MandrakeSoft, the maker of the popular Mandrake Linux distribution, today announced the release of MandrakeMove, a complete Linux desktop system that runs “on the fly” from a single bootable CD. MandrakeMove is a new product designed for the PC platform that requires no installation process and uses a USB key to save personal data. Pricing starts at $19.90.
Mandrake Move Released
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Eugenia Loli
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Doesn’t seem to require much brains, if you ask me, except for asking 20 USD for it, of course…
I don’t understand how using a USB key is cleaver or having a bootable CD based off a system that really isn’t useful anyways. I am not saying that Linux isn’t useful, I am saying that Mandrake isn’t useful, it is just a poorly put together clone of Red Hat.
I think Mandrake really needs to re-think it’s product structure like Red Hat just did.
I used Knoppix and PCLinuxOS bootable disks, and I thought that the latter was far more user friendly. These distros are wonderful for showing people Linux without having to wipe a hard drive.
Anyone who argues that doing this is just part of a pack mentality would logically have to say the same about every other distro that releases iso images. Why don’t those people do something original?
Mandrake has not been a copy of RedHat for many years now…
(not the same nick)
Have you used Mdk at all in, oh, say the past 4 years now? It pretty much has lost all similarty to Red Hat besides the fact that its RPM based. They have there own kernel version, there own unified desktop theme, etc, etc.
Try looking at, and using a product before talking about. And also not that I’m not saying anything bad about Red Hat, but just pointing out that Mdk is not a clone.
i mean there a more bootable cd distro’s than i can remember (gentoo, knoppix, gnoppix, morphix,…) that are all available for free.
I have nothing against supporting your distro and stuff, but i don’t see how people will pay for something that they won’t really “use” (popping it in to show of for an hour isn’t using). Mandrake already had a hard time getting their regular boxes sold and i think this will prove to be a stupid move. They’ll have to ship their stuff all over the world and noone will buy it, tragic
with the increase in speed and gb, full install on usb flash
drive is the way to go.
storing settings and personal files on something smaller than a cd makes sense.
flash drive use without reboot using loadlin.exe is the next feature needed to make linux get desktop space.
consider if wal-mart sold usb 2.0 flash drives with mandrake 9.2 installed on them and it did not need a reboot.
any person could run mandrake linux on any machine with usb.
mandrake works well and the mandrake users forum is a good place to get help.
I understand the direction Mandrake is going. There are several CD based distros for Linux. However, this is great for those who like Mandrake. For those who are like the other CD based distros, that great for them. But remember, Linux is about choice. So I welcome the Mandrake’s addition.
The only problem I see with The CD + usb key combo is you have to carry both. I would love to see a Mandrake distro that fit on a usb key, with room left over for saving personal data.
I am not saying that Linux isn’t useful, I am saying that Mandrake isn’t useful, it is just a poorly put together clone of Red Hat.
Gota love Linux. Use Windows – and Linux Zealots trash talk you until you switch to Linux. Use Mandrake – and Linux Zealots trash talk you for your distro choice. Use Debian – and Linux Zealots trash talk you for your Desktop Manager choice. Use Black Box – and Linuz Zealots trash talk you for your choice of command shells. Use sh – and Linux Zealts trash talk you for your choice of boot time managers.
“i mean there a more bootable cd distro’s than i can remember (gentoo, knoppix, gnoppix, morphix,…) that are all available for free.”
Oh, and these have some kind of easy write support like that USB key? If yes, is it easily implemented?
The problem with live cd’s _for some people_ is that they’re read only. Now if you have some kind of write support, which is fast, then you can have a running r/w system with a live cd and + USB + memory card. This solution meets the requirements and if people can do that writing easily it will be a killer to some. Therefore i find this a genius solution be it original or not.
If you have these 2 tools with you, you can always run Linux somewhere which has a CDROM drive and USB.
r/w as in the settings are saved. Ofcourse installing news apps is no go, which is unfortunate. Btw, that has some kind of neat advantage in some situations. What if one gets his/her work settings to home and then continue to use these at home for some kind of purpose? Just an example, there are more.
… will my digital camera with 256MB secure digital memory work using a USB connection?
Its early days yet but this is how i beleive all operating systems should work. The OS code should be on a non-writeable medium and the user data kept seperate on a removable medium.
Imagine the day when you can go to any computer in the world and plug in your personal storage device and have all your data ,applications and settings appear.
The whole design of operating systems and file systems is wrong currently in my opinion. User data should not be mixed up with the files of the operating system. This way just seems logical to me. Maybe i have too many fond memories of my Amstrad CPC464 and Commodore 64 days when the operating system was burnt into ROM.
“User data should not be mixed up with the files of the operating system.”
That’s already the way linux distros are designed. You need the root password to edit anything outsode of your home dir, so the OS IS read only.
It’s as if users could treat their PC like a Playstation. Pop in the disk and start up. Save your stuff on a memory card.
Mandrake could sell subscriptions to get the latest patched up disk mailed to the customer every month. Great for dialup users and those that don’t like dealing with installing and updating software.
A couple of questions though. How long do these type of distros take to boot? And how often do they keep the CD spinning (quite an annoying sound to have to put up with constantly IMHO)?
I know MEPIS linux, at the very least, supports a USB-based /home/, very probably other live distros such as Morphix do or will do…
I know how UNIX permissions work. Im saying the user data should be on a physically seperate medium. Keeping user data seperate also makes it easier for backups. For a start if your house burns down while your out and you have your user data medium in your pocket you dont lose your data. Secondly the user knows exactly where his/her data is and doesnt have to worry about wading thro operating system files in search of it. (yes i know UNIX has a home directory for every user and windows generally has a similar but more complex and useless arrangement).There can also be a facility where the user clicks on the “back up my data” button,inserts an empty medium and it all gets backed up to another device.
This is all theory mind you. Im not talking technical details. This is just how i think computers and operating systems should be designed.
<snip>Gota love Linux. Use Windows – and Linux Zealots trash talk you until you switch to Linux. Use Mandrake – and Linux Zealots trash talk you for your distro choice. Use Debian – and Linux Zealots trash talk you for your Desktop Manager choice. Use Black Box – and Linuz Zealots trash talk you for your choice of command shells. Use sh – and Linux Zealts trash talk you for your choice of boot time managers.</snip>
Okay, be a Linux Zealot and get trashed because some idiot associates ALL Linux Zealots with a select, grumpy few. Real nice. It’s good to know people actually think about the larger picture before they post. For your information, I think as long as a person is using _something_ it’s ok! Windows is fine, in my opinion! Mandrake is fine! Redhat is fine! Longhorn will be fine! Windows 3.1 is, well, ancient.. but still fine. Why do I have to be associated with what you consider to be trash just because I approve of Linux?
Why do I have to be associated with what you consider to be trash just because I approve of Linux?
Based on the rest of your comments, you don’t sound like a Linux Zealot to me. So you’re not associated.
“Oh, and these have some kind of easy write support like that USB key? If yes, is it easily implemented?”
You see, this is why I asked how copying an already existent idea is clever — This had long been implemented by Knoppix, this is no “clever” Mandrake-invention. As others have pointed out, why pay for this such an outrageous price where Knoppix is free?
“As others have pointed out, why pay for this such an outrageous price where Knoppix is free?”
I guess compared to free, $19 is “outrageous” but the beauty is, you don’t have to pay it if Knoppix is free…(and you want Knoppix.)
Using a USB flash drive for an full install would only be a really good idea if you were gonna mount it read-only all the time. Flash memory has a limited amount of write cycles. (I have exceeded that at work trying to get a benchmark of speed for 3 minutes).
For a home directory, like Mandrake is doing, this is a good idea, however.
i used knoppix for HOURS in the last week to play games at work. kSokoban rules, ktangent rules, and err…whatever else i was playing. Surfed the net, stored my config to a floppy. etc etc
<snip>Based on the rest of your comments, you don’t sound like a Linux Zealot to me. So you’re not associated.</snip>
You proved my point. I am, by definition, a Linux zealot, as well as a Windows user. Big shocker, eh? I am someone who is actually diverse. Please refrain from associating me with what you see fits, thankyou.