“This is my review of Libranet 2.8.1, a Debian based GNU/Linux distribution. This was my first experience with Libranet, but I was impressed with what I saw. Read on for the details of my review, which will follow the same framework as my earlier reviews.” Read the review at Linux-Universe.com.
Libranet – GNU/Linux Bliss
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
It’s a dead link.
I can’t see why anyone would say that using this version of Linux was bliss. My install crashed twice in the first five minutes, then when it did install, it booted about twice before panicking during boot-up. It also requires the kernel to be recompiled before it will support my DSL modem, which is a standard in Europe (the Alcatel Speedtouch). I wasn’t willing to spend ages waiting for this, so I just reinstalled SuSE. Also I think the price is extremely high given that you do not get any documentation with it (it is more expensive than SuSE personal, unless you are a student, and you get a manual with that); all you are paying for is the installer. Maybe some day Libranet will put together a distro that justifies the relatively high price tag, but this release certainly doesn’t. (By the way, my PC is a Compaq Deskpro P3, if that is relevant.)
It worked for me just a few minutes ago, but was slow. Maybe slashdot is aware of the article too 😉
Feel free to delete my post as off-topic once the link comes back up.
I have been using Libranet since 2.0 and wouldn’t use anything else. All the beauty of apt-get and an easy installer with up to date software. Well worth the price.
Matthew: If you don’t want to pay the high price you could always download the free 2.7 version, install, and apt-get. Its what I did and I was happy with it though I’m still hoping around seeing what else is out there.
As a newbie, I started with Libranet 2.0 (free version), never had any problems, installing or otherwise, in those days I used a Cisco router/modem 672 which is standard in Latin America, and today I use a Zixel Prestige 600 series for my ADSL, no problems at all, Libranet asks if i use DHCP (yes) and boom! I’m in like Flynn.
Because I use a PII 266 I choose a minimal install, it comes with IceWM, go back to the software CD and choose only what I want.
Libranet IS Debian, point your souces list to Sid and you are flying with the eagles, just yesterday I got XFCE4 from a backport. No problems!
If I want to recompile my kernel, add TTF, reconfigure my XF86, keyboard, monitor, whatever, I’m 1-2 clicks away, what? you abhorr this and feel geecky?, fire your xterm just like in any other version of Debian. You don’t want to pay for the Libranet updates? Download version 2.7 and apt-get all you want!
BTW, I use a no-name clone built by my weed-smoking nephew 5 years ago.
Salud,
Luigi
I tried libranet out as a way of trying debian (the debian installer would like my video card no matter what). I tried to update the sources and then apt-get dist-upgrade but it didn’t work. I was a little let down but after looking around a bit I found I could do a minimal install and then it would allow easy upgrade to sid. I am now a happy debian user and while I would like to get the latest and greatest packages a little sooner, I really can’t complain. Adminmenu is also really great for the kernel recompile. It puts together a very good config file (make menuconfig) which can be used for other kernel compiles. I always hate compiling a kernel and then realizing I forgot something stupid like my sound card and having to do it all again. Kudos to Libranet and their great distro. You get my money as soon as I get some myself
In short: my favourite distro!
I installed it and apt-get my way to Sid and Gnome 2.4 from an unofficial repository. It rocks. The only thing left from Libranet is the Adminmenu, otherwise it’s pure Debian.
The Adminmenu is bliss for recompiling a kernel. So easy.
I have tried: SuSE (5.1, 5.2, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and Redahat (everything since 5.0, Mandrakes 7,8,9. Gentoo, Ark, arch and many more. But nothing compares to Libranet. “Way to go girl”
))
There have been so many Libranet reviews that this article doesn’t actually offer anything new. It would be nice to read, for a change, an article where the reviewer would compare Debian, some Debian-based non-commercial easy-to-install distros (Knoppix, Gnoppix, Morphix, MEPIS, etc.), and Libranet. The comparison should cover at least installation, system configuration, and software updating. This kind of article would give readers some concrete information of what they are paying for when buying Libranet and whether Libranet is really worth its price.
>> Being based on Debian, it should be easy to maintain going forward, as well
It should be easy ??? It SHOULD, or is IS easy to mantain ???
If I use Libranet for a server, and I want to upgrade to stable, can I ???
And with the same Libranet, I can install a desktop, and upgrade to unstable ???
Sure ??? Are you sure Libranet is a so magic distribution ???
Or, more simply, you have never tested Libranet in the real day by day use, and you write without knowing what you are writing about ???
Libranet IS easy to upgrade to Sid, whether from 2.7
or 2.8.1. You need to edit the Apt sources file,
changing each instance of “sarge” to “sid,” and each
instance of “testing” to “unstable.” Depending on how
much you installed to begin with, such an upgrade may
take a while.
Libranet is largely based on Debian Sarge,
with the exception of some of the Desktop
environments, most notably KDE. Version 2.7 was
largely based on Woody. I suspect the Libranet folks
changed to Sarge because it is scheduled to became
the next stable version of Debian by the end of the
year.
One final comment. If you upgrade version 2.7 to Sid, and use any KDE applications, Libranet’s Adminmenu will be removed. An updated Adminmenu, and better XFree86 installation make version 2.8.1 a good upgrade.
Yes you can upgrade to stable if you like, thats the beauty of apt-get. Even as Sarge it’s still damn stable. I use it everyday day on a production terminal server with a half a dozen X terminals hanging off it and a web site runnin on it.
If I installed the free version and upgraded using apt-get (which I’ve never used), would I end up with anti-aliased fonts, a recent KDE and XFree86 4?
Cheers
Are there any other differences between Debian and Libranet, apart from the installer and the Adminmenu? For example, do they use different kernels by default?
Victor.
One final comment. If you upgrade version 2.7 to Sid, and use any KDE applications, Libranet’s Adminmenu will be removed. An updated Adminmenu, and better XFree86 installation make version 2.8.1 a good upgrade.
Why is that? What does using KDE have to do with anything?
Victor.
Checking the Libranet page i’ve noticed that there are other differences between Debian and Libranet… such as:
– GRUB as the default loader
– kernel 2.4.19
I don’t like this :/ I love Debian the way it is, apart from the installer.
Victor.
“It also requires the kernel to be recompiled before it will support my DSL modem, which is a standard in Europe (the Alcatel Speedtouch). ”
Absolute rubbish I have the same modem and your full of it!
I just tried the Libranet 2.8.1 distro this week, and it’s OK.
The good:
-it installed! It’s only the second distro (of thirteen that I’ve tried) to successfully install on my Compaq Armada laptop, and it installed with zero no problem. Very nice. Also, apt-get is great for finding those packages left off the CDs.
-Hardware detection on my laptop went flawlessly, which is quite the feat for any Linux. Every piece of hardware is listed as ‘supported’ (on linux-laptop.net) but only Mandrake 8.0 (not 8.1, 8.2 or 9) has previously detected everything reliably. Compaq Armada, M300.
-good choice of window managers. Maybe too many.
-Clean logon screen, looks professional. Very unlike Mandrake Fisher Price edition.
-plentiful choice of updated programs.
-Xfree didn’t crash! I count this a minor miracle after working with Mandrake.
The bad:
-rotten partition management. Useless. I don’t know why it even exists, in its current state: I couldn’t resize my Windows partitions, despite plenty of free space on both.
-like most distros, Libranet prevents me from leaving my password field blank, resulting in password harrassment on my laptop every time I use it. I don’t give a crap about ‘security,’ since this is a one-user machine. I care about convenience.
-Libranet installs a cluttered mess of about 4500 menu items to bewilder the unwary user, sporting an unintuitive layout lacking any coherence whatsoever. There are no less than three system configuration menus or programs under the GNOME menu alone. If you hate clicking through 4 buried levels to get to a favourite application, you will not enjoy this ridiculous feature.
-start menu does NOT support drag and drop! You can’t rearrange the endlessly-expanding start menu easily, but rather have to find a buried config app to do that job. For the keener, there are menu layout files hidden somewhere that are almost as convenient.
-Fluxbox, IceWM, GNOME and KDE lack responsiveness. I didn’t try Enlightenment.
-Apps are slow and sloppy compared with Win2K counterparts; crank up Mozilla, OpenOffice, AbiWord or anything you like and go make a coffee while you wait. IceWM might be ‘fast and light’ for Linux Universe, but it sucked on my P3-600. I cut off all unnecessary daemons to no avail. Performance is still par for the Linux course, however.
-Samba wasn’t installed, so I apt-got it and still couldn’t access my Windows network shares. Couldn’t get those ‘dynamic previews’ working; a friend thinks I should have mounted the Windows shares on my local disk, but it could be any number of other problems too. I didn’t have time to piddle around, so I nuked Libranet. I think that Linux Universe reviewer was extremely generous in giving 2.8.1 such high marks. It’s OK, nothing more.
Well I’ve just recently tried Libranet 2.7 and it was far from bliss (and I also tried Debian (Woody)) and my feel is: if you need a solid, easy working linux environment and you need it to setup fast, then save your time and don’t start with those two…
“just tried the Libranet 2.8.1 distro this week, and it’s OK.”
Are you for real? JUST tried? As we say in Sweden: “Stick Ã¥ brinn” :/
tm@ynot:~$ uptime
08:11:10 up 141 days, 1:51, 4 users, load average: 0.07, 0.02, 0.00
tm@ynot:~$
Libranet owns me o/
-Vecc
Joel: If you don’t believe me about the Alcatel modem, see their support page! It gives two ways of using it, only one of which works with 2.8.1, and BOTH WAYS you have to recompile the kernel!
Also ‘me too’ about EFF’s comments about Libranet’s menu layout. My first distro (apart from Slackware 2.something in 1996 or 7) was SuSE 8.1, and with that I never had the slightest problem getting into my Windows partition! It told me where it was at startup. With Libranet you have to use this funny ‘xvmount’ program which does not work properly.
“If I installed the free version and upgraded using apt-get (which I’ve never used), would I end up with anti-aliased fonts, a recent KDE and XFree86 4?”
Provided that you upgrade to Sid/Unstable as opposed to Sarge/Testing, yes.
Be sure to install apt-listbugs from Unstable before dist-upgrading, though, as that will warn you if you’re about to install a package with a critical bug filed against it. Then you can inspect the bug report more closely to see whether or not it applies to you (it might only be a problem on SPARC, etc). It’s unlikely you’ll encounter any problems, but better to be safe than sorry.
I looked at Libranet (2.7) as a way to get a desktop Debian system. The installer failed twice on two different systems that use an nforce2 board with integrated video. The base system installed, but X would never start no matter how I tried to configure the settings. The “nv” driver works with these boards and many other distributions work fine.
I tried the knoppix-installer to do a hard drive install using Knoppix v3.3 and it worked without a hitch on both systems. I agree with previous posts that you are mainly paying for the installer and adminmenu when you buy Libranet. However, I’ve found that Knoppix installer works better and I can use the tools available from Debian packages to do everything I need on a daily basis. Since installing, I have upgraded to Debian testing/unstable. With apt-get, it is my hope to never install another distribution again.
To Matthew Smith:
Libranet 2.8.1 asks during installation if you want to mount
your Windows share. If you answer “yes,” the install program
creates a directory called “Windows,” and creates an fstab
entry to accomplish the mounting. This aspect of Libranet was
also states clearly in the article.
Is there an “optimized” Debian Gnome distro? Meaning something like Libranet but only with Gnome?
>Is there an “optimized” Debian Gnome distro? Meaning
>something like Libranet but only with Gnome?
You might like to take a look at the Gnoppix project.