Linked by Kevin Arvin on Thu 1st Jan 2004 21:29 UTC
The aim of this experimental Linux distribution is to provide to the student population at large an operating system that is easy to install and use and provides an alternative to the traditional commercial operating systems. CollegeLinux is a Slackware derived Linux (2.4.23) distribution on a single CD that weighs in at 600 MB.
Permalink for comment
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Recent Original Stories
Recent Comments
Headlines
Random Comments
Random Stories
Random OS Link
Haven't used CollegeLinux, but I did read this attempt at a review. Here are some questions:
1) The review's opening paragraph is an uncredited lift from the CollegeLinux site, with references to Robert Kennedy College removed. Why aren't readers told that the reviewer is not the source of this statement?
2) What does "pseudo text based install" mean? Is "pseudo text" a euphemism for ncurses?
3) What is "Linux friendly hardware"?
4) The review asserts that some users may be confused by the install's partioning and bootloader sections. Why? Are the install instructions obtuse? In error? Fail to work correctly? Is the user simply told to run fdisk and to set up the bootloader manually? For that matter, why doesn't the review tell us what bootloader CollegeLinux uses?
5) The reviewer asserts the default KDE display is ugly. What kind of monitor did he use? Video card? Resolution? What is the default display font used for KDE? Is anti-aliasing on by default? What version of XFree86?
6) What measurements did the reviewer take to substantiate his assertions about the speed of CollegeLinux? He says it's speed is similar to other "distributions I've seen". Is he assuming readers are telepahthic and know which distributions he has "seen"? Subjective claims about speed and performance are pointless without any information about hardware and configuration. In particular, statements about window resizing problems can be dismissed as long as the reader is not told the type of video card in the reviewer's machine. (And, exactly what OS X resizing "problem" is the review referring to?)
7. The review says the CollegeLinux "experience" is not as good as XP or OS X, but then adds that it is "much better than in the past". Better than what? Older versions of Windows or Mac OS? Older versions of CollegeLinux? How? Why?
8. Finally, since CollegeLinux is based on Slackware, it would seem appropriate to compare it with Slackware, and to another Slackware-derived distribution, VectorLinux. Is the install based on Slackware's, or is it specific to CollegeLinux? Are the Slackware packaging tools present? Since Gnome is not in the distribution, can Slackware's or Dropline's Gnome be installed?