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,…
I recently reviewed Linux Mint Debian, a very user-friendly version of Linux Mint based on Debian. This time I looked at another distro based on Debian, called aptosid. Aptosid, for those who aren't familiar with it, is actually made by the same developers that created the popular distro Sidux. There was apparently some conflict and…
Last week I looked at the Debian version of Linux Mint. This time around I'm going to cover the Xfce version; this review was actually partly written before the release of the Debian version. I cast it aside and jumped into the Debian version, but I wanted to get this one done this week and…
Each time Ubuntu is updated, we get also get another version of Linux Mint. I usually end up reviewing most of the Linux Mint derivatives of Ubuntu. This time around though, we've gotten a delightful surprise from the Linux Mint developers. A Debian version of Linux Mint! Yes, there is now a rolling release Linux…
There was an announcement a while back that North Korea had come out with its own version of Linux (called Red Star OS). I dropped by the official North Korean site, and found their contact information. I sent a polite email asking for a download link for their distro, but I never heard back from…
Due to a screw up on my end, the wrong URL went out with the review earlier. 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. :blush: :blink:
SUSE Linux was one of my very first distros; I used to buy it from CompUSA and other places back when I first got started with Linux. These days, of course, one can simply use openSUSE instead of buying it at a store. This week I decided to look at openSUSE 11.3, the latest and…
The last review I did of Linux Mint 9 covered the GNOME version. This week it's time to look at the KDE version. Linux Mint 9 KDE is based on Kubuntu 10.04. This release includes KDE Plasma Desktop 4.4 and Linux Kernel 2.3.2. The Linux Mint developers did a great job with this release, as…
Peppermint OS made quite a splash when I reviewed it. Many people had never heard of it, and there was a lot of curiosity about a web-oriented remaster of Ubuntu. Some time has passed and there's a related version that has been released. This new distro is called Peppermint Ice. Why is it called Ice?…
It has been ages since I delved into the nightmarish and barbaric world of Ubuntu Satanic Edition. Much has changed since I first dared to install it back when I worked for ExtremeTech. Is Ubuntu Satanic Edition still as evil as it used to be? Find out in this review as I take you on…
In previous reviews, I looked at the latest versions of Ubuntu and Kubuntu. Now it's time to look at a lightweight alternative to both of them, Lubuntu. Lubuntu uses the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE) instead of the chunkier GNOME or KDE desktops. Lubuntu 10.04 is not an official derivative of Ubuntu; it is not…
I recently took a look at Ubuntu Netbook Edition, this week I decided to review its KDE-based counterpart Kubuntu Netbook Edition. As you'll find out in this review, the two sport radically different interfaces (and I'm not just talking about wallpaper). Which is better for a netbook user? Read on to find out.
Well it's often been said that "it never rains but it pours" and that seems very true the about Linux distro releases in the last two weeks. Fedora 13 has just been released so I couldn't resist doing a review of it. I generally try to stick to two reviews per week but there was…
The last time I looked at SimplyMEPIS was the 8.0 release. In this review I'll be taking a look at the latest version, SimplyMEPIS Linux 8.5. SimplyMEPIS is based on Debian, and it uses KDE as its desktop environment.
I've been reviewing various Ubuntu derivatives and this week I thought it would be fun to take a look at the netbook version of Ubuntu. Ubuntu Netbook Edition used to be called Ubuntu Netbook Remix, but Canonical changed the name once this distro became an official edition of Ubuntu.
Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, a new version of Linux Mint soon follows. This time around it's Linux Mint 9. Linux Mint 9 is based on Ubuntu 10.04. 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…
Woof! Woof! Guess what time it is, folks? It's time for a review of Puppy Linux 5. 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,…
I've covered a lot of remastered versions of Ubuntu since DLR launched. But, every once in a while, I bump into one that is particularly interesting to review. Peppermint OS One is definitely in that category. Peppermint OS One is a web-centric Ubuntu remaster that passes up common desktop applications like OpenOffice.org in favor of…
Last week I did a review of Kubuntu 10.04, one of Canonical's officially supported Ubuntu derivatives. Today's review is about Xubuntu 10.04, an officially recognized but not supported Ubuntu derivative. According to the Xubuntu downloads page, it is based on the "feature-rich core of Ubuntu" Linux. Unlike Ubuntu (which uses GNOME), Xubuntu uses the Xfce…
I first took a look at KahelOS back in October 2009. There's a new release out now so it's time to look at it again. 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…
Last week I looked at Ubuntu Linux 10.04 and found it to be a delightful surprise. This week I thought it would be fun to look at the KDE version, Kubuntu 10.04. Alas, I was not nearly as pleased with Kubuntu as I was with Ubuntu last week. While there have definitely been some improvements…
The open source world has been eagerly anticipating the final release of Ubuntu Linux 10.04, and now it's finally here. Canonical has been working extremely hard and it shows in the quality of this release. To put it bluntly, Lucid Lynx rocks!
Full-featured desktop Linux distributions like PCLinuxOS and Linux Mint are quite useful, but there are times when a smaller and lighter distro can also be desirable. CDlinux is petite mini-distro that can be installed on a USB device or on a Windows C: partition. I thought it might be a nice change of pace to…
Occasionally I get an interesting, off-the-beaten-path suggestion on the Request A Review page. This time around somebody suggested doing a review of OpenSolaris. 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.…
The last time I looked at PCLinuxOS was back in 2009 when I was working full-time for ExtremeTech. There's a new release out and it's a good time for a review of it here on DLR. I've also gotten some requests for it in the Request A Review page and I'm always happy to try…
