Mandriva, Mandrake, Lycoris Archive

The inaugural release of Mandriva One, a new live CD that aims to simplify the installation of the Mandriva Linux operating system to a hard disk directly from the live CD, has been released: "An operating system is generally available as a live CD or a set of installation CDs, but not both on the same disc. Mandriva One differs in offering an all-in-one CD based on Mandriva Linux 2006."

"Duval details his side of the story: "Fired. Yes. Simply fired, for economical reasons, along with a few other ones. More than 7 years after I created Mandrake-Linux and then Mandrakesoft, the current boss of Mandriva 'thanks me' and I'm leaving, sad, with my two-month salary indemnity standard package. It's difficult to accept that back in 1998 I created my job and the one of many other people, and that recently, on a February afternoon, Mandriva's CEO called to tell me that I was leaving." Mandriva's CEO replies: "Gael was not fired. This term would imply something wrong on his part, which was not the case. He was laid off."

Mandriva One 2006 Beta 2 (an installable live CD) has been released. "The second beta of Mandriva Linux One 2006, our new installable live CD, is now available from most public mirror sites. This fixes a range of issues from the first beta." Download locations.

Mandriva subsidiary Edge-IT has been selected to participate in an EU-backed project that aims to create a next-generation computing approach known as the 'Social Semantic Desktop'. The goal is to transform the PC into a collaborative environment that supports both personal computing and information sharing via social and organizational channels.

Mandriva's CEO got interviewed for the Mandriva club. "Right now, the new 'in thing' is Ubuntu. Of course, the situation is a bit different in this case: one person, with a quasi infinite check book is behind the operation. So they can give the system away and spend whatever is needed. Is this the right way for the open source eco-system? I find it hard to believe. One possible worse case scenario is that Ubuntu's plan is to use money to put all other community-based distros out of business and then start monetizing the installed base. If this were the case, they are doing the easy part: increasing their market share by giving away the product. We have found that the second part is a tad more difficult."

Mandriva is now testing a new hardware compatibility list system based on feedback from ordinary Mandriva users. The 'harddrake' Mandriva hardware utility can upload a list of your system's components to the Mandriva database, and you can then use the simple web front end to let others know how well each piece of hardware works with Mandriva. The system and the interface have already been in testing by Mandriva Club members and other enthusiasts. You can join in and help test it further by posting in the Mandriva forums (you can post in the community chat forum if you are not a member).

"The developers of Mandriva Linux have quietly released what appears to be a public beta of Mandriva Linux 2006.1. This release comes with many updated packages, including X.Org 6.9 final, KDE 3.5.0, GNOME 2.12, and OpenOffice.org 2.0.0. The kernel remains at 2.6.12, although it has been selectively patched with various fixes from kernel 2.6.13 and later. Other improvements affecting networking, printing and X.Org configuration have also been implemented. See the changelog for a detailed list of changes."

Part 3 of the extensive Linux Tips for Free Mandriva Linux 2006 review has finally been published, covering multimedia, productivity and entertainment software. It also discusses Mandriva Linux security features, the Mandriva Club and looks ahead at the future: "... 1990-something was the year of Server Linux, 2003 was the year of Desktop Linux, 2005 the year of Laptop Linux, 2006 will be the year of Mobile Phone Linux and 2007 will be the year of Handheld/Palmtop Linux." Parts one and two were previously mentioned here at OSNews.

"Mandriva Linux 2006, released last month, feels very much like a natural evolution of earlier Mandrake releases - in both good and bad ways. As I tested the PowerPack edition, I was disappointed to find many of the same rough edges that drove me away from Mandrake still present in this new incarnation."

"While it's not my distribution of choice, Mandriva 2006 definitely has some serious allure to new and experienced desktop Linux users alike. It's dead easy to install, a breeze to use and configure, has enough applications included to keep even the most die-hards happy, and it's got overwhelming support from the company and community at large." Read more here.

Five weeks after the formal release of Mandriva Linux 2006 to members of the Mandriva Club, the CD and DVD images of the "Free" edition (GPL software only) are now also available for free download.

In light of the many misunderstandings about Linux, software repositories and installation of packages, part one of this season's Mandriva Linux 2006 review includes an extensive background article about it. It explains why the nature of Free Software leads to a more userfriendly software installation setup for Linux distributions in general, as compared to proprietary systems such as the current desktop market leader. The process is illustrated with Mandriva Linux tools. This first part of the Mandriva Linux 2006 review also contains information on the installation and benchmark figures against previous Mandriva/Mandrake products, amongst other things.

Recently, we informed you about a growing conflict concerning the source code to Lycoris' Desktop/LX. This led to accusations being thrown both ways, leaving many users in the dark on whether or not the source code will ever be released. This article tries to explain what's really going on, and lists the facts.

"MandrakeLinux always had a reputation as an ideal distribution for beginners. Now that the renamed Mandriva has included technologies from Conectiva and Lycoris into Mandriva Linux 2006, this reputation seems more justified than ever. From its installation program to its selection of software and desktop design to its package design and security options, Mandriva is one of the easiest to use distributions available today." Read more here.