[NTLUG:Discuss] Is Linux Ready for the desktop now?

[Greg Edwards]

Newsletters wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Over a year ago, I read many postings on this maillist about how Linux
> wasn't ready for the desktop.  I am just wondering at this time is Linux
> now ready for the desktop?  If not, what does it need to be ready for
> the desktop?  <I hope I don't see a lot of Linux isn't yet emulating
> windows answers>.  Anyhow, I'm just very curious what the responses
> would be today...
> 
> Thanks in advance for any responses...

Good question!

I just finished building a system for my daughter that we gave her as a
graduation present to take to college with her.  I installed Mandrake
8.0 on it and by using the Workstation default install we had it
installed and up and running in less than 2 hours.  No problems what so
ever and this was with having her do the install (first timer) while I
looked over her shoulder.  It setup the video, printer, monitor, onboard
sound, ethernet, hdd, zip drive, and cd with no details needed from the
user.  No more information than a typical M$ install was required by the
user.  Now she's learning how to do basic admin with KDE.  IMO, the
biggest difference between this install and an M$ Win98 install is that
the KDE docs (not the HOW-TOOs) are understandabale by the average
person.

I will say that 1 mistake the default install makes is the default size
of the root partition.  It used 3.4G off a 30G drive.  The swap
partition got RAM*2 (IIRC) and home got the rest.  Since I like
installing non RPM packages in /opt the root can get chewed up pretty
fast.  Especially with games if you want to run with all files on HD. 
I'd prefer to see them use a much bigger root but thats picking nits.

On the other hand I'm very disappointed in the Mandrake dist when it
comes to doing an upgrade.  So far I've attempted to upgrade 1 system
and it was a dismal failure IMHO.  While the upgrade worked and the
system is usable with no lost data, the peripheral configuration is
totally hosed.  I have no access to CD, floppy, zip, or printer.  Video
and sound are fine though.  The compiler issue has me pissed to no end. 
The thing left me with a gcc link that goes to nothing while the headers
are now in /usr/include not /usr/src/linux/include.  I'm ranting, lets
just say that after several hours of trying to get these back in service
I've come to the conclusion that I'll need to do a clean install.  My
network config is fine.

To make a long story short I'd say that for a clean install Mandrake is
ready for the world.  However, to upgrade to an already installed Linux
distrib NO WAY!  When I was a RH user it didn't upgrade any better,
actually worse.


-- 
Greg Edwards
New Age Software, Inc.
http://www.nas-inet.com