http://usalug.org

Thursday, March 26, 2009

PCLinuxOS 2009.1 Mini review

Last time I was here I said that I would try to remember to comment on PCLinuxOS after I get a chance to install the final version. I have also previously tested at least two of the earlier test versions. The first test version would not load for me; I was disappointed; ALL previous PCLinuxOS versions, whether test or not, worked great. The second test version I tried, test 3, was better. Apps worked fine; wireless did not work.

The final version works a lot better. I installed it a few weeks ago on my Gateway PA6A laptop, then gave it to my son to use. I got wireless working fairly quickly on that one. This week I installed it on my Lenovo Y410 laptop and it was, if anything, even easier. I have not found any serious defects on either machine.

Just about everything you need for routine computing is on this system. The live CD boots in a reasonable amount of time, but if you load it completely into RAM then install from there, it is one of the fastest hard disk installations I know of. Only sidux is faster.

This is one of three really easy systems to use, and one of the few I would recommend to first time users. My two children use PCLinuxOS regularly when they spend time with daddy. On my GRUB bootloader menu, I put their names, followed by PCLinuxOS to make it easy to see in my multi-distro boot menu. They find it easily and have no problems using it. Is that enough of a testimonial to PCLinuxOS?

2 comments:

Brian Masinick said...

I recently updated PCLinuxOS, and there were quite a few updates. It almost looks like the team is going through packages from top to bottom and replacing them with 2009 identities - and presumably updating them as they go. PCLinuxOS has resumed being a really solid, easy to use, and now more up to date system. It is definitely one of the systems to consider for routine every day use.

Ye Olde Dood said...

As this new year (2009) dawned, I sadly sat watching as, with each new update, my MiniMe 2008 (installed to hard disk around 12 months before) slowly spiralled into uselessness. Sad, but wait for it!

I had really liked MM2008 and I was contemplating (re)installing MM2008 to get a clean (re)start. I had researched 2009.0 but honestly feared the worse of the problems of updating MM2008 would also apply to the PCLOS 2009.0 release since MM2008 went so very far from home.

Later, read that texstar resumed control of PCLOS development and that seemed to me to be some very good news. When I installed 2009.1, I was definitely pleased for having tolerated seeing MM2008 melt down and for skipping over 2009.0.

I just can't spend my days tweaking any distro, so I'm happy that PCLOS 2009.1 is so very tightly created. Updates are coming quite quickly now as opposed to almost quarterly with MM2008. This 2009.1 feels as solid as a fresh install of Windows. That may not mean much to a Linux pro, but by saying it is so solid, I'm also comparing recent distros with PCLOS 2009.1