A truly in-depth review on Libranet 3 here.
A review on Libranet 3
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
A truly in-depth review on Libranet 3 here.
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Can we have a truly in-depth article summary too?
WOW! that is the longest ‘review’ i have ever seen, leemmee go read it again i dont even remember the first few pages since it was so long ago…
Do the words “consise” and “to the point” mean anything at all to the author? With all due respect, I don’t need a review of what linux is. I would much rather have a brief overview, what makes this distro stand apart from the rest, some screenshots, and a rating. Period. End of story.
always found libranet to be the perfect balance of GUI tools and config files, of holding your hand but not all the time, of nothing flashy and amazing but JUST WORKS! And if you want to edit config files by hand then libranet will be happy to let you without over writing them! very nice distro! great review as well….
love the XP comparison!
was it really that long between releases? doesnt seem likee it. I could of swore it wasn’t that long! of course,I feel old knowing i still run 2.7 on one of my old laptops!
i honestly dont remember 2.8.1 until around the end of 2003, of course that is a stretch but I dont think it is 2 and a half years is it…
i like icewm more than xfce tho….
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=324&slide=4…
Quote: “Do the words “consise” and “to the point” mean anything at all to the author?”
They do. I didn’t want to write a half cocked up, half A4 size review. That was never my intention. I wanted a fully in depth review, something which is sadly missing from most reviews these days, which tell you nothing about the product.
I’ve had a fair number of proof readers reading this for a while now, offering comments, suggestions etc., and only one thought the review was too long. The rest felt it was a positive move that made it a better and more effective review. If you don’t like the length of the review, you’re free to go out and try and write a shorter review on Libranet 3.
You obviously prefer a shorter read, some prefer longer, more in depth reads. Each to their own.
Quote: “I don’t need a review of what linux is.”
No, you don’t, but many others, new to Linux might appreciate it. And it seems, many Linux users don’t particularly know too much about the FSF etc.
Quote: “and a rating”
Ratings are subjective and I don’t like them. I’d rather give the reader information, let them digest it at their own pace, and make their own decisions, than spoon feed them with some sort of rating.
The link to osdir was a mistake on my part – a proof reader had suggested it and I forgot to include it, and i’ll most probably edit the file to include it. Don’t know how I missed that one!
Whilst i’ve written the vast bulk of the review, i’ve had invaluable proof reading, feedback, suggestions and advice from many people within the Libranet community. I’m indebted to all those kind people who helped! Many thanks.
Dave
whew on the front page of distrowatch…WOOHOO
i cant find a release timeline, anyone got a timeline of releases for libranet, i dont think it was 2.5 years from 2.8.1 to 3 more like one and a half…
i just noticed… you said that adminmenu no longer exists in 3? Is that right? only Xadminmenu? no console based tool? I find that hard to believe….seriously?
I don’t think even the most hardest OS geeks could be bothered to read through all that. We’re a simple lot, 3 pages with a couple screen shots and we’re happy.
Nice review Dave
libranet 3 wont ever be number one with them not providing a free version
[quote]
libranet 3 wont ever be number one with them not providing a free version
[/quote]
3 will be free when the next major release is out.
You can presently download 2.8.1 for free if you wish to try. The fact that they (the small development team that is Libranet) wish some income from their efforts is no problem with me, or the many happy users of Libranet 3.0.
If paying for a distro is not your bag, there are lots of other free as in speech and beer distributions that you can try.
I don’t think being #1 on distrowatch is the motivation that libra systems has. I think it is making one of the best and user friendly Linux experiences out there, and paying the bills. Nothing wrong with that.
Quote: “libranet 3 wont ever be number one with them not providing a free version”
Speel, I’ve had this argument with you before on osnews.com and the Libranet user forums. What I said previously still applies.
@ Joe
There was talk about this during beta testing – I should know, I was the one that raised it as a enhancement bug! To replicate all of the functions of the GUI Xadminmenu, would have been next to impossible from a command line console. There was meant to be a cut down adminmenu version that was console based, and only dealt with X configuration (from memory), but there’s no shortcut to it on the Desktop and I haven’t been able to find it 😉 To be honest, almost no one will have a problem with video/monitor setups these days. If in doubt, use the vesa driver which should get pretty much everything running. It doesn’t seem to impact on things to be honest (at least from my and others experiences).
@ holy sh**!
Yeah I know. I had no intentions of writing a short, half assed review. If you’re going to do a job, do it properly. 🙂
@ LibranetUser
Quote: “If paying for a distro is not your bag, there are lots of other free as in speech and beer distributions that you can try.”
Agreed. Strongly agreed. Many people need to read the GPL and grok it properly.
Quote: “I don’t think being #1 on distrowatch is the motivation that libra systems has. I think it is making one of the best and user friendly Linux experiences out there, and paying the bills. Nothing wrong with that.”
Couldn’t have said it better.
Dave
There was meant to be a cut down adminmenu version that was console based, and only dealt with X configuration (from memory), but there’s no shortcut to it on the Desktop and I haven’t been able to find it 😉
There is
. Run adminmenu in the console, and you will be able to configure the X Window System and the console keyboard. If adminmenu is started in an X terminal XAdmimenu will automatically be started.
Daniel,
Many thanks you are 100% correct as usual. I’d previously tried running adminmenu from an xterminal, which just runs Xadminmenu (which was what it was like when i’d tested it as an earlier beta). Just tried it from a virtual console now and it works fine 🙂 I’ll correct my review. I also need to link to the osdir shots (damn I hate it when I think i’ve finished something and I realise that I haven’t).
Dave
Great review, I appreciate the attention to detail and hard work that went into writing this review. I might be long, but that not invoke any kind of sleeping patterns in me!
Thanks!
i was going to say there better still be a adminmenu, it usually has reduced functionality but still has the main things that Xadminmenu does…. whew….
I cannot seem to find a timeline on releases but you mention in the review it has been two and a half years between 2.8.1 and 3.0 and I think that is incorrect! Can you share your source for that info?
I think it has been one and a half possibly as much as ALMOST two but certainly not two and a half! The first time I can remmeber 2.8.1 which is what I use, was around the end of 2003.
Joe,
You’re right, Libranet 2.8.1 seems to have been released on the 21/08/2003. I think my maths news some homework!
My apologies to Libranet for his innaccuracy!
Dave