The Ark Linux team has announced the immediate availability of Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 11, a new version of its easy to use, easy to learn desktop operating system.Highlights of this new release include:
– KDE (the graphical user interface) has been updated to 3.2.1, introducing many changes and usability improvements, in particular to the mail program.
– 3D acceleration support for the VIA CLE266 graphics chipset has been added
– The recently released 2.6.x series Linux kernels will now work without needing any other changes to the system
– kynaptic replaces synaptic as the package manager. Kynaptic is leaner, easier to use, and more consistent with the look and feel of the rest of the system
– GTK based applications now use the normal (Qt) widget style so they share the look of the other applications.
– System security has been improved
– Support for nForce 2/nForce 3 onboard sound chips has been added.
– The “Wine” Windows(tm) emulator has been updated to the current version, and integrated better with the system. Just clicking on a .exe file will launch it; inserting a CD-Autorun capable Windows CD will launch the installer.
– The kmymoney2 finance manager has been added
– Many bugfixes and speedups
Can partitions be changed during install? Or does it still take over the whole hard drive? This is the one thing that has kept me from trying this good-looking, nice-featured distro…
You can’t do any partitioning on your own
I just tried it. Unfortunatley I didn’t think before hitting the install button, so Ark messed up my Libranet install. It was the last time I tried Ark.
Ok, I understand that this dist is focused on ease of use, but one should _really_ have the opportunity to choose partitions atleast.
I got so pissed that I didn’t even bothered to boot it up after the installation. Sorry Ark, but you are not for me
-Vecc
I have an NF7-S with 2 SATA hard drives and a regular PATA drive. Ark sees the PATA just fine, but the SATA drives are invisible.
Maybe next time.
Well, the trick is to leave some unpartitioned space.
But even so the installer has some serious shortcomings.
Recently it has not been able to write Grub to my MBR, so for me it is useless.
What I find also funny is that the installer won’t see existing swap, it will create its own.
They have realized the problems with the installer and they are rebuilding it from scrath. They plan to allow a fully customisible advanced install to go parallel with the easy installer. The installer is one of things that keeps them from 1.0. When it hits it give it another try, after-all consider the quality considering it is still a beta!
Well, I am somebody who had put great hopes in Ark Linux and got disappointed. Until alpha 8 (how long ago is that?) it was really nice, but then it began to go downhill.
If they had modified Anaconda, as Jim Luchas did, by now the could have released.
But anyway, let’s hope that they can solve the isue soon.
I am at home on dialup at the moment so I can’t try the newest Ark out, but I must admit that I was highly impressed with what I saw in this distro.
Not for now, you understand, but by the time it finally goes gold (still got to get through beta & RC first though…) it should be excellent. You have to remember there’s an honest labelling system, and it is Alpha software. (no ‘community’ or ‘project’ conduit metaphors.)
By paring down to a default KDE-based installation, as they have, things should be easy to maintain and update. The Mission Control is great, as well.
Additionally, I like the fact that helvetica is on the distro (maybe via the additional CD?). A nice clear font to work in: if only I could find it for other distros (chiefly fedora).
Don’t dismiss this distro: it’s at a stage where it needs the Linux-savvy people to pull it to pieces, bug report, and try to put it back together again.
i have been playing around with pre10. Other than that, I use SUSE, MDK & FC1, depending on the circumstances.
>> Well, the trick is to leave some unpartitioned space.
I know, but this strategy messes up partition numbers and stuff
I might just go ahead and d/l it, because I am getting a new hard drive soon; maybe I can install it, then arj it up and restore it to where I really want it…
OK, off to download now
Fortunately the number of people who have problems with the installer it is very small. Still the installer is on top of the todo-list.
One way to install it would be to create some unused, raw space at the end of the hard drive and let the installer pick it up. Choose “Express Install” and the installer will use all unpartitioned space available.
If there are any problems please come to the channel ‘arklinux’ on irc.freenode.net.
Btw, this is a free distribution and everyone is welcome to help with the installer.
I just like to point out ArkLinux developers are among the nicest people out there. They always strive to make Linux easier to use. Yes, i know the installer issue but hey it’s a volunteer project. The developers still need to make a living beside contributing to AL. I did try to participate i18n part for the installer but back then one had to be pretty much on his/her own to figure out how to do it wih Qt GUI and I don’t think the code was easy enough so that one could just add another LANG without scratching head much. It’s probably in better status now, I hope.
Keep up the good work guys!
My only worry is that this will never get to 1.0 aince it will be always beplaying catch-up. I think that once it hits 1.0 it rise massively, I think the majourity of people are still waiting of the “ok, clear” before going ahead with this. Once it hits 1.0 I predict a massive influx of users and along with them developers. I could see this being on the majour players, about as large as Lindows or Lycoris (they are majour players in their niche, obvioulsy not in the techie core slackware user base). A secondary problem could be that with such a entry-user user-friendly distro will they be able to attract enough people willing to develop? Or will people start on Ark and them move on afterwards?
I downloaded ark the other week, and was about to stick it onto a pc that has win xp on the primary partition, I have a small 7gb partition on this machine to trial out linux distros. At the minute it has Morphix Gnome edition on it, (very nice once installed and upgraded with debians tools).
However, Enemy Territory, and 300mb of maps for the game, Medal of Honour and Spearhead are installed on the XP partition, so when Ark said it was going to overwrite the partition, I stopped the install.
I never thought of deleting the linux partitions before I started, and I am too lazy to read most websites for hints/tips, but I think I will give Ark a try when I get home from work. I mean, I must have liked the description of Ark or I would not have downloaded it in the first place.
That all these mini distros no one really uses and that just does same thing as all other Linuxes do would be skipped as news items?