer. This allows you to try the distribution to see if you like it and make sure it will run well on your computer, risk free.

So, I placed my newly burned CD in the drive and booted. Shortly, I got a message on the screen telling me the username and password you can use to log on. (A thoughtful touch - I was impressed already) I hit 'Enter' and a minute later got the graphical log on screen, typed in the username and password and proceeded.

In a minute or two (remember it is loading the entire operating system and its applications) I was presented with the desktop. This is the latest version of KDE (3.22) and looks very slick indeed. There are two "virtual desktops" and it already has shortcuts for the most frequently used applications.

The menu is nicely and simply organized in to "Actions", "All Applications" and "Most Used Applications."  It is worth noting that PCLinuxOS only includes one or two of each application type, (these tend to be the most popular of those available such as the OpenOffice productivity suite and the Firefox web browser) and will save new users from having to choose between, for example,  5 different word processing applications.

Installation

The installation is performed graphically from within the loaded livecd. In the "Configuration" - "Hardware" menu there is "LiveCD-Install." It took just 6 clicks, 20 minutes and detected all my new hardware. I have installed many different operating systems over the years and this is the quickest and easiest I have ever done. The wizard chose all the right options for me and even let me set up my computer to dual-boot easily.

The installed version of PCLinuxOS is the same as the livecd with the same applications. Additional software can be added easily using the Synaptic. As this is a distribution based on Mandrake it includes excellent "Control Centers" to help change settings on the computer, add users and hardware; this makes the administration of the computer very easy indeed.

Conclusion

PCLinuxOS, for me, is exactly what I am looking for in a linux distribution. It looks great, it is very easy to use and works right out of the box. The only slight downside of all this eyecandy is that it probably won't run too well on older, slower computers. I believe, that with this distribution, linux is ready for the desktop. This is the distribution that I am going to use to convince everyone to switch!

Barney Matthews