I’ve reviewed so many different Ubuntu remasters that I’ve more or less become numb when I see a new one. After all, aren’t they all pretty much the same? Well no, not really. Different remasters offer different things. This week I decided to look at Pinguy OS. Pinguy OS is a strange blend of Ubuntu, Linux Mint and a bunch of other stuff all rolled into a unique package. It contains the default Ubuntu features and a whole lot more including a ton of multimedia codecs, additional desktop goodies, and a great range of default software.
Before I get into the review, you’re probably wondering what Pinguy OS is and why it was made. Here’s a brief bit of background from Antoni Norman where he explains why he created Pinguy OS and how it’s different from Ubuntu:
Ubuntu is a great OS and undoubtedly the most popular and easiest Linux based Distro to use but even with its default setup and chosen programs it’s still lacking functionality and ease of use for most new users. So what I decided to do was build a Distro that looks good, could do everything most user would ever want to do and that was very simple to use.
I started out by listening to what my friends and family wanted to use their PC for and found the most user friendly programs for the task they wanted to do. After a while I got a good idea what most people use their PC for and what programs where the easiest to use. Like using Shotwell for easily uploading images to Facebook, gtkpod for putting music, photos and video on a ipod/iphone and mvPod for converting the video to a iPod friendly format.
So all the programs in Pinguy OS have been chosen because of there ease of use and functionality, I also changed every file type to open with the right program, like for some reason by default .iso are opened with Archive Manager so I changed that to Brasero Disc Burner.
As I already said apart from it being easy to use I also wanted it to be a very good looking operating system. There are now a lot of programs out there for Linux to give the OS a very smart and polished implementation, like CoverGloobus, Gloobus Preview, GNOME Do, and Docky. These programs don’t just give the OS a good look and feel but they are also very useful and handy.
Pinguy OS is an optimise build of Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Minimal CD with added repositories, tweaks and enhancements that can run as a Live DVD or be installed. It has all the added packages needed for video, music and web content e.g. flash and java, plus a few fixes as well. Like fixing the wireless problems, gwibber’s Facebook problem and flash videos in full-screen.
Everything is set-up for samba, all you need to do is right click a folder you want to share and add a password in samba using system-config-samba.
It also has a UPnP/DLNA server (pms-linux) so you can share your music, video’s etc. With a PS3, XBOX 360, Smart Phones or any other UPnP/DLNA media reader.Nautilus has been replaced for Elementary-Nautilus with added plug-ins so it can get music and video art from the web. The default theme is Elementary using ttf-droid font with Docky and a custom Conky.
I have also added DVB support to Totem for anyone with a TV card that wants to watch tv on their PC but don’t want to install a dedicated program like myth-tv.
For a full list of installed programs and repos for 10.04.1 *OLD* download this file.
If you like this Distro and would like to help it improve and grow you can always donate, it doesn’t matter how small the amount is, it all helps.
What’s New In This Release
This release is actually a minor update to the original 10.04.1 release, so there’s not much to report in this section in terms of new features. However, here are some of the features you should take note of that are found in Pinguy OS:
Ubuntu Software Center
Docky
Conky
Linux Mint MintMenu
Linux Mint MintUpdate
Multimedia Codecs
Firefox Addons
I’ll look at each of these features in the appropriate sections of the review. Suffice to say that they add a lot of value to Pinguy OS, and they set it apart from some of the other Ubuntu remasters.
On the next page, I’ll take a look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.
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Pinguy is a one man show. The developer is a gem of a guy, but the staff that runs his forums are dicks. Sadly Pinguy is one of these distros that takes ubuntu, throws everything but the kitchen sink in it (how many applications does a distro need to have preloaded for doing the same thing?), hands it to the User preconfigured and then gets passed off as being the latest and greatest thing. In reality it’s a mildly gussied up version of Ubuntu and it’s only real benefit is that if you like this configuration, or something close to it, using Pinguy will save you an afternoon of modifying Ubuntu how you want it (then again, you might have to spend some time getting rid of some of the choices Pinguy makes as well).
The big claim here is that everything works right out of the box, which is largely true. However that is mainly because if Ubuntu. another big plus that Pinguy gets a lot of props for is the use of Mint tools. I agree, they are awesome, but again they were developed by Linux mint and Mint’s integration is far better executed and much much deeper.
I like what Pinguy is attempting to do, but it is still rather rough around the edges. Personally I think Mint is a FAR better OS, is truly original and really does improve on ubuntu. If you want a much better integrated version of Pinguy without all the added bloatware, just use Mint, add the global menu package and add the dock of your choice.
That plus the Mint community is actually friendly and very helpful.
Great Review !!
[...] Pinguy OS va más lejos y añade otro nivel de buenas características a Ubuntu”. Aquí podéis encontrar la review que [...]
[...] you are totally unfamiliar with Pinguy OS, you might want to peruse the full review of the 10.04 version I did on Desktop Linux Reviews. You can also get more background on the distro [...]
It’s unfair to dock the OS because of Conky. Simple google searches show that the configuration is in the ~/.conkyrc file or similarly named files, and a simple killall conky eliminates the utility from the desktop for the session.
I’m pleased so far, but I am not a fan of the trend of putting window menus (file, edit, etc) at the top of the panel rather than in the window itself.
That said, nice review.
Para pasarlo al español, poner en terminal:
cd
wget http://bit.ly/ahp3WE
cd /usr/share/i18n/locales
sudo tar xvfz ~/locales.tar.gz
sudo locale-gen
Funcionó bien con la versión 11.04 (calculo que también funcionaría bien con las versiones basadas en 10.04 y 10.10)
Abrazos!!
Juan Pablo