Desktop Linux Reviews

Linux Mint 12 MATE

Jim Lynch — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:53:30 +0000

The recent release of Linux Mint 12 has gotten quite a bit of attention. Most reviews of Linux Mint 12 have focused mainly on the GNOME 3 desktop (as pointed out in the comments of my Linux Mint 12 GNOME 3 review by reader liquidkermit). But there's another desktop environment included in Linux Mint 12 called MATE.

Linux Mint 12 GNOME 3

Jim Lynch — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:21:42 +0000

The moment so many have waited for is finally here. Linux Mint 12 has been released! This update to Linux Mint has had many people on edge since it marks the move from the older version of GNOME to GNOME 3.2. GNOME 3.2, as you might already know, has had many detractors. Linux Mint users have wondered how on earth such a popular distribution would make a transition to such a reviled and hated desktop interface.

openSUSE 12.1 KDE

Jim Lynch — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:58:52 +0000

openSUSE is one of the most popular desktop distros available. This time around it's version 12.1 that has been released. If you aren't familiar with openSUSE then you should know that it comes in KDE, GNOME, Xfce and LXDE versions. For this review I've picked the KDE version of openSUSE 12.1. I may do a quick look at the GNOME version on Eye On Linux later though.

Ubuntu 11.10

Jim Lynch — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:34:27 +0000

Yet another Ubuntu release is upon us. This time around it's Oneiric Ocelot (Ubuntu 11.10). Canonical, as you may already know, tends to name its release after various kinds of animals. The ocelot is a dwarf leopard that dwells in South and Central America and Mexico. The other part of the name is the word "oneiric" which essentially means "relating to dreams" according to the Merrian-Webster dictionary.

Kubuntu 11.10

Jim Lynch — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:08:39 +0000

The release of Ubuntu 11.10 also means that all of the related spins have also been updated, including Kubuntu 11.10. Many people have expressed dissatisfaction with Ubuntu after Canonical added Unity to it. Kubuntu has often been mentioned as a possible replacement for Ubuntu for users who dislike Unity and want to move to another environment. Does Kubuntu 11.10 work well as a replacement for Ubuntu 11.10? We'll find out in this review.

Mageia 1

Jim Lynch — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:19:28 +0000

Mandriva had been around a long time and is a popular desktop distribution. I was intrigued to find that Mandriva now has a fork called Mageia. The first release of Mageia came out recently and I finally found some time to sit down and give it a go. Mageia was created by former Mandriva contributors. For more background, be sure to read the original announcement about Mageia.

Sabayon 6

Jim Lynch — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 22:00:05 +0000

The last time I looked at Sabayon Linux it was up to version 5, this time around it's version 6. Sabayon Linux is based on Gentoo and, as you may already know, Gentoo has not always been considered the easiest version of desktop Linux for non-technical users to install and use. Sabayon Linux does a pretty good job of making Gentoo available to those who simply want to install and use Gentoo without having to roll their own or otherwise deal with Gentoo's potential headaches.

Fedora 15 KDE

Jim Lynch — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:04:54 +0000

Fedora 15 was recently released and I decided to snag a copy to review. Since there are a billion reviews already of the default desktop version with GNOME 3, I'll be covering the KDE version in this review (though I may circle back to the GNOME version at some point for a review). As I noted in my column "The Many Faces of Fedora," there are quite a lot of Fedora spins now available. You can get spins that focus on gaming, design, security or that use different desktops (such as LXDE, KDE, Xfce or GNOME).

Peppermint OS Two

Jim Lynch — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:19:45 +0000

There's been quite a lot of talk about "the cloud" lately so what better time to do a review of one of the best cloud-oriented desktop Linux distributions? Peppermint OS One came out a while ago and its successor has just been released. Peppermint OS Two is based on Lubuntu 11.04 and, for the first time, comes in a 64-bit edition. Lubuntu is a good choice as a base for Peppermint OS Two since it runs well on older or slower hardware.

Xubuntu 11.04

Jim Lynch — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:22:47 +0000

In one of my last reviews I covered Linux Mint 201104 Xfce, a distribution featuring the Xfce desktop environment that is based on Debian Testing. Linux Mint 201104 is a rolling release distro. Rolling release distros are great for some folks but not so great for others. In this review I cover Xubuntu 11.04, an Ubuntu derivative that also features the Xfce environment. Xubuntu 11.04 is not a rolling release distro though; it follows the same release pattern as Ubuntu and the rest of its official derivatives.

Linux Mint 11 (Katya)

Jim Lynch — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:12:09 +0000

Each time a new version of Ubuntu is released, a new version of Linux Mint quickly follows. Linux Mint 11 has just been released and it's probably the best version of Linux Mint ever. If you aren't familiar with Linux Mint then you've missed out on what is arguably one of the best desktop Linux distros available. Linux Mint 11 is based on Ubuntu 11.04 but it takes that distro to a whole new level, as you'll see in this review.

Linux Mint 201104 Xfce

Jim Lynch — Fri, 20 May 2011 12:41:46 +0000

Linux Mint Debian Edition has proven to be a popular release for the Linux Mint developers. It's certainly at the top of my list of favorite distros. Linux Mint Debian edition uses the GNOME desktop and, as good as it is, it's just not right for some folks (especially those on older or slower computers). Enter Linux Mint 201104 Xfce version. Now you can get the benefits of a rolling Debian distro and the virtues of the lightweight Xfce desktop environment. Linux Mint Xfce runs on top of a Debian Testing base and makes use of the same repositories as regular Linux Mint Debian Edition.

Lubuntu 11.04

Jim Lynch — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:26:01 +0000

In my last review I considered Kubuntu 11.04 as an alternative to Ubuntu for disgruntled Ubuntu users. But there's another Ubuntu derivative that should be taken into consideration as well: Lubuntu 11.04. Lubuntu uses the LXDE desktop environment, a much simpler and faster alternative to Unity, GNOME and KDE. Lubuntu also users PCmanfm as its file manager, and comes with Chromium as its default browser. Openbox is Lubuntu's window manager. Until now Lubuntu has been considered an "unofficial" Ubuntu derivative but that's about to change with the eventual release of Lubuntu 11.10.

Kubuntu 11.04

Jim Lynch — Tue, 10 May 2011 17:50:37 +0000

The release of Ubuntu 11.04 has garnered an enormous amount of attention, mostly due to the inclusion of Unity as its default desktop environment. But, as with any new version of Ubuntu, there are alternatives available and one of the most prominent is Kubuntu. Kubuntu 11.04 is a KDE-based distro that might work well as a substitute for those who are uncomfortable with Ubuntu's Unity.

Ubuntu 11.04

Jim Lynch — Mon, 02 May 2011 00:05:37 +0000

Ubuntu's latest release (code named Natty Narwhal) is finally out and I grabbed a copy of it to check it out. Canonical has gotten some flack for this release since it uses Unity as the default desktop instead of the usual GNOME interface. Some users seem to love it and others have vowed to switch away from Ubuntu and find some other distribution as their main desktop Linux. Only time will tell if Unity brings in more Ubuntu users than it drives away. The jury is still out on that one and will be for quite some time, but I shared some of my thoughts a while back in a column on EOL called "Unity: Ubuntu's Descent Into Madness!"

Bodhi 1.0

Jim Lynch — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:16:26 +0000

Ubuntu has many different derivative distros and now there's a new one called Bodhi Linux. Bodhi derives from the Buddhist term for enlightenment and, not surprisingly, it uses the Enlightenment desktop environment. The leaf logo used throughout this distribution takes meaning from its name since the word "bohdi" also denotes a sacred tree in Buddhism.

Fusion 14 Thorium

Jim Lynch — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:33:41 +0000

Fedora is one of the best known desktop Linux distros but there aren't a whole lot of derivative distros based on it. Fusion 14 is a new distro that uses Fedora 14 as its base. Don't be fooled though, Fusion is not your father's Fedora at all. There's more to it than meet's the eye and it stands a pretty good chance of replacing generic Fedora for users who like the Fedora base but who prefer to have some value-added features that take it to another level.

Zorin OS 4

Jim Lynch — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:43:24 +0000

Many people coming from Windows try Ubuntu Linux as their first Linux distribution. But Ubuntu itself, while very good, may not always be the best choice. There are many Ubuntu derivatives and it's possible that one of those can sometimes be a better bet for those seeking to ease their way into a comfortable Linux niche. Zorin OS is an Ubuntu derivative designed to help make the transition from Windows to Linux as easy as possible.

Frugalware 1.4 Nexon

Jim Lynch — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:08:31 +0000

I've gotten a fair number of requests to look at Frugalware in the past so I decided to take a peek at Frugalware 1.4 (Nexon). Frugalware has always had a reputation for not being very accessible to newer Linux users or those who simply wanted an easy to use desktop version of Linux. This release goes at least partway to making this distro accessible to more users, but more work definitely needs to be done on the Frugalware installer (more on that later).

Debian 6 Squeeze

Jim Lynch — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 00:12:24 +0000

It wasn't too long ago that I did a very late review of Debian 5. I'm happy to say that it didn't take me nearly as long to get around to the latest release, Debian 6 Squeeze. If you aren't familiar with Debian then this release is a great chance to learn about a distro that is the foundation for a lot of other distributions including Ubuntu, Linux Mint and others.

Pardus 2011

Jim Lynch — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 23:01:33 +0000

It's been a while since I last took a look at Pardus and much has changed since then. The distro has been upgraded to Pardus 2011. Pardus is a KDE distribution created in Turkey by the National Research Institute of Electronics and Cryptology (UEKAE). The word "pardus" is actually derived from the Latin name for a leopard that lives in Turkey. This is why you'll see leopard/kitty graphics in the distribution at times.

MoonOS 4 Neake

Jim Lynch — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:46:32 +0000

It's been quite a while since I last looked at MoonOS. MoonOS is another Ubuntu-based derivative. The last review covered version 3.0, this time around it's MoonOS 4.0. MoonOS is a bit off the beaten track in terms of Linux distros, but it might be worth looking at if you are a fan of Ubuntu-based distributions.

Fedora 14 KDE

Jim Lynch — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:21:06 +0000

In my last look at Fedora 14, I covered the GNOME version. Fedora comes in other flavors though, including a KDE version. Since there are many KDE users out there, I thought it wise to cover the KDE release.

Linux Mint 10

Jim Lynch — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:15:21 +0000

Whenever a new version of Ubuntu is released, you can be sure a new version of Linux Mint will soon follow. This time around it's Linux Mint 10. Linux Mint, as you may already know, is one of the most popular Ubuntu remasters. It's known for its excellent tools, great selection of software and bundled multimedia codecs.

Debian 5

Jim Lynch — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:39:22 +0000

I've written a lot of reviews of distros based on Debian, but never a review of Debian itself. So this time around I decided to look at Debian 5 (Lenny). Debian, if you aren't familiar with it, is the rock upon which popular distributions like Ubuntu and MEPIS are built on. Sometimes folks who use a Debian-based distribution aren't even aware of what it is based on, and that's a shame because Debian itself has so much to offer.