“Installing a new operating system is, ideally, like falling in love. There’s this great excitement that you just can’t seem to get over, and the urge to know all about the object of your affections in the least possible time. And I’ve fallen in love with Lycoris’s Desktop/LX Linux distro.” Read the rest of the article here.
My workstation OS: Lycoris Desktop/LX
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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I actually had my tech students install Lycoris/Red Hat and Slackware to show how installs can very. This way incase you have one bad experiance with one flavor you have another choice. Though I found Lycoris to a great idea, many things were broken (this was back in the early stage of things, Amethiyst wasn’t out). I think its easy for someone that doesn’t even have much Windows knowledge to use. I as a “power user” really don’t care for it though as its geared toward people that don’t dev and what have you.
I was GOING to read this article until I read the first line…
“Installing a new operating system is, ideally, like falling in love”
Haha nerds these days…
(okay… i still read it…
)
Kevin: You should be careful. I think it is very unethical to make fun of someone’s love affairs.
As much as I don’t care for Lycoris, they are doing a great job of bringing new users to Linux and for that I commend them.
Keep up the good work.
Not sure about comparing the installation of an OS is like falling in love. These days, installing linux is (much) more predictable than falling in love….
Tried Lycoris earlier this year. Very slick & impressive at first, possibly too slick for my taste. I prefer more challenging “uncut diamonds” like slackware. Please, put those flamethrowers away – just my personal opinion, not a judgement. To each his/her own.
I can see why people are making distros more & more like a well known, dominant OS, but I like the flexibility & choice more established linux distros provide. I hope the linux world doesn’t end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater…..
Lycoris might be good for newbies, but the article implies it doesn’t come with GNOME, Open Office, Firefox, Thunderbird or any programming tools (maybe there are such tools, but the article certainly didn’t mention them)…and – something the article omitted – doesn’t this distro cost money ($40-$45 I believe)? BTW, no mention of which kernel Lycoris runs or even which version of Lycoris the author was using (current one is 1.4 – which has KDE 3.2.3, whereas he said the distro he used had version 2.2.2!).
Personally, I’d rather go with Fedora Core 3 – free and with seemingly a lot more software with it.
If you buy Lycoris then you have access to their software database (Just like with Linspire and Xandros) No it does not come with Gnome mostly because the user base they are going after are former Windows users and at least with my own exspenence KDE is more easy to understand for former Windows users.
My problem with Lycoris is that they still use the OOOOOOLD Caldera installer from Caldera Open Linux. That installer is easy to use but really lacks advanced features like custom drive partitioning etc.
Besides that Lycoris is very good looking and 1.4 is very fast. But I still think they could do a better job. They are a small company but then so is Mepis yet Mepis is a great distro!
I’ve fallen in love with Debian and as geeky as it may sound this is a very strong and long-term relationship.
KDE is cluttered… so you are saying windows is cluttered? yeah… probably true.
I think Gnome would be a better choice for a new user because the system is clean… Gnome still has some rough edges that are getting worked out but it is mostly there in terms of usability.
I tried Lycoris once back in the pre release days…. it was kinda limiting. I felt trapped into what Mr. Cheek gave the user. no dv tools unless you bought them (you cannot even compile software)
that was during a time that I was looking to jump from Mandrake… I bought Suse 7 (not too good) and Mandrake 8.x was a living nightmare (7 was so good what happened)
I ended up on Debian… sure the packages in stable were outdated, but the system worked together great and there was so much software available to me it was not even funny.
I’ve fallen in love with Debian and as geeky as it may sound this is a very strong and long-term relationship.
Hehehe.
I first met Debian after a bad breakup with an old Mandrake. I guess I’m a bad breaker-upper though — they always end in me cursing at xcdroast to just burn the damn CD so I can reformat and get the he*l out. Lately things have been better though. I flirted with Slackware 9 — fun, but too high-maintenance for me (also the official docs were lacking IMO). Then back to Debian. Then tried RH 8 or 9 for a while, Slack 10 (it was just a one-night-stand, for old-time’s sake), and then Fedora, and finally back to Debian, who graciously welcomed me back with the new Debian Installer.
Debian doesn’t even care if I keep a little Mac OS X on the side!
“KDE is cluttered… so you are saying windows is cluttered? yeah… probably true.”
KDE is only cluttered when unmodified. But in Xandros, Mepis, Lycoris and several others the clutter is taken out pretty well.
But Debian is great! That is why I love Mepis! A lot more easy to install etc yet you are not held back like Xandros or Linspire etc!
Anyone have any idea how many boxes Lycoris has sold? Or Xandros or Linspire or the others, for that matter?
It takes more than an attractive appearance to put Linux on desktops. Marketing, shelfspace, and advertising help. too.
Otherwise, people who buy Lycoris, et al, will have already made the decision to use Linux. That is something entirely different from being attracted to Linux because you like a commerical Linux distribution.
KDE is only cluttered when unmodified. But in Xandros, Mepis, Lycoris and several others the clutter is taken out pretty well.
I use and like SimplyMepis but I have to disagree that it has been well decluttered. It has several different control centers. It has desktop icons that do the same thing as panel buttons, not to mention those teeny clustered panel buttons whatever they’re called. It shows by default the cryptic icons down the left side of Konqueror. Great distro, but still cluttered.
This dude needs to get a life if he thinks that installing a new OS even comes close to anything like falling in love.
Installing Linux for a first timer IS like falling in love. I remember installing Mandrake 6, ahhhh. I’m on gentoo now
But just like this love thing, if you push the wrong button, you’ll get slapped.
IMHO Mepis is way better than Lycoris. I use to be with Lycoris until a great debate broke out in the greenhouse about Lycoris not having there development tools available for download anymore.
That’s when I left and drifted for a while, went to Mandrake and like them but didn’t see them as newbie friendly that I could really push.
Then I found Mepis and it is great, has total hardware detection and is easy to install. You can pick weather to let it set up partitions for you or you can do it yourself. It use debian repositories, so there’s lots of software avaiable. It is really a great distro, give it a try
Great review, but the guy reviewed the old version of the Operating System. There is a newer version out that includes KDe 3.2.3.
A new Linux Distro is NOT a new OS.
The os is linux, simple.
Well.. the OS is _not_ Linux, the kernel is infact Linux, but if you want to be techincally correct you would have stated “KDE/GNU/Linux” That is the OS.. a combination of tools and applications…
People really need to remove the mind set that Linux is an OS, its not, its a kernel. A Linux based OS is correct, a Linux OS is not.
The first time I installed Linux (1996?) it was more like a nightmare than a falling-in-love. Now it’s a bit better, but the only OS I love is BeOS 🙂
LOL. that’s the biggest crock of crap i’ve seen posted here in a while now – LOOK at the menus, or open konq in your home dir – CLUTTER
”
I use and like SimplyMepis but I have to disagree that it has been well decluttered. It has several different control centers. It has desktop icons that do the same thing as panel buttons, not to mention those teeny clustered panel buttons whatever they’re called. It shows by default the cryptic icons down the left side of Konqueror. Great distro, but still cluttered.
”
SimplyMepis is not an example of a polished distro though…
Otherwise, people who buy Lycoris, et al, will have already made the decision to use Linux. That is something entirely different from being attracted to Linux because you like a commerical Linux distribution.
>
>
Heh. What do you think is the real reason for this laughable article?
It reads like a PC Mag “Editor’s Choise” adver,er article….
Mepis rocks. Its the first LInux distro I’ve actually liked. The rest (mandrake, slack, debian and knoppix) failed to impress me but this one does.
Pretty slick.
“Debian doesn’t even care if I keep a little Mac OS X on the side!
”
Yeah, that’s ‘cos Debian is desperate
“Debian doesn’t even care if I keep a little Mac OS X on the side!
”
Yeah, that’s ‘cos Debian is desperate
Or maybe it just likes the three way
Personally, I found Lycoris to be pretty good for the grandmother type, but absolutely frustrating for any sort of power user. The only problem was the aforementioned clutter, but that’s just my opinion of KDE (and any DE, to a degree).
But then, Lycoris doesn’t seem to be aimed at developers or power users, and I think this is one of the big things we Linux users fail to see. That is, we rant about how Linux would make such a better desktop OS than that other option, yet we bitch and complain every time a distro isn’t power user friendly. Unfortunately it’s near impossible to maintain an OS that’s both grandma and power user friendly.
Sure, it would be more ideal if everyone could handle the Debians and Gentoos and Arch’s, but unfortunately, we don’t live in a world where everyone wants complete control over their lives (and thus computers). So unless a whole bunch of hackers and power users go out and maintain a minimalistic distribution install for everyone who wants, we need distributions like Lycoris, Xandros, and (eventually) Ark. I wish some of them would stand up more strongly for their open roots, but I think they should be commended none the less.
Well said. Very well said.
The Linux press is full of biased and unsubstantiated “reviews” that invariably amount to little more than cheerleading. Almost every distribution review I’ve read places far too much emphasis on the installer (which is only used once). For every review that criticizes a given installer for lack of usability (meaning, it didn’t do everything automatically), there is another review that criticizes the same review for lack of flexibility (meaning, e.g., it doesn’t let the user run fdisk to set up his own partitions).
An article that only tells us how much the author liked a product isn’t a review. It would be nice to read real reviews that back up their assertions with perspective, evidence and facts.
Of course, anyone who dares to suggest that anything related to Linux is less than perfect is typically subject to abuse from the cult’s True Believers.