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Mandrake Releases 8.2 Beta 375

joestar writes: "As seen at Mandrake's website, Mandrake Linux 8.2 Beta seems to be available for download at different places. The new features include the ability to install a Mandrake as small as 65Mb on the HD, and encrypted file-system support. I guess it's the good time to report all bugs we don't want to see in the final version. Very promising release, worth a look at!"
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Mandrake Releases 8.2 Beta

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  • Noooo .... (Score:4, Offtopic)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 28, 2002 @02:56PM (#2914883)
    You killed my ISO download. You bastards!
  • KDE 3.0? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by sgtron ( 35704 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @02:59PM (#2914903)
    Why didn't they just wait until April for KDE 3.0 to come out? Or are they going to release Mandrake 8.3beta at that time?
    • They had to get the .2 release out the door so that they could be ready to take Mandrake to 9.0 when KDE3 comes out.

    • Re:KDE 3.0? (Score:4, Troll)

      by FPhlyer ( 14433 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:10PM (#2914993) Homepage
      I think when Mandrake includes KDE 3.0, they will jump the version number up to Mandrake 9.0, much the way the release of KDE 2.0 signified the jump from the MDK 7.0 series to the 8.0 series.

      Remember, Mandrake was originally known as being "RedHat with KDE added." I think that Mandrake will continue the trend of linking it's release numbers to KDE releases.

      I think that providing a Mandrake 8.2 without KDE 3.0 is a good move for Mandrake. This allows them to produce a fully mature 8.X release that will be (hopefully) free of the majority of the bugs found in 8.0 and 8.1

      Once mandrake releases 9.0 with KDE 3.0, I'm sure the bug cycle will be back up.
      • While Cooker is being stabilized right now, I have a strong feeling kde3 will be part of the final release. A beta is a beta after all...one of the hallmarks of Mandrake 8.1 was kde 2.2.1 (or was it 2.1.x?). At any rate, each of their releases usually reflects the current cutting edge of KDE as long as other packages are equally new.

        Don't expect a beta preview iso to contain every new package that the final will have.
  • Wonderful (Score:4, Interesting)

    by unred ( 453742 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:00PM (#2914913) Homepage
    Mandrake has always been good to me on the install, (it autodetected my weirdo soundblaster board, that RH would have nothing to do with).

    My mother actually read the handbook that came along with Mandrake 8.1, when i came home one day she asked me for an account. All i can say is that Mandrake definately has quality, i can't wait to see 8.2 in the stores :)
    • by Anonymous Coward
      You really should find something more productive for your mom to day. I mean get her set up with the EFF reading through and summarizing court cases or something.
  • No (Score:5, Funny)

    by NiftyNews ( 537829 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:00PM (#2914916) Homepage
    "I guess it's the good time to report all bugs we don't want to see in the final version.

    No, it's time for you to report all the bugs that shouldn't be in my final version. Now get back to work testing my future software.
    • So you have to pay me... How much can you? :-)
    • by deno ( 814 )
      May I have a list of your hardware please? 'lspcidrake' output would be fine.

      Just to make absolute sure everything works for you in the final... ;-)
  • by Uttles ( 324447 ) <[moc.liamg] [ta] [selttu]> on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:01PM (#2914919) Homepage Journal
    Before we could react, the beast managed to mirror itself on a multitude of public FTP servers, which makes any attempts to capture it futile. All we can do at the moment is to keep an up-to-date list of public FTP servers on which the first beta has been sighted so far on the "downloads" page of the Mandrake Linux site.

    I don't know if they just made the whole "accidental release" story up or not, but either way their attitude is pretty funny about this. Apparently they didn't mean for people to get their hands on it, but now that it's out there they are helping everyone download it, giving out the specs, and encouraging bug reports. Sounds like a good development team.
  • by crow ( 16139 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:01PM (#2914923) Homepage Journal
    So what are the real advantages of Mandrake? I'm currently running Red Hat. I have a friend who is religious about SuSe because it confoms more to the old-school Unix configuration scheme. What makes Mandrake popular?
    • by chas7926 ( 513140 ) <<charles> <at> <ryancentral.org>> on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:12PM (#2915003) Homepage
      Ease of install, and massive autoconfiguration. Mandrake is probably the most newbie friendly linux distro available. During the install you answer questions that are easy to understand (similar to a windows install process), and Mandrake just does the rest from there. I have had Mandrake install drivers for several sound cards, network cards, and video cards that I could not get RedHat or slackware to recognize. It also has one of the slickest installs I have seen.

      This of course can be pretty trying at times for more advanced Linux users. Mandrake defaults an install without telnet, ssh, or ftp servers, and a High Security firewall. Mandrake is geared more towards a workstation machine, so if you are looking to run a server you will have some work to do after the install.
      • This of course can be pretty trying at times for more advanced Linux users. Mandrake defaults an install without telnet, ssh, or ftp servers, and a High Security firewall. Mandrake is geared more towards a workstation machine, so if you are looking to run a server you will have some work to do after the install.

        It's easy to get ssh up (I had it installed from the start on Mandrake 7.2-8.1). Just do an Expert Mode install (which is the install that any self-respecting advanced Linux user would do). Select the proper class of packages (network computer server for ssh, for instance) and individual package selection. I think telnet has to be explicitly selected, but who in their right mind uses telnet in lieu of ssh?

        This is a Good Thing. The average newbie shouldn't be running ftp or telnet because it's a service through which they can easily be h4x0red. If their machine gets h4x0red, they blame it on Linux, especially if it was through a service that was activated by default.

        • I think telnet has to be explicitly selected, but who in their right mind uses telnet in lieu of ssh?

          I do, all the time:

          [olc@hex olc]$ /usr/bin/telnet supai.oit.zumass.edu 25
          Trying 128.119.175.6...
          Connected to supai.oit.zumass.edu.
          Escape character is '^]'.
          220 supai.oit.zumass.edu -- Server ESMTP (PMDF V5.2-32 #38130)
          helo hex.zoomass.edu
          250 supai.oit.zumass.edu OK, hex.cs.umass.edu [128.119.243.169].
          mail from:
          250 2.5.0 Address Ok.
          rcpt to:
          250 2.1.5 security@oit.zumass.edu OK.
          rset
          250 2.5.0 Ok.
          quit
          221 2.3.0 Bye received. Goodbye.
          Connection closed by foreign host.

          This is a cut'n'paste -- adulterated slightly from an xterm I used not 15 minutes before skimming this thread. I couldn't remember whether our upstream had a "security" address as well as the standard "abuse". VRFY is disabled, so...

          I suppose I could use nc, but old habits die hard.

          Installing and enabling the telnet server, now, *that* is in a category with behaviors such as dancing about on a hilltop during a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armor and shouting "All the gods are idiots!"



          Ole, friendly neighborhood postmaster

          (and rabid pterrine)
        • Install whatever you feel like installing, and when the machine comes up again log-in as root, and type 'urpmi openssh-clients openssh-server'
      • Nobody in their right mind should be using telnet anymore anyway..can you say plaintext root password? I knew you could.
      • so install defaults at a desktop. Which is I suppose bad, because 95% of the computers in the world ARE desktop machines.

        And if you decide to install a server, you actually have to press on a button labeled 'install me a server' (not exactly, but close) during instalation. Supose that's too complicated. Or amybe not complicated enough, so it's trying on more advanced users.

        Well... It's hard to make everyone happy...
    • urpmi

      urpmi solves rpm hell. And it lets you install security fixes in a controlled, working way. CLI or GUI is your choice.
  • by lunenburg ( 37393 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:03PM (#2914940) Homepage
    Does Mandrake still have the neato-keen "Linux By The Pound" feature in the installer? Where, instead of selecting packages, you choose the total number of MB to install via a slider.

    "I'm feeling saucy. I'll try 456MB of Linux today."

    "Oh, I better take it easy. Only 95MB of Linux for me."

    It just struck me as really funny for some reason.
    • I miss the "Welcome to Crackers" security setting. Oh well.
    • Unfortunately it doesn't

      I loved the option, but unfortunately hordes of trolls who couldn't understand the concept of 'more important' and 'less important' software killed it.

      On the other hand, 'minimal install' + rpmdrake will do for me.
  • Minimal installation? Ooooh...n33t. I never thought of putting Mandrake on my firewall before now.
    • Re:Minimal? (Score:2, Informative)

      Mandrake makes something called "Single Network Firewall". The latest one has a 2.2.19 kernel. I don't know when/if they plan to update it. As the name suggests, it is a firewall/router only dist of Mandrake. If I remember correclty the latest version is 7.2 and the ISO image is about 350 MB.

      go to Mandrake's site [linux-mandrake.com] when they are done being /.ed today and search for "Single Network Firewall" and you should find it.

      • Yes, SNF it is updated to a 2.4 kernel with iptables.

        At install, deselect all the packages, I believe by choosing minimal install or basesystem.
        Then in package selection, select snf_en.
        That package defines some other packages and you should be fine.
  • by Troed ( 102527 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:04PM (#2914950) Homepage Journal
    This is really good. We've had them for a long time, but people don't use them. Now, some say this is no big deal - "why, I've got nothing to hide - I'm not a criminal" etc.


    Well. Have you, like I, had an ex-girlfriend who got all her personal files check out (and copied I'm sure) by "friends" who did that when she was in the bathroom/cooking/on the phone etc .. ?


    That's why you have them. I archive lots of stuff that really are personal - I don't want others to be able to lay their hands on them. I have my computer on 24/7 and I want to be able to have friends stay there if they need to - even use my Internet connection - and still have my personal data safe.


    Encrypted filesystems are great, all that's needed is to make them simpler to use - what's the point in having them if you mount them at boot and leave them open thereafter? ;)

    • by greenfly ( 40953 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:12PM (#2914998)
      Well, the unmounted archived stuff might be safe, but the mounted stuff would still be accessible. If you have your computer on 24/7 and have friends over, you can always lock your window and have a second instance of X running with a guest account setup, then they could do whatever they want and your files (and your system) would be safe.
      • Can you direct me to where I can learn more about this? I would love to be able to lock my session instead of having to log off every time someone else wants to get onto the PC.
        • Just use the xlock program to lock your X session whenever you want to. It's included in basically every Linux distribution that includes X applications.

          To set up a second X session, assuming you are using a graphical boot manager (like gdm, kdm, xdm, etc.), just run the following:

          X :1 -query localhost

          Then you can hit ctrl-alt-F7 and ctrl-alt-F8 to switch between the two X sessions.
  • by nam37 ( 517083 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:04PM (#2914951) Homepage
    In case you can't get to it...
    • The look and feel of 'Mandrake Control Center' has been reworked with 'better ergonomy' in mind. If you do not like it, or do not find it clear, or such - say it now.
    • Several new features are available during the installation:
      1. The ability to download and install updates after the packages installation.
      2. Minimal installation mode, which installs nothing but the basic system. This installation mode leaves you with a functional linux installation taking only 65 MB on your HD.
      3. Encrypted filesystem support.
    • In addition , there is a new rescue mode, with a help menu to automatically mount your old system, rewrite lilo and more.
    • New tools have been addded to the 'drakxtools' family:
      1. Drakbackup helps you keep your data safe, and restore them if something goes wrong.
      2. Scannerdrake helps you configure the scanner.
      3. rfbdrake lets you easily perform a remote control of an X session. Helping your friends get started with linux has never been easier.
      4. New file sharing function makes it simple to export local files.


      Obviously, these new tools need a lot of testing. In particular, scannerdrake has only been on the little number of scanners we got in the lab...

    • Other tools have been reworked (bugfixes, ergonomy, additional functionality):
      1. Diskdrake got support for encripted and network file systems
      2. urpmi and its graphical interface, rpmdrake got a face lift: New 'synthesis file', is almost 100 times smaller than hdlist, which makes urpmi.update -a (reloading the urpmi/rpmdrake database) a pleasurable experience - even with a slow modem connection! Rpmdrake will also work faster, and handle 'exceptional' situations better than in ML 8.1.
      3. MandrakeOnline got now the updates warning feature, i.e. it will warn you whenever you have to upgrade some package.
      4. Finally, 'msec', is more powerfull than ever. Use with care: in paranoid mode, msec will let you happily secure your box from yourself now (been there, done that).


    Of course you will also find all the newest versions of famous packages:
    • kernel 2.4.17, celebrating the comeback of kernel-secure, and a more robust supermount.
    • XFree86 4.2, with support for many video cards only supported in 3.3.6 version until now.
    • glibc 2.2.4
    • Window Maker 0.8
    • apache 1.3.22
    • evolution 1.01
    • kde 2.2.2
    • galeon 1.0
    • mozilla 0.9.7
  • Although it may have been posted on the website for the first time, the Cooker 8.2 beta ISO's have been available for a couple of weeks now on a few mirrors. In the future, just scroll down on the download page. [linux-mandrake.com] Luckily, the psu mirrow is only a few blocks away from my house :)
    • Nop.

      Those were 'alpha' images, or 'cooker snapshots'. We did quite a lot of in-house bugfixing on these before releasing the beta.
  • by garcia ( 6573 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:05PM (#2914955)
    * rfbdrake lets you easily perform a remote control of an X session. Helping your friends get started with linux has never been easier.

    The fact that it really looks like XP frightens me. The fact that it notes that you can help your friends setup Linux from remotely also frightens me.

    While this may not come as a default setting (as it best not) what happens if someone who is not all that saavy (isn't that what Mandrake is designed for?) turns it on and next thing you know we have some large security issues.

    I like the fact that it has the option to install it minimally only taking up 65mb but you would lose all the fancy dancy shit wouldn't you? Isn't that what Mandrake is? All the bells and whistles?

    It comes w/2.4.17, XFree 4.2 (which is very nice), and some other excellent utils.

    Sounds nice.
    • I've been saying this for a long time now. In order for Linux to be a viable Desktop alternative, it must sacrifice security. For a Desktop OS, it's fine, no big deal. If you're installing it as a server, go with the 65MB install without the unneeded "user friendly" features.

      There's nothing to complain about.
      • It's true to a certain extent (more security == les comfort), but completely off in this particular case.

        FYI, mandrake installs with no servers per default, and few mouse clicks are enough for any newbie to get a reasonable firewall.

        The fact that something CAN be done, does not mean that it will be done on default instalation. Furthermore, the fact that some functionality can be made with a few mouse clicks, does not mean that this particular function is less secure than before. Usually it's even the contrary.
    • No.

      Mandrake is about making the best possible distribution. We ship for the newbies, on a desktop, but we ship for the experts, and for servers as well.

      A 65M version is obviously 'bare bones' one, and you need to know what to do with it. 'Gimme a lot of eye candy' install version is for newbies.
  • When is RedHat 7.3 expected? After KDE3 in April?
    • Re:RedHat (Score:4, Interesting)

      by dead_penguin ( 31325 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:45PM (#2915216)
      When is RedHat 7.3 expected? After KDE3 in April?

      I would imagine so. In fact, I'd go so far as to speculate that the next version of RedHat is not going to be 7.3 but rather 8.0 (yikes!).

      If you take a look in the rawhide directory on your favourite mirror of the RedHat ftp, you'll see packages for KDE3 cvs builds, gcc3.1, and lots of other big changes that could break compatibility in not-so-surprising ways.

      Many of the packages in there aren't simple installs on a 7.2 system anymore; the dependencies amongst them are too much. Either they require tens of core rawhide packages (i.e. a new glibc) to be installed, or in the case of the core packages, current 7.2 packages show incompatibilities.

      Of course I may be completely wrong and the next RedHat *will* be 7.3 and all compatibility issues will be resolved by then (hey, rawhide *is* very beta!), but I wouldn't be surprised...
      • Re:RedHat (Score:2, Interesting)

        by moZer ( 83729 )
        Actually, I am pretty sure the next RH release will be 8.0. The RH release policy is to increase the major number when binary compability breaks, something that is closely linked to the glibc and gcc packages. If you look in Rawhide, you will notice that glibc is 2.2.90 (pre-2.3-release) and gcc is 3.1-0.x (pre-3.1-release), both of which break binary compability with the 7.x releases.

  • 65 megs (Score:4, Troll)

    by Ed Avis ( 5917 ) <ed@membled.com> on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:09PM (#2914988) Homepage
    Who would have thought that *Mandrake* would be the distribution to slim down to such an impressive size? Up to now I've run Slackware on small boxes because it was the only thing I could fit into 60 or 120 megabytes. But I'll consider switching to Mandrake - it should be possible to get a system with X and ssh in under a hundred megabytes.

    All I need to do is recompile the whole distribution without Pentium opcodes :-(.
    • I'd hate to say that a slim pinguin does NOT really look good. Personally, I still prefer a chuby one.

    • All I need to do is recompile the whole distribution without Pentium opcodes :-(.

      Ditto. I've got some 486 laptops I'd like to put Linux on. I guess I can always use Debian now that I've got cable at home.
  • I really hope they're not shipping with gcc 2.96 as it's still got some subtle bugs and gcc 3.0 has been out for some time.

    Why do I say 2.96 is buggy? Even when disabling strict aliasing optimisation (-fno-strict-aliasing), it produces broken code for quakeforge even though code compiled using gcc 3.0 (with -fstrict-aliasing) does work properly.

  • If anyone from Mandrake is reading these, I do have a humble, not-so-top-priority-but-would-be-cool, request. One thing I have enjoyed about the Windows 2000 setup is that it makes setting up a streaming media server super easy. This is one area that, although I have done so on a Linux box, would benefit greatly from an automatic install during the system install/upgrade. Again, just something that I believe would help make a distro more popular and would make my life a lot easier.
  • Who better than Mandrake?
    • Nobody better than Mandrake. I ran red hat, because I knew the name. However, it didn't work with all my hardware, and it didn't work with all my software, and it sucked. One day I switched up to mandrake. Holy crap! It works with all my hardware and all my software. The installer is amazing, and everything is automatic, and it doesn't crash. I runs the mandrakes on all my boxen.
  • by bryanbrunton ( 262081 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:16PM (#2915025)
    Mandrake has lost their position as "Newbie Linux of Choice".

    While I use Mandrake and have purchased every standard version that they ever released, I really feel that Mandrake is being left behind in the useability department by the likes of SuSE and many of the upcoming newbiew friendly distros like Redmond Linux. The real nit that I have with Mandrake is total lack of cohesion between the Drake Applications. Many of these applications really pioneered new functionality for the linux desktop, but they haven't grown together like applications from KDE, Gnome, Ximian, etc. They all function/look/act differently.

    Why hasn't someone inside of Mandrake taken pieces from the KDE and Gnome design standards and attempted to apply some uniformity between the applications that Mandrakes designs? It simply boggles the mind that tools like RPMDrake can be so poorly designed.

    And what about ICONS!!!! The Mandrake icons and the menu system itself are both totally unprofessional. Can Mandrake afford to pay an icon designer who knows how to make icons in more than two shades of blue?

    So what do we attribute the stagnification of Mandrake to? Is Mandrake's development model too open? No one within Mandrake has the guts or the brains to stand up and say: "No, we shouldn't be designed 20 applications that all look and function differently. There is a reason why KDE and Gnome came into existence." Then again, perhaps it is just the bureacratic chaos and momentum that surrounds Mandrake.
    • And what about ICONS!!!! The Mandrake icons and the menu system itself are both totally unprofessional. Can Mandrake afford to pay an icon designer who knows how to make icons in more than two shades of blue?

      They do employ a professional designer, who has more than enough experience designing playrooms for four year old children in over thirty different child care centers, thank you very much...

  • 8.0 vs 8.1 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by javacowboy ( 222023 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:16PM (#2915030)
    Mandrake 8.0 was the very first distro that I got to install cleanly right off the bat and allowed me to connect to my DSL immediately. I tried other distros, like Red Hat 6.2 and Mandrake 7.0, but I had serious problems.

    8.0 was the PERFECT distro for a newbie like myself. It spared me the pain of having to configure my DSL and allowed me to immediately post questions and get responses from Linux help sites, like LinuxNewbie [linuxnewbie.org] to get the answers I needed to my important questions. Although they are exlusive to Mandrake, I was quite impressed with the GUI tools, which, although I should really use the command-line equivalents, were of great help to me just starting out.

    8.1 seemed even better than 8.0, but I later found out that it wouldn't automount my CD-ROM or floppy, and I couldn't use my CD-Writer at all. I tried all kinds of tricks, but nothing seemed to resolve the problem. Reluctantly, I switched back to 8.0, which I'm still using.

    Now I'm debating whether to try out 8.2, or go for a more "pure" Linux distro, like Slackware. I feel as though I've hit a dead end as far as learning Linux goes. I have an old PC on hand, which will really help me to experiment.

    I think even if I decide to switch to Slackware, I want to try Mandrake 8.2, for purely sentimental reasons :)
    • Re:8.0 vs 8.1 (Score:3, Informative)

      by Tim C ( 15259 )
      I later found out that it wouldn't automount my CD-ROM or floppy

      This is a known problem, and is fixed in an update available either through the MandrakeUpdate tool, or in the updates dir of your favourite mirror site.

      Beware, though, that if you do what I did and use the update tool to upgrade your kernel, you *will* have to fix some dangling symlinks in /boot and rerun lilo in order to have a bootable system. To be fair, the details of the update said not to use the tool, but to download the package, but the page it directed you to said to use the tool, so I did... :-)

      Cheers,

      Tim
  • great installer idea (Score:5, Informative)

    by nlabadie ( 64769 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @03:17PM (#2915033)
    Unlike 99% of the other operating systems out there, Mandrake 8.2 actually included updates as part of the install process. When Joe User goes to install 8.2 six months from now after X number of holes have been found, it'll automatically bring the system up to the current patch level _before_ bringing the entire system online.
    • If you are going to do this, you had better be VERY sure that the upgrades won't break something. One of the problems with auto-updaters that I have experienced with unfortunate frequency was that the updates weren't checked anywhere nearly as carefully as the main distribution. So frequently the system would be working fine, until it was updated. And then ... something (varied) would break. Fortunately the "something" has usually been the automatic updater, but I can remember a time or two when it was the file system, or the internet connection.
      .
  • i have talked to people who had wonderful esperiences with mandrake, but i am not one of them. they do not answer their phone. it takes them a month to send you something you order online. they do not respond to email.

    and my favorite part is that all of their manuals assume that x will run with the default install settings. all of the trouble shooting tips involve clicking a button on the desktop. so that's all pretty useless when all you have is a command prompt. i was lucky that when i tried to install 8.1, i was not afraid to do a lot of tweaking to the xf86config and hardware settings. then mandrake would attempt to "fix" my changes. so now there is no more mandrake for me. (switched to SuSE - their install is also super easy)
    • by deno ( 814 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @06:12PM (#2916363) Homepage
      Ahem. Don't know about the first part (shit happens), but the part about X configuration is outright false.

      Moreover, proving that your assertion is false is very simple: there is a copy of our manual on linux-mandrake server... There is also a troubleshooting article on MandrakeForum, for those who are too lazy to RTFM:

      http://mandrakeforum.com/article.php?sid=1354&la ng =en
  • I love MDK (Score:2, Interesting)

    I love MAnsdrake. I've been using their distro for a few yeas now but I installed the lastest Freq (dated 12-24-01) and have only one problem:

    checking whether make sets ${MAKE}... (cached) yes
    checking for c++... c++
    checking whether the C++ compiler (c++ -O2 ) works... no
    configure: error: installation or configuration problem: C++ compiler cannot create executables.
    [root@set kvirc]#


    All compiler libraries, devel packages, etc. are installed. I hope this is fixed in this beta.

    P.S. On this same machine it compiled perfectly fine until I installed this release... :-(
    • I had that problem when beta testing 8.1. Many of the important packages for that are the db* packages, I THINK:

      db3-3.1.17-1mdk
      db2-2.4.14-3mdk
      libdb3.2-3.2.9-2mdk
      db1-1.85-6mdk
      db3-utils-3.2.9-2mdk
      libdb3.3-3.3.11-5mdk
      libdb-devel-3.3.11-5mdk
      db2-devel-2.4.14-2mdk
      db1-devel
      db1-tools

      and so on... maybe try seeing if you have those, or drop a bug report to cooker.

      For me, my gnome is a bit messed up (i did a bunch of weird things with libpng and now png's don't display), so I want to try this!!

  • With todays update systems like urpmi and apt, is there any point to having distro version numbers anymore? I have urpmi pointed at cooker, and basically my current distro is something in-between 8.1 and 8.2-beta. Getting rid of version numbers might make things simpler for the user as well.
    • by Junta ( 36770 )
      But then you have nightmares in support and distribution. Not everyone has a fast, convenient net connection through which they can run an update nightly. Additionally, of those that do, not all *want* to update. Releases allow for a checkpoint to be available in which the user is assured some amount of testing has gone into that exact configuration. When you have a system where you just update packages at will, you end up with strange configurations that few have tested and will likely break. For a seasoned user, this may be workable, but especially for a new person, this would really be disappointing.

      Imagine providing support where the number of revisions in common use is comparable to the days that have passed with updates to the codebase.
    • Things that spring to mind:

      * tech support - it makes life a lot easier if a user quotes a distro number, which can then instantly correlate to a list of known problems. This can cut out a number of problems before resorting to finding out upgraded package versions etc.
      * keeping mirrors up to date - it would be a real pain if you downloaded 600MB of Mandrake and found it was so old that the update had to download approximately the same amount again
      * marketing - selling new versions keeps Mandrake in business. Windows98 didn't launch with the marketing slogan "Pick up a 2nd hand Win95 and do a Windows Update" :-)

      Phillip.
  • So how do people go about installing a new version of their favorite distribution? I typically ditch the standard "upgrade" route and choose "install" instead. Too many bad experiences with the former. Has this changed in recent Mandrake / RedHat / Suse releases?

    On the up, upgrading a unix box is much easier than windows. Just keep /home on a partition and don't reformat it and most users are ready to go. System stuff is a bit more difficult for me -- keeping track of stuff I've compiled, changes to files in /etc, making sure similar services are installed on the new machine. I've been somewhat careless and haven't kept track of every single change I've done. What do most people do?
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by Ogerman ( 136333 ) on Monday January 28, 2002 @06:09PM (#2916343)
    So.. other than XFree86 4.2, I've been using everything 'new' included in MDK 8.2 for about 1-2 months now. (using Debian testing/unstable). On the other hand, I'd have to give the Mandrake people a thumbs up for the increasingly rich-featured installer. Allowing newbies to set up crypto filesystems with no effort is a great idea.
  • Will it include the 2313 nVidia drivers?

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