Mandriva Linux 10.2 Limited Edition 2005 review
DownloadLinux power users will welcome the advanced Web experience, enhanced hardware compatibility and expanded development options brought
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Linux power users will welcome the advanced Web experience, enhanced hardware compatibility and expanded development options brought by Limited Edition 2005, along with significant performance gains. Firefox 1.0.2 offers the most advanced Web browsing experience, with multi-tabbed navigation, pop-up blocking, increased speed, and unmatched security.
Limited Edition also offers the RSS reader Akregator. RSS is a format used to simplify the aggregation and syndication of Web content. RSS feeds contain news and updates from websites and blogs, providing personalized access to information.
Limited Edition 2005 is built to optimize and increase performance. It has been developed with x86-64 technology in mind, which allows for the use of more powerful applications. Support for dual-core technology adds to potential performance, allowing the use of advanced new processors.
Developers and power users running demanding multimedia configurations will appreciate the additional power those features provide. Some special optimizations enhance the overall speed delivered by the system. For instance, KDE 3.3 is 10% faster, thanks to special tuning by Mandriva.
Addressing both the x86 and x86-64 architectures, Limited Edition 2005 is the only Linux system to allow the seamless installation and running of 32-bit applications on 64-bit platforms. This will allow users to benefit from all the power and performance of 64-bit technology while continuing to use vital 32-bit applications.
Developers will welcome the ability to develop 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the same application on the same machine, without the need to use chroot. Finally, Limited Edition allows you to copy the contents of the DVD to the hard disk during installation, removing the need to use the DVD for subsequent software installation, and so saving even more time.
Limited Edition 2005 provides better support for removable devices such as digital cameras, CD-ROM drives and USB keys through immediate detection of devices as they are plugged in, and by allowing you to boot the installation from a USB key.
Also available is DKMS which allows kernel modules to be dynamically built for each kernel on your system in a simplified and organized fashion.
A special feature that will certainly appeal to gamers and enthusiasts is that the new release from Mandriva has support for the Xbox console, empowering users to bridge the divide between gaming and other computer activities.
Additional hardware enhancements include full support for Adaptec Host RAID controllers (RAID, SCSI, SATA) and extended recognition for the most recent flat screen monitors, including widescreen resolutions.
Here are some key features of "Mandriva Linux":
The latest versions of key Linux applications
Linux kernel 2.6.11.6
KDE 3.3.2 (with some backports from version 3.4, including Kpdf)
GNOME 2.8.3
Firefox 1.0.2
GCC 3.4.3
The GIMP 2.2
cdrecord 2.01.01a21 (with DVD+R dual-layer support)
OpenOffice.org 1.1.4
MySQL 4.1.11
Enhanced Hardware support
Unequalled x86-64 support, including seamless installation of a 32-bit environment on the 64-bit platform, allowing developers to build 32-bit and 64-bit applications on the same system
Full support for Adaptec Host RAID controllers (RAID, SCSI, SATA)
Improved recognition of removable devices, such as digital cameras, CD-ROM drives and USB keys
Improved support for the most recent flat screen monitors, including widescreen resolutions
Simplified handling of drivers thanks to the integration of Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS), enabling the changing of drivers without the need to reinstall the Kernel, and the ability to use the same driver on multiple different kernel revisions
Support for multimedia keyboards
Faster
Up to 10% greater KDE performance thanks to compilation with the 'fvisibility' option
The option to copy all software packages onto the hard disk during the installation, making it unnecessary to use the DVD for subsequent software installation
Advanced Web experience
Firefox 1.0.2 offers the most advanced Web browsing experience, with multi-tabbed navigation, pop-up blocking, increased speed, and unmatched security.
RSS reader Akregator to get personalized access to the content of websites from all around the globe.
Enhanced mutimedia capabilities
ndiswrapper allows for easier wireless networking configuration, thanks to the utilization of installed Windows drivers
Mandriva's new ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) version includes multiplexing, allowing you to listen to sound from several applications at once, even if your sound card does not perform multiplexing in hardware.
Mandriva Linux 10.2 Limited Edition 2005 keywords