Somebody on Reddit posted a link to a Russian forum. I popped over there, registered and was able to download a copy of North Korea’s version of Linux, called Red Star OS. If you aren’t familiar with North Korea, be sure to watch the Vice Guide to North Korea. It’s entertaining and also quite creepy at times.

I’ve embedded all three parts below; each part is about 20 minutes. It’s well worth watching if you want to see what a visit to North Korea is like.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Before I get into the review, here are a few of things to bear in mind. North Korea Linux comes only in Korean, there is no English version of it.

Second, the fact that I reviewed this distro should not be interpreted as any kind of endorsement of the North Korean government.

Third, I have renamed it for this review to “North Korea Linux” since it’s much clearer as to what the heck this distro is and where it comes from. Many people might not know recognize the name Red Star OS.

Fourth, I have removed the software page of the review. I started trying to figure out what applications had been included but, after a while, I decided it was more of a headache than it was worth. Suffice to say that the selection isn’t all that great, from what I could tell. However, there was a separate disc included with my install that was labeled applications. I did not bother installing it since it would have meant more time spent trying to wade through Korean application menus.

Also, according to a report, North Korea Linux is geared toward monitoring and controlling the web behavior of the North Korean people. So bear that in mind as you read this review.

Tux, in full communist regalia. Oh my! Creepy!

What’s New In This Release
Since this is the first time I’ve looked at Red Star Linux, there’s nothing to list here in terms of what’s new from previous releases. Instead, I’ll simply post the list of features from the Russian forum since that sums it all up. This list is translated from the Russian language, so it’s a bit off from regular English.

Year of Release: 2009
Version: 2.0
Developer: North Korea
Architecture: x86
Tabletka: Not required
Language: ONLY Korean
Description: A unique assembly of Linux from North Korea (DPRK). Was made on the orders of the Government to establish a free system in the Korean language.
At the present time is in the process of improvement. We spread my version is outdated, but so far that is all we have.

The second disc before soft for him (rpm). This is typical of the program under sneakers, fully translated into Korean. His made from scratch is almost there. That’s why he and Linux.

- Service software for the client version of Red Star
- Office suite “we” – ala OpenOffice
- A program for recording CD / DVD
- Email client “Dove”
- Korean chess
- A program for faxing
- Anti-Virus “Woodpecker”
- Notebook “My friend”
- One office suite OpenOffice ala
- Graphic Editor
- Firewall “Pyongyang Fortress
- Engineering Calculator
- Emulator of the Windows environment

On the next page, I’ll take a look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

Here is the correct URL:

http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/2010/05/29/kubuntu-netbook-edition-10-04/

My apologies if you ended up at this page.

OpenSUSE is known for being one of the more preeminent KD-oriented distros, but it also supports GNOME (and now LXDE). Since I reviewed Linux Mint KDE last week, I figured I’d go with the GNOME version of openSUSE 11.3 so I could take a little break from KDE.

What’s New In This Release

Here’s a sample of what you’ll find in openSUSE 11.3:

Netbook Support
Smartphone Support
SpiderOak Personal Cloud
Btrfs Support
Zypper Package Management Enhancements
Improved Package Dependency Handling
LXDE Support
Linux 2.6.34
Alsa 1.0.23
X.org 7.5
Nouveau Nvidia Driver
GNOME 2.30.1 (With Support for GNOME 3.0 Preview)

I’ll cover the GNOME changes in the desktop section of the review.

The netbook support offers the KDE Plasma Netbook Workspace, and the MeeGo netbook interface. I like the KDE netbook edition, but I haven’t tried MeeGo yet. Still, it’s good to see both of them being offered for openSUSE users. It’s great for netbook users to have a choice in desktop environments.

Zypper can now list packages that can’t be updated, and it can tell you why. You can also remove dependencies of a package by using the -clean-deps option. OpenSUSE 11.3 also features better package handling in general, letting YaST also remove dependencies needed by a removed package.

The smartphone support will be very much appreciated by Android, iPhone or Blackberry users. OpenSUSE 11.3 now lets you sync music, access photos or use your phone to connect to the Internet. It’s great to see this kind of smartphone connectivity in openSUSE, the developers seem to be supporting all of the major phone platforms.

You can connect your smartphone to OpenSUSE 11.3.

The SpiderOak (what a weird name!) personal cloud is a cool idea and reminiscent of Ubuntu One. It wasn’t installed by default, so I had to go into the Software Manager and install it. After the install, I found it in the Internet applications menu. Signing up for SpiderOak was easy and quick; the SpiderOak interface is very well done and quite intuitive.

You'll need to install SpiderOak via the software manager.

Signing up for a SpiderOak account takes just a minute or two.

It’s easy to set up a backup, see your status, sync and view your files. You get 2GB of space, if you need more you can buy it. You can opt to be billed monthly or yearly, starting with 100GB for $100 per year or $10 per month.  SpiderOak is a great addition to openSUSE, I’m very glad to see it included. I think it will prove to be a very valuable service for many openSUSE users.

The SpiderOak service in OpenSUSE 11.3.

I’m also happy to see LXDE support in openSUSE 11.3. KDE and GNOME are both great, but there are folks that really believe less is more (I go back and forth on that personally). So having LXDE as a desktop option in openSUSE opens the door to having it used by minimalists who prefer speed to gratuitous desktop features and functionality.

Although I decided to do this review using the GNOME version, I couldn’t resist the temptation to install LXDE and run it for a while instead. Whenever I run LXDE or some other minimalistic desktop environment, I always wonder if we really need all of the stuff that we get in KDE or GNOME. Sometimes less can really be more.

The minimalistic LXDE desktop in OpenSUSE 11.3.

On the next page, I’ll take a look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

What’s New In This Release
Here’s a sample of the new stuff you’ll find in this release:

KDE Network Manager
New Applications
New Backup Tool
New Software Manager
Enhanced Look and Feel
Windows Installer

I’ll cover the Software Manager in the software section of the review.

KDE Network Manager
Linux Mint 9 KDE now uses the KDE Network Manager instead of the GNOME version. The KDE Network Manager supports Wired Ethernet Devices (IEE 802.3), Mobile Broadband Devices (GSM, CDMA, UMTS, etc.), Wireless Ethernet Devices (IEEE 802.11) including unencrypted, WEP, WPA Personal, and WPA Enterprise. It also supports VPN (OpenVPN, VPNC), Dial-Up (PPP) and DSL (PPPoE).

New Applications
New applications include ActoneISO, Bleachbit, Yakuake, Dansguardian, Htdig and Miro. AcetoneISO is a cool application that lets you easily manage CD/DVD images. Bleachbit is a helpful tool that lets you free up disk space, remove junk and protect your privacy. Yakuake is a terminal emulator based on KDE Konsole technology. Dansguardian offers web content filtering that concerned parents might find useful.  Htdig is search-indexing software, and Miro offers a large range of video content.

New Backup Tool
Linux Mint 9 KDE has a new backup too. The new backup tool preserves your preferences and data. It also tracks the software you installed. When you upgrade to a fresh install of Linux Mint, the backup tool will restore your data as well as the software you had installed on your Linux Mint system.

You can also opt to restore your software selection on a different computer. The backup tool can perform incremental restorations and backups, and it can compress and archive “on the fly.” It also performs an integrity check on each file (but you can turn this off if you want to speed up your backup).

Enhanced Look and Feel
The welcome screen is now in HTML, and contains extremely helpful links to support, documentation and community resources. Linux Mint 9 KDE also comes with better backgrounds. Update Manager now contains a new icon set that promises better integration with the desktop.

Windows Installer
The Windows Installer is back after being removed for the last release. If you use it, you can install Linux Mint as a program on your C: drive, without having to change your partitions. Frankly though, I’m not sure that it’s really worth doing. If I were going to run it in Windows and didn’t want to mess with partitions, I’d just use VirtualBox, VMWare or Parallels. However, it’s still a nice option for those who wish to use the Windows Installer.

On the next page, I’ll look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

It used to be called Ubuntu Muslim Edition but the name was later changed. I’ve included that in the title of the review though to make it easier for folks that may not know the background of this distro.

Before I get into the review, here’s my usual disclaimer about religious or mystical themed distros:

Desktop Linux Reviews does not endorse any particular religion or spirituality, nor does DLR endorse no religion or spirituality.

I have covered these kinds of distros in the past and will continue to do so. If reading about them is not your thing, please stop right now and go over to JimLynch.com. You can read some of the excellent tech commentary and reviews available there (I know it’s excellent because I wrote all of it…heh).

Also, I am not a Muslim so I cannot vouch for the theological content of this distro. That sort of thing, like beauty itself, will have to remain in the eye of the beholder. If that upsets you then please click the link to my other site above and enjoy some of that content instead.

Okay, now that that is out of the way, let’s continue with this review of Sabily 10.04.

What’s New In This Release
This distro is based on Ubuntu 10.04, so all of the new features from that release are available in Sabily. Here’s a brief sample of those:

F-Spot replaces the GIMP
PiTiVi video editor added
GNOME 2.30
New themes: Ambiance and Radiance
New wallpaper
Linux kernel 2.6.32
New nVidia hardware driver
Gwibber social media application
Faster boot time, with a different look and feel on the bootsplash screen
Ubuntu One adds contacts and bookmark sharing
Ubuntu One music store integrated into Rhythmbox
Ubuntu Software Center 2.0

I’ll refrain from rehashing my commentary on those features. You can read my original review of Ubuntu 10.04 instead. I want to focus mostly on what makes Sabily Manarat unique and cover what it has to offer Muslim readers (and those who are simply curious about an Islamic version of Ubuntu).

The Zekr Quranic study tool.

Here’s a list of what’s new in Sabily itself:

- New “Manarat” pictures and wallpapers
- Zekr 0.7.6
- Thawab 3
- New offline recitation: Al-Muaiqly (48kbps)
- New parental web control application: nanny

I’ll comment on the wallpaper and pics in the desktop section.

For those who aren’t familiar with them, Zekr and Thawab are Quranic study tools. The parental controls use Gnome Nanny to filter the web, email, etc. Based on what I saw of it, Gnome Nanny looked like a reasonably good parental filter. Muslim parents will have to be the final judge of whether or not it’s really enough to make the Internet safe for Muslim children.

On the next page, I’ll look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

Please note that development of Peppermint OS One will continue. Peppermint Ice is a separate distro and the Peppermint developers will be supporting both versions. The developers got a lot of requests from the Peppermint OS One community to do a version with Chromium as the browser and thus Peppermint Ice was born.

What’s New In This Release
The biggest difference between Peppermint OS One and Peppermint Ice is the inclusion of a new Site Specific Browser (SSB) written by Peppermint Ice developer Kendall Weaver. Ice is the name of the SSB, and it uses Chromium (the default browser in Peppermint Ice) to run web applications. Using an SSB, instead of running applications in a tabbed browser, for example, helps provide greater stability and uses screen space more effectively.

My experience with using web applications in Peppermint Ice via the Ice SSB was very good. I opened a bunch of web applications and everything ran very well, I had no problems with speed or stability (with the one exception of Facebook, which I’ll talk about in the problems section). I left the applications running for hours and didn’t notice any problems with them.

Since Peppermint Ice uses LXDE as its desktop environment, it’s very fast. If you have older hardware, you’ll be particularly pleased with Peppermint Ice. Booting up or shutting down happens very quickly.

Facebook running in an Ice SSB.

Some might be thrown off by the inclusion of Chromium as the default browser for Peppermint Ice, but I think it’s a good choice. Firefox is still available via Software Manager if you want it, but Chromium seems to be significantly faster to me. That said, I also think it’s a good idea to keep Firefox around in case you bump into a site that isn’t quite compatible with Chromium.

And please note that Peppermint OS One will still have Firefox as its default browser.

Chromium is now the default browser in Peppermint Ice.

As you can see from the Live CD desktop screenshot below, the desktop wallpaper and peppermint logo are different from Peppermint OS One. The red and white wallpaper and logo are gone; they’ve been replaced by blue and white versions. I’ll talk about that more in the desktop section.

The Peppermint Ice live CD desktop.

On the next page, I’ll look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

Before I get into the review, here’s my usual disclaimer about religious or mystical themed distros:

Desktop Linux Reviews does not endorse any particular religion or spirituality, nor does DLR endorse no religion or spirituality.

I have covered these kinds of distros in the past and will continue to do so. If reading about them is not your thing, please stop right now and go over to JimLynch.com You can read some of the excellent tech commentary and reviews available there (I know it’s excellent because I wrote all of it…heh).

I just wanted to put that out there for the folks that dislike the idea of DLR covering any kind of distro with religious or mystic themes to it. Okay, with that out of the way, on with our demonic review.

Launching Firefox will take you to hell on the web! (The Satanic Portal)

What’s New In This Release
Here’s a list of what’s new in Lucifer’s Legion:

Plymouth bootup theme with new Satanic logo
Wallpaper with new Satanic logo
GDM theme support
Revenge icon theme updated
New sataniconf helper script makes configuration easier

Please note that Ubuntu Satanic Edition is not an officially sanctioned derivative of Ubuntu. Since this release is based on Ubuntu 10.04, all of the new features in generic Ubuntu are now in its satanic counterpart. Here’s a brief list of the general new stuff found in Ubuntu itself, for my commentary on them please read my review of Ubuntu 10.04. I don’t want to regurgitate all of that again here.

F-Spot replaces the GIMP
PiTiVi video editor added
GNOME 2.30
New themes: Ambiance and Radiance
New wallpaper
Linux kernel 2.6.32
New nVidia hardware driver
Gwibber social media application
Faster boot time, with a different look and feel on the bootsplash screen
Ubuntu One adds contacts and bookmark sharing
Ubuntu One music store integrated into Rhythmbox
Ubuntu Software Center 2.0

The desktop with an alternate wallpaper.

This distro comes with plenty of additional evil wallpaper.

On the next page, I’ll look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

Lubuntu 10.04 is not an official derivative of Ubuntu; it is not supported by Canonical. However, it is serves a very important purpose by providing an Ubuntu distro geared toward older or less powerful computers.

What’s New In This Release
Lubuntu 10.04 is based on Ubuntu 10.04 so it shares some similar new features such as faster boot time, etc. This release also includes a rewrite of PCMan File Manager that brings it to 0.9.5, LXDM, and Chromium as the default browser.

Beyond that, there’s not much more in the way of new features in this release of Lubuntu, according to the release notes. I’d really like to see Lubuntu (and a lot of other distro developers) emulate how Linux Mint presents new features. Linux Mint makes it very easy on reviewers by providing a comprehensive new features page.

So many distros have information scattered all over the place that it ends up being a huge pain in the ass to try to find out all of the significant new features. Make it easy on us guys; feed us the information we need to write a comprehensive review. Don’t make us scour your site looking at this page or that blog entry to try to find out what’s new and why our readers should care.

Thanks.

Chromium is the default browser in Lubuntu 10.04.

Lubuntu's file manager PCManFM.

On the next page, I’ll look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

Kubuntu Netbook Edition uses the Plasma Netbook interface. Plasma Netbook is geared toward small devices and the interface is very different than desktop KDE. You can use “Search and Launch” to launch applications, or you can browse for applications. You can also search your email, contacts and some web sites. I’ll have more to say about Plasma Netbook in the desktop section.

What’s New In This Release
Since this release is 10.04; it shares some of the same new features as its desktop counterpart. Rather than regurgitate all of them here (since I covered them in the desktop review), here’s a link to the Kubuntu site that lists the new stuff in 10.04.

Firefox running in Kubuntu Netbook Edition, after being installed.

OpenOffice.org comes with Kubuntu Netbook Edition.

The live CD desktop.

On the next page, I’ll take a look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

]]> http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/2010/05/29/kubuntu-netbook-edition-10-04/feed/ 3 http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/2010/05/26/fedora-13/ http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/2010/05/26/fedora-13/#comments Wed, 26 May 2010 19:50:45 +0000 Jim Lynch http://desktoplinuxreviews.com/?p=2244 Well it’s often been said that “it never rains but it pours” and that seems very true about distro releases in the last two weeks. Fedora 13 has just been released. Fedora 13 follows hot on the heels of Ubuntu Linux 10.04. So how does it match up? Is it worth using? Read on to find out.

What’s New In This Release
Desktop users have some interesting new features to enjoy. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:

Automatic print driver install
Automatic language packs install
Package kit integration
NetworkManager improvements
Free and open source nouveau driver for NVidia video cards
Shotwell replaces Gthumb and F-Spot for photos
Pino social media client included
Deja Dup backup tool
Simple Scan
GNOME color manager
GNOME 2.30
Nautilus enhancements
Gnote enhancements
Rhythmbox support for iPod Touch and iPhone music
Abiword removed from default live image

I’ll cover the removal of Abiword in the problems section; suffice to say I wasn’t pleased with the near complete lack of bundled office software in this release.

Automatic Printer Driver Installation
If you plug in a supported USB printer, Fedora will automatically install the appropriate driver for it. This feature should make life easier for Fedora desktop users. I hate messing around with printer drivers, so anything that makes it easier and faster is welcome indeed.

Pino Social Media Client
I’m happy to see that Pino is now included in the Fedora 13 desktop, but it’s too limited. Gwibber connects to more social media services than Pino. Pino appears to be limited to Twitter and Identi.ca. I’m not sure why the Fedora developers went with Pino instead of Gwibber. Let me know in the comments if you know anything about why they made that decision. I’m not knocking Pino; it’s okay for what it is. But why not go with something that connects to more services?

Pino lets you connect to your Twitter account.

Package Kit Integration
I’m not a big user of Brasero but if you are, you’ll be pleased to find out that Brasero can now automatically install codecs needed to burn audio CDs. File-roller can also now automatically install the necessary items to handle archive formats.

Brasero can now automatically add codecs for burning audio CDs.

GNOME Color Manager
If you need accuracy in color then you’re going to love the fact that Fedora 13 includes the GNOME Color Manager. You can install, manage and generate color profiles for your Fedora 13 system. I have no particular use for this but it will be quite useful for artists and others who require it.

You can install, manage and generate color profiles.

Shotwell
As if it’s not bad enough that GIMP is being displaced by F-Spot in a lot of distros, now F-Spot itself is being displaced by Shotwell in Fedora 13. Shocking! Just kidding.

Frankly, this doesn’t matter to me a bit since I don’t have much use for either of them. GIMP is available via the Add/Remove Software tool so that’s the first thing I’d download for image editing, rather than bothering with Shotwell or F-Spot.

Shotwell works well enough though for a basic photo manager. You can import photos, organize events, use tags, publish photos to Facebook/Picasa/Flickr, reduce red-eye, and rotate/mirror/crop photos. It will probably meet the photo management needs of most desktop users.

Shotwell replaces F-Spot as Fedora 13's photo manager.

Free Nouveau Driver for NVidia
This release builds on Fedora 12′s experimental support for ATI cards. This time around Fedora is supporting 3D via the free, open source nouveau driver for Nvidia cards.

On the next page, I’ll cover the hardware requirements and I’ll show you what it’s like to install Fedora 13.

What’s New In This Release
Here’s a sample of the new stuff you’ll find in this release:

2.6.32 kernel
KDE 4.3
The SimplyMEPIS Welcome Center
NDisWrapper Manager

The Welcome Center
SimplyMEPIS now comes with the MEPIS Welcome Center. The welcome center provides helpful links to support resources, language packs, popular applications and additional community software. The welcome center is a nice addition to SimplyMEPIS though it’s not quite as slick as the one that comes with Linux Mint.

The new SimplyMEPIS welcome center provides helpful links.

KDE 4.3
I love the fact that the SimplyMEPIS developers did not default to the heinously annoying sliding KDE 4 menus. It is so much easier using the KDE 3 style menus. This was a smart move on the developer’s part and I wish more KDE-based distros would emulate it. The sliding menus in KDE 4 are atrocious and counter-intuitive.

SimplyMEPIS uses KDE 3 style menus in KDE 4.3.

The NDisWrapper Manager
If you need to use legacy drivers for wireless access, you’ll love this new tool.

Use the NDisWrapper for legacy drivers.

On the next page I’ll cover hardware requirements, and I’ll show you the install routine.

Ubuntu Netbook Edition used to be called Ubuntu Netbook Remix, but Canonical changed the name once this distro became an official edition of Ubuntu.

What’s New In This Release
Much of the new stuff included in Ubuntu 10.04 is also included the Netbook Edition. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:

GNOME 2.3
Gwibber Social Media Client
F-Spot replaces GIMP
Ubuntu One music store available in Rhythmbox
Ubuntu One now has bookmark sharing and contacts
Two new themes: Ambiance and Radiance
New wallpaper
Ubuntu Software Center 2.0
Linux Kernel 2.6.32

I’ll cover the interface of Ubuntu Netbook Edition in the Desktop section of the review.

Note that in this release you can switch from the netbook interface to a regular GNOME desktop interface. See the booting and login section for details and screenshots.

As I noted in a prior review, the removal of GIMP may rub some people the wrong way. Not to worry though, it’s still available in the Software Center if you really want it. But the GIMP might be overkill for use on a netbook anyway. I’m not sure how many people would actually want to use it on that kind of computer.

Use Gwibber to connect to social media networks.

Gwibber
The inclusion of the Gwibber social media client gets a big thumbs up from me. You can easily connect to Facebook, Twitter, Digg, StatusNet, FriendFeed, Qaiku, and Identi.ca from Gwibber. The only major service lacking in Gwibber is LinkedIn, which I hope to see added in an update at some point. LinkedIn is an important tool for many people, so it’s worth including in Gwibber.

It takes less than a minute to set up your Twitter and Facebook accounts in Gwibber. You can post updates, view the updates of others and generally stay in touch. Gwibber works as well in Ubuntu Netbook Edition as it does in the desktop version (although it behaves somewhat oddly, see the problems section for details). Once you get used to using it, you’ll wonder how you did without it for so long.

Use the administration tools to manage your netbook.

Ubuntu One
The Ubuntu One music store is bundled with Rhythmbox. But before you can use it, you’ll need to install the necessary MP3 plugins. Not to worry, just pull up Rhythmbox by clicking on the Sound applications menu. Once the application loads you’ll see the “Install MP3 Plugins” button. Click that and you’ll soon be ready to buy music from the Ubuntu One Music Store.

Prices in the store run about $.99 to $1.29 for individual songs. Albums seem to cost about $9.99 to $16.99. For the most part, the pricing seemed about the same as in Apple’s iTunes store. The Ubuntu One Music Store does not let users rate and review music though. Hopefully they’ll add that in a future version of the store since it adds a lot of value for customers.

On the next page I’ll cover the hardware requirements necessary to run this distro, and I’ll show you what the install process looks like.

I gave Ubuntu 10.04 a big thumbs up in my review, and I’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of Linux Mint 9. So how does Linux Mint 9 stack up? Is it still “a better Ubuntu” than Ubuntu itself?

Read on to find out…

What’s New In This Release
There’s a lot of new stuff in this release and here’s some of what you will find in Linux Mint 9.

The Linux Mint Menu
The menu has been improved. If you turn on 3D effects, you can view a partly transparent menu. You can also now right-click on an item in the menu to edit it. You also have the option of changing the menu’s default behavior from showing what you looked at last to defaulting to your favorites. You can even right-click items to add them to your desktop and panel. I love the right-clicking features in the menu, it makes it very fast to change items or put them on your panel or desktop.

You can right-click an item on the menu to edit its properties.

Windows Installer
This release also marks the return of the Windows Installer (mint4win). I don’t generally run Windows so it’s not much use to me, but I’m glad to see it back for those who wish to use it.

The Windows Installer returns in Linux Mint 9. (Screenshot courtesy of LinuxMint.com)

New Backup Tool
Linux Mint has a new backup too. The new backup tool preserves your data and preferences. It also tracks the software you installed. When you go to upgrade to a fresh install of Linux Mint, the backup tool will restore your data as well as the software you had installed on your Linux Mint system.

You can also opt to restore your software selection on a different computer. The backup tool can perform incremental restorations and backups, and it can compress and archive “on the fly.” It also performs an integrity check on each file (but you can turn this off if you want to speed up your backup).

The new backup tool can backup and restore your data, preferences and software.

New Desktop Settings Tool
This release also includes a new desktop settings tool. The new tool has an improved appearance, and changes take effect immediately.

Remember those controversial changes Canonical made to the title bar buttons in Ubuntu? They were placed on the left instead of the right. This infuriated many Ubuntu users who claimed it was too “Mac-like.” Well Linux Mint fixes that too by giving everybody a choice in the matter.

The desktop settings tool lets you pick where you want the buttons, on the right or on the left. This is sure to soothe some of the intensely ruffled feathers of angry Ubuntu users.

The new desktop settings tool lets you place the title bar buttons on the left or on the right.

New Software Manager
The new Software Manager has been built again, from the ground up.

It’s essentially a blend of the Ubuntu Software Center, GNOME App, and the old software manager. The Software Manager interface is highly reminiscent of the Ubuntu Software Center. That’s not really a surprise given that Software Manager uses Webkit.

It features more than 30,000 packages, and you can read user reviews of each application. You can also post your own reviews. Applications are sorted by score, so it’s easy to see the highest rated software.

Software installations will run in the background. You can continue browsing through the Software Manager or shut it down.

The new Software Manager is an excellent addition to Linux Mint 9 (see the software section of the review for more screenshots and commentary).

Use Software Manager to add or remove applications.

Another item to take note of is the new, community website for Linux Mint users. The new site lets Linux Mint users share their thoughts about software, hardware and other topics. By registering for the site you will also be able to write software reviews that will appear in the Software Manager.

Visit the Linux Mint Community site to register to write software reviews.

On the next page, I’ll take a look at the hardware requirements and the install routine.

Puppy Linux, in case you aren’t already familiar with it, is a lightweight version of Linux that is designed for portability.

The .iso file of Puppy Linux 5.0 weighs in at an incredibly petite 128 MB. It’s much, much smaller than all of the usual desktop heavyweight distros. But don’t let its small size fool you, Puppy Linux 5.0 is anything but an also-ran in terms of functionality and usability.

Puppy Linux 5.0 is built from Ubuntu Linux 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) binaries, so it’s…er…pet name is Lucid Puppy. Like a lot of other things about Puppy Linux, the name is cute and adorable. I felt like giving Puppy Linux a dog bone and a pat on the head when I started using it.

What’s New In This Release
Quickpet is a great addition to Puppy Linux that lets you easily add more programs and drivers with one click. You can access Quickpet by clicking on the icon on the desktop.

The Quickpet menu is broken down into the following categories of applications (pets):

Popular Pets
GIMP
Pwidgets
Audacity
Songbird
Wine
Clan Bomber

Internet Pets
Firefox
Seamonkey
Chromium
Opera
Thunderbird
Kompozer

Useful Pets
Lxmusic Versatile Music Player
Dia Diagram Editor
Cinelerra Video Editing
JRE Java Runtime Environment
Foxit Reader
Inkscape

Drivers
Radeon HD
Nvidia 195

Update
Lucid Puppy Update

Before you try to use Quickpet, be sure that your network connection is configured. I forgot about that and got an error message when I tried to download Opera. To configure your network, just click the blue Connect icon on your desktop.

Puppy Linux 5.0 also now boots right to the desktop (don’t worry you can personalize your desktop, see that section of the review for more information).

And you get to choose your default browser as well. Firefox, Sea Monkey, Chromium and Opera are all available. What you choose to use is entirely up to you. You can also opt to simply use PuppyBrowser, which is a version of Firefox.

Use Quickpet to install applications with one click.

When you click to install a pet, it will download onto your system automatically.

Peppermint OS One is a web-centric Ubuntu remaster that passes up common desktop applications like OpenOffice.org in favor of web-based alternatives such as Google Docs. And it doesn’t stop with office applications either; Peppermint OS One integrates video sites like YouTube and Hulu right into the desktop experience.

LXDE and Prism
Peppermint OS One uses LXDE for its desktop environment. This means that it’s very fast and should work well even on machines with limited CPU and graphics horsepower. Since it makes great use of the cloud, you’ll definitely need to have a network connection available to get the most out of Peppermint OS.

Mozilla’s Prism is used to integrate web apps into the desktop. When you click on a web app in your applications menu, it will open in a desktop window. Prism lets web-based apps run even if you aren’t using your browser.

You can also click Prism on the Internet applications menu to create your own launchers for other web-based applications. You’ll just need to know the URL of the site and you’ll need to make some choices such as whether you want a link added to your desktop, status messages enabled or whether you want to use navigation keys. You’ll also need to select an icon or try to download one from the application’s site.

You can add other web applications to your system by using Prism.

Cloud and Desktop Applications
Peppermint OS One comes with a good selection of cloud based applications:

Editor by Pixlr
Facebook
Hulu
Last.FM
Pandora
Seesmic
The Cloud Player
YouTube
Google Calendar
Google Docs

Although the cloud is definitely the focus of Peppermint OS, there are installed applications included as well:

Firefox
Drop-Box
Exaile
Prism
X-Chat
Transmission

See the software section of the review for a full breakdown of applications by category.

In addition to the cloud and desktop applications listed above, Peppermint OS also comes with the following:

Linux Kernel 2.6.32
Xorg 7.5
Openbox 3.4.10
PCManFM 0.9.5
LXSession 0.4.3

Linux Mint and Peppermint OS
If the name “Peppermint OS” reminds you of Linux Mint, it’s no accident. Kendall Weaver, one of the Peppermint OS developers, is also the maintainer for the Linux Mint Fluxbox and LXDE editions.

Peppermint OS also makes use of some of Linux Mint’s tools such as mintInstall (software manager) and mintInput. If you pull up the Update Manager, both of these are at the top of the update list. Given that Linux Mint is one of the best Ubuntu remasters ever created, I’m happy to see what looks like some cross-pollination between the two projects.

You can run Peppermint OS as a Live CD before deciding to install it.

Unlike Ubuntu (which uses GNOME), Xubuntu uses the Xfce desktop environment. Xfce is a lightweight environment that, according to its creator Olivier Fourdan, “…loads and executes applications fast, while conserving system resources.” Xubuntu is really geared toward those using older hardware or who simply prefer a no-frills desktop without the gobs of eye-candy found in GNOME or KDE.

What’s New In This Release
Here’s a sample of what’s new in this release:

Albatross theme updated to the latest version
Xubuntu now uses PulseAudio
You can choose an Xubuntu or classic Xfce session when you login
Xubuntu now includes the Ubuntu Software Center
SimpleScan replaces Xsane for scanners
Gnumeric updated to 1.10.1
Revamped selection of bundled games
Xscreensaver is now the default screensaver

If you aren’t familiar with PulseAudio, see the Wikipedia background article about it and see also this article on Linux.com for why PulseAudio matters to Xubuntu users. The article is a bit dated but explains some of the advantages to using PulseAudio in Linux distributions.

Being able to choose between Xubuntu and classic Xfce is a nice touch on the login screen. I doubt, however, that many users will opt for generic Xfce over Xubuntu. But it’s there if you want to do it.

One of the things I disliked most about Kubuntu was that it lacked the Ubuntu Software Center. That isn’t the case with Xubuntu and I’m very glad to see it. Please note that you can still access the Ubuntu Software Center in a classic Xfce session, as well as via the default Xubuntu session.

Although I don’t spend too much time gaming these days, it’s nice to see a revised selection of games. See the software section for a list of what’s available in this release.

One thing I couldn’t help but notice is how fast…REALLY FAST…Xubuntu is when you boot into it, reboot, or login/logout. Ubuntu 10.04 itself is fast but Xubuntu 10.04 is even faster. It takes just a couple of seconds and you’ll be staring at your desktop or you’ll have logged out, etc. Zippy is definitely an appropriate word to describe Xubuntu.

The classic Xfce desktop.

KahelOS is essentially a remastered version of Arch Linux. Arch Linux has always had a reputation as being somewhat inaccessible to average desktop users, and KahelOS is an attempt to make Arch Linux more accessible to more people.

KahelOS also has a rolling release model, if you want the latest version you simply need to update your packages.

What’s New In This Release
Here’s some of what’s new in this release:

Compiz Fusion is enabled by default
Font cleanup and improvements
Improved hinting and rendering of fonts
Massive cleanup of unnecessary packages, saving disk space.
Massive optimization of PNG/MNG/TIFF/GIF packages.
New boot splash, background and theme.
Out-of-the-box easy file-sharing (just by right clicking the folder you wish to share)
Mabuhay Welcome Center w/ introduction of Kahel OS.
iBus is now the default alternative input bus
Include all possible Wifi Firmware by default

Include OpenJDK6 Java Development Kit by default

New Default Applications Installed:

Pitivi 0.13.4
Simple-Scan 0.9.9
Google Gadgets 0.11.2
Chromium 5.0.
Chromium supports WOFF (http://hacks.mozilla.org/2009/10/woff) and playing HTML5 videos without Flash (http://www.youtube.com/html5).
Gnome 2.30
Gnome Color Manager 2.30
Kernel 2.6.33
OpenOffice 2.3.0
Banshee 1.6.0
Tracker 0.8g
Tomboy notes
Gbrainy
Lights Off

The Mabuhay Welcome Center is a nice touch for those who are totally new to KahelOS. It contains screenshots and text that let new users know about KahelOS and what it has to offer. Topics mentioned include compiz-fusion, iBus, file-sharing, Google Gadgets, internationalization, and Chromium (among others). It’s well worth browsing the Mabuhay Welcome Center if you are new to KahelOS.

Speaking of Google Gadets, the Google Gadgets icon sits on the right side of the panel at the top of the screen. Clicking it gives you access to tons of different Google Gadgets including ones for Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks. The Gadget Browser lets you search for Gadgets or pick from the following categories: News, Sports, Lifestyle, Tools, Finance, Fun and Games, Technology, Communication, Holidays.

KahelOS differs from many other distros in using Chromium as its default browser, rather than Firefox. Firefox is still available via gtkpacman if you want it. But Chromium is an excellent choice for a browser and, if you haven’t used it yet, you should definitely give it a chance before going back to Firefox.

The inclusion of the PiTiVi video editor is interesting since Canonical has also begun bundling it into its distros. It seems that PiTiVi is already becoming a mainstay application for GNOME-based distros. I’m glad to see it included with KahelOS because it definitely fills an important desktop niche for many people.

In my last review I barked about OpenOffice.org not being included by default. That mistake has been fixed and OpenOffice.org is now included with KahelOS. It’s ready to go as soon as you boot into your KahelOS desktop.

Kahel OS is an install-only distro, there is no Live CD functionality.

Alas, I was not nearly as pleased with Kubuntu as I was with Ubuntu. While there have definitely been some improvements in Kubuntu 10.04, it lacks some of the important things that defined Ubuntu 10.04.

Read on to find out why you should avoid Kubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS.

What’s New In This Release

Here’s a list of some of what’s new in this release:

The Kubuntu logo has been updated on the splash screen and in the desktop menus
KDE Plasma Desktop 4.4
Linux kernel 2.6.32
Amarok 2.3
Installer slideshow
Touchpad configuration
Firefox KDE integration
System notification updates
Gnome application system tray integration

The updated Kubuntu logo is fine but seems to only appear on the bootsplash screen and the desktop menus. Beyond that there is no other branding to indicate that Canonical is behind the release of this distro.

The new Plasma desktop has some goodies in it including an improved system tray that includes widgets, better search via Dolphin and the ability to let you browse through a recently used timeline. You can now also group windows into tabs.

The inclusion of a slideshow during the install is a great idea. It lets newbies know what’s available in this distro and helps keep the user entertained while the install concludes.

If you’re using a laptop then the touchpad configuration in System Settings is a welcome addition. I rarely use my laptop so it’s not particularly relevant for me but I’m glad to see it in this release.

The system notification updates are also helpful. When I first opened Konqueror, I was greeted with a menu asking if I wanted to install additional codecs. See the screenshot of this in the Sound and Multimedia section of the review to see what it looks like.

I’m very happy to see Firefox integrated with KDE. That’s an excellent thing for those of us who prefer Firefox as our default browsers instead of Konqueror. It’s also good to see GNOME apps blending into the KDE Plasma desktop in a more cohesive way.

The new Kubuntu logo appears in the desktop menus.

To put it bluntly, Lucid Lynx rocks!

What’s New In This Release
There’s quite a lot of new stuff and changes in this release. Here’s a list of some of what you’ll find:

F-Spot replaces the GIMP

PiTiVi video editor added

GNOME 2.30

New themes: Ambiance and Radiance

New wallpaper

Linux kernel 2.6.32

New nVidia hardware driver

Gwibber social media application

Faster boot time, with a different look and feel on the bootsplash screen

Ubuntu One adds contacts and bookmark sharing

Ubuntu One music store integrated into Rhythmbox

Ubuntu Software Center 2.0

This release marks the first time that the GIMP has not been installed by default. F-Spot Photo Manager replaces it. Some people will love this and some will hate it. The thinking at Canonical is that the GIMP was too complicated an application for most ordinary desktop users. If you’re a fan of GIMP, no need to worry though. It’s still available in the Ubuntu Software Center.

Another new addition is the PiTiVi video editor. I don’t do much in the way of video editing, but I’m very glad to see this included. It’s one of the basic kinds of application functionality that users expect to find in a desktop operating system. Will it suffice for hard-core, high-end video editing? Probably not, but it should work just fine for your average desktop user.

I’ll cover the new themes and wallpaper in the desktop section. I’ll also cover the bootsplash and time changes in that section of the review. And I’ll talk about the Ubuntu Software Center in the software section.

Social Media
Access to various social media networks is now built into the Ubuntu desktop interface via Gwibber. You can access this by clicking on the envelope in the panel at the top of your screen. Or simply click Applications then Internet then Gwibber Social Client.

Gwibber lets you have all of a number of different social networks all in one application. You can connect to Facebook, Digg, Twitter, Flicker, StatusNet, FriendFeed, Qaiku and Identi.ca from the Me Menu. You can also chat with friends on Google Talk, MSN, IRC and other networks.

It doesn’t take long at all to set up your social networking accounts and updates appear in one, unified interface. This is tremendously convenient and helps eliminate the need to run these services in different browser windows. You can also easily post updates from Gwibber.

I loved having it available on my desktop. It let me read Twitter and Facebook updates at a glance and made it quick for me to post my own updates.

The Me Menu (based on Gwibber) lets you connect to Facebook, Twitter and other social media services.

Ubuntu One: Music and More
The Ubuntu One service has been enhanced to make it easier to share files and folders. And you can now share bookmarks and contacts too. Each user gets 2GB of free storage from Ubuntu One so it’s a good deal if you want to use the cloud to store files and information.

The Ubuntu One Music Store has been integrated into Rhythmbox music player. You can buy DRM-free music tracks and store or share them on the Ubuntu One service.

To access the music store, click Applications then Sound and Video then Rhythmbox Music Player. When you first launch Rhythmbox, you’ll see a message letting you know that you need to install some MP3 plugins to listen to purchased songs. Just click the Install Plugins button and your plugins will be installed for you. You can then browse the Ubuntu One music store and begin purchasing music.

The prices in the Ubuntu One Music Store seem comparable to the ones in iTunes. Individual songs go for $.99 to $1.29 and albums seem to be about $9.99 to $16.99. I only checked a few albums though so it’s possible that pricing on them could vary more. Still, it all seems very similar to what you’d pay in iTunes or other online music store.

The Ubuntu One Music Store could still use the ability for users to post their own reviews and ratings of music though. But it is definitely off to a good start and I’m sure we’ll be seeing improvements in it as time goes by.

You can now share bookmarks and contacts via the Ubuntu One service.

The Ubuntu One Music Store is integrated into the Rhythmbox music player.

I thought it might be a nice change of pace to take a look at it and see how useful it might be for the folks that need a more portable version of Linux.

There are three versions of CDlinux that you can download. The standard version is 65MB and contains a minimal desktop environment, the community version includes more software and is 225MB, and the mini version is console only and weighs in at an extremely petite 30MB. The standard version can also be used for rescues since it contains useful admin and rescue tools. The community edition comes with more software but is overkill if you simply want a portable rescue distro.

For the purposes of this review, I downloaded the 225MB community version.

What’s New In This Release
The current release is actually a bug release so there are no new features included in it.

Here’s a list of the bugs that were fixed and the packages that were upgraded:

Bug fixes:

X won’t start on the standard edition
“X -configure” can’t generate xorg.conf.new
Alt+Shift can’t toggle between keyboard layouts
Java Plug-in for Firefox doesn’t work

Upgraded packages:

alsa-lib-1.0.23
curl-7.20.1
goffice-0.8.2
jasper-1.900.1.15.fc13
jre-6u20
lvm2-2.02.63

CDlinux also includes:

linux-2.6.33.2
xorg-server-1.8.0
mesa-7.8.1
gtk+-2.18.9
qt-4.6.2
jre-6u19
firefox-3.6.3
gparted-0.5.2
bash-4.1.5
mc-4.7.0.4

CDlinux uses the lightweight xfce desktop environment.

If you aren’t familiar with OpenSolaris, here’s a little background from Wikipedia:

OpenSolaris is an open source operating system based on Solaris created by Sun Microsystems, now a part of Oracle Corporation. It is also the name of the project initiated by Sun to build a developer and user community around it.

OpenSolaris is derived from the Unix System V Release 4 codebase, with significant modifications made by Sun since it bought the rights to that code in 1994. It is the only open source System V derivative available. Open sourced components are snapshots of the latest Solaris release under development. Sun has announced that future versions of its commercial Solaris operating system will be based on technology from the OpenSolaris project.

What’s New In This Release
Here’s a sample of the new stuff in OpenSolaris 2009.06:

Time Slider Snapshot Management (take snapshots of your home directory)
Codeina (install additional media plug-ins)
Elisa (free and open source media center)
Time Tracker (panel application that lets you keep track of your time)
IPS Improvements (reduction in memory use, fat packages)
Package Manager Improvements (better start-up performance and user experience)
Better Hardware Support (SPARC, Nehalem)

You can use OpenSolaris as a Live CD or you can install it to your disk.

PCLinuxOS comes available in a number of different desktop environments:

For this review I decided to use the main KDE version.

There is also a “MiniMe” version that contains the desktop only, without all of the extra applications. If you are the type that wants total control over what applications are put onto your system, the MiniMe version is definitely for you. I, being somewhat lazy and not much of a control freak, simply opted for the regular version.

What’s New In This Release
Here’s a sample of what’s new in this release:

Kernel 2.6.32.11-bfs kernel for maximum desktop performance.
Full KDE 4.4.2 Desktop.
Nvidia and ATI fglrx driver support.
Multimedia playback support for many popular formats.
Wireless support for many network devices.
Printer support for many local and networked printer devices.
Addlocale allows you to convert PCLinuxOS into over 60 languages.
GetOpenOffice can install Open Office supporting over 100 languages.
MyLiveCD allows you  to take a snapshot of  your installation and burn it to a LiveCD/DVD.
Parental Controls to keep your kids away from those naughty websites.

I don’t have kids so I don’t usually bother with parental controls. I took a quick peek at the ones in PCLinuxOS though and found them somewhat limited.

If you want to access the parental controls for PCLinuxOS, click the Configure Your Computer icon on the panel. Type in your root password then click the Security link after the PCLinuxOSControlCenter. From there choose Parental Controls.

You can blacklist or whitelist sites and you can also set time limits on use. You’ll have to type in each site you want blocked in the controls though, there doesn’t seem to be a list you can easily import into the parental controls to block known nasty sites automatically.

After booting into the Live CD desktop, you can explore or start the install.

Please note that this release weighs in at a chunky 1.16GB so it’s not going to fit onto a CD. You’ll need a DVD to burn it to before you can run it as a Live DVD or install it on your system. If you’re using VirtualBox, VMWare or Parallels, you can just do a regular install from the ISO file.

What’s New In This Release
Linux Mint 8 KDE is based on Kubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala), Linux 2.6.31, Xorg 7.4 and KDE 4.3.4.

New Features & Changes
Here’s a brief list of new stuff and changes:

Screenshots have been moved to the corner in Software Manager, this has freed up more space to view software and see reviews.

Now there is no need to manually refresh Software Manager, instead you will be automatically notified of new “mintinstall-data.”

Multiple application install/removal in Software Manager.z

Update manager has multiple improvements including the ability to define visible columns and to resize the Update Manager itself. The UM also uses Synaptic to refresh the list of updates and error messages appear in the main window. You can also customize software sources, choose preferred mirrors and also ignore packages you don’t want.

There’s also some new artwork included in Linux Mint 8 KDE and the “Air” desktop theme replaces the “Oxygen” them.

Updated  Software
There are also some new applications installed by default including:

Minitube
Tucan
Google Widgets
Songbird
KDE Partition Manager
Guarddog
Wine

Use Minitube to view YouTube videos.

Hulu is one of the most popular video sites on the web. You can watch all kinds of different television shows and movies right in your browser. But there’s also another way to watch Hulu and that’s to download the Hulu Desktop application for Linux.

Please note that Hulu Desktop for Linux is currently labeled “beta” so don’t be surprised if you find some burps here or there if you try to use it. Also, I did not test this with a remote control as I ran the application in Linux Mint 8 in VMWare and the Apple remote I had didn’t work. So I used my trackball to navigate the application.

The package download for Hulu Desktop for Linux weighed in at a very petite 598KB.

Requirements
Here are the system requirements from the Hulu site:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz
At least 2.0 GB RAM
Fedora 9, Ubuntu 8.04 or later
2 Mbps Internet connection
Flash 10.0.22

And here are the software requirements:

GTK+ 2.12 or higher
GLib 2.16 or higher
LIRC 0.8.2 or higher (required for remote control functionality)

When you first start Hulu, a default video will being playing in the Hulu interface.

Some Linux distros sell themselves by being minimalistic. They only come with a limited range of apps and everything is geared toward keeping the file size and hardware requirements absolutely minimal. Then there’s Ultimate Edition 2.5. Ultimate Edition leans the other way and throws in everything including the kitchen sink.

Ultimate Edition 2.5 is based on Ubuntu 9.10 and it weighs in at a chunky 3.1GB. Clearly this is a distro you won’t be able to fit onto a CD. But that’s fine as long as you have a DVD and DVD burner available. This larger size is due to the fact that it comes with a lot of software (more on that in the software section).

Ultimate Edition 2.5 includes GNOME, KDE 4.3.2 and XFCE. You can choose which desktop environment you want to work in when you login.

What’s New In This Release
One of the things I hate about reviewing certain distros is when the folks who make the distro don’t have a “What’s New” page on their site or a file in the distro itself. It makes it hard for reviewers to know which new features are included in the distribution. I have to go running around trying to figure out what the significant new features are so I can include them in the review.

Despite checking the Ultimate Edition site and also looking in the forum, I was not able to find a complete list of what’s new in this release. Since it’s based on Ubuntu 9.10, Ultimate Edition 2.5 should have all of the new features of the generic Ubuntu release.

Nor was I able to find an email address to contact the developer to ask for more information and the forum link posted on the front page of the UE site led to a “topic does not exist” message.

I encourage the Ultimate Edition developers to include a brief summary of new features in future releases. It makes it a heck of a lot easier for reviewers to note them in the review.

After googling around, I finally tracked down what appears to be a list of some new features but it’s on the Softpedia site and not on the actual Ultimate Edition 2.5 site. Hmmm. Not exactly a good way of announcing what’s new to reviewers and users.

Here’s what I found:

“Ultimate Edition 2.5 was built off Ultimate Edition 2.4 (Ubuntu Karmic 9.10 based) all upgrades pre-installed as of current. It has KDE, XFCE, and GNOME user selectable at login, 3 new themes and tons of apps. This release is huge obviously bigger then UE 2.4 ;) I am not going to spend my time writing a webpage, but just a post. Even though it is a very worthy release and deserves a webpage. I have alot on my plate in programming and other activities & I do mean alot. It has been out about a week, forum users have been grabbing it left and right.”

The Ultimate Edition 2.5 desktop using the UE 2.5 Gold theme.