Posted on Saturday 18th of November 2006 at 04:17 in Linux

PCLinuxOS - perfect halfway house

It's been quite the dilemma over recent months as to which Linux distro is the best choice for users moving away from XP (or "windoze" as it's affectionately labelled by some in the community). Instinctively the majority of users looked to Ubuntu and the user-friendliness of the gnome environment but it was brought to my attention that there's another major player in this exchange, a plucky little distro called PCLinuxOS, and here are my thoughts on it.

Introduction
I've never hidden my distaste for Vista which was marred by an entirely underwhelming Release Candidate and unforgivable resource usage and while I'm almost certain that I'll end up on it eventually I'm determined to look at the alternatives. I've had my plays with Ubuntu (having dappled with Breezy, Dapper and Edgy) with varying levels of success but some readers of this website passed on good words about PCLinuxOS (referred to hereafter as PCL) so I decided to give it a try.

First Steps - Virtual Machine Madness
As with all things like this it's important to test the water before jumping in - more than anything else I find myself blessed with an overpowering apathy that makes me want to avoid burning a CD and restarting. So a brief mounting of the ISO in Daemon Tools later and I'm running the LiveCD - initial impressions were so good that it got installed immediately and I shall explain why.

pclinuxos screenshot

Why it HAD to be installed
The first thing that struck me was how handsome this KDE distro was, clearly coming with Beryl/Compiz enabled straight out the box (as it were) - which will mean very little to (K)Ubuntu who can install it quickly - but for an XP migrant this would be a big first impression. Let me clarify slightly, I'm looking at this distro as an alternative to a native XP user (as I am one of those, hands down I've been on Windows since 3.1). So looking incredibly handsome as standard (see image to the right) is a big plus straight off. Notice the alpha-transparencies on all the window edges, nice. There are other touches too that meant I needed to look at it closer:

pclinuxos screenshot

Halt! Vista theft
This really made me chuckle when I first noticed it - the maximise/minimise/close icons on the windows are clearly stolen from Vista. While it makes me laugh it also makes me glad, this offers a nice similarity between Windows and is actually the most logical way of handling the events.

It's small touches like this that make it such a viable alternative to XP, there's been such an intention to detail here in the user interface that it should be intuitive for both native Linux users and those leaving the Microsoft nest for the first time

pclinuxos screenshot

Other Touches
There are some other nice touches, such as having a "My Computer" icon on the desktop to offer a sense of familiarity to migrating windows users. Also, I find having the taskbar at the bottom directly after install aids this feeling - especially having a very Microsoft similar logo as the start-button. This means that if you put someone as computer illiterate as my mum (not saying all mothers are hopeless but mine, specifically is often lost in XP so I fear in Ubuntu she would never be seen again) in front of PCLinuxOS, she would instinctively go for either the "Personal Documents", "My Computer" or start menus, all of which are (more or less) where you would expect to find them in XP.

So this is just XP by another name?
Absolutely not, there's plenty of Linux goodness here. You obviously have the terminal but also apt (and the marvellous Synaptic Software Manager). It's loaded with useful apps (see here) and has basically everything you would come to expect from using Ubuntu (well, everything I've come to expect anyway).

Check back soon, shortly after writing this I am going to delete my Vista partition and put this fabulous distro in it's place and hope that my computer doesn't die - it doesn't like Dual Booting much.

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Comments

Showing most recent 20 of 25 comments [View all comments]

Have tried several Linux distros since abandoning Wunduz about 6 mths ago, but always come back to PCLinux as I find it to be the easiest and most logical to set up, is VERY stable and if it does fall over, as it does from time to time because I tend to do things which have permanently killed other distros like Mandriva and Freespire, very easy to recover ie a simple reinstall using existing partitions, no reformatting and an update when finished and she’s up and running again in no time. I agree it is rather XP like, but without all those little processes doing nasty MS things in the background.

ashbob58

windows vista seemes to be a complete copy some linux themes

someone

This will be the Linux distro that could get the XP users of the world to finally get pushed over the edge and leave MS. I installed PCLOS TR4 on one of my systems and I could not believe how "Radically Simple" it really was!!! Now that being said it’s not a complete no brainer like XP. It is LINUX. I had full 3D desktop running in minutes and installed cadega on the system in hopes of trying to be and EX MS moron. "DirectX" at this point is the only stronghold that MS has on the gaming community IMO.

What really made me take notice was not that it seemed like every little detail had been handled with care for a novice user but I don’t remember having a complete full compatible/replacement MS system ever running so quickly. Another thing is just pure raw power. This distro FLIES on performance.

Personally this is BY FAR my personal favorite Linux Distro for just the plain and simple reason of PCLOS becoming a front runner in releasing the grip of the MS hold. Now don’t get me wrong, many many others have come before and done miracles with hopeful XP/Linux switchers but this is just a pleasure to run and install. I hope some of you get the chance to try PCLOS.

Crimson

been using pclinuxos for a few months now and will *not* go back to using xp [dual booting]. oh wait, there’s still the familiar photoimpact8 that just gets the job done quickly for the family’s editing needs. Once we get familiar with gimp, we will have left the MS building...
it’s just so easy to install and use.
my multimedia son said it was ok to slap a couple of live-cd’s in his amd box, tried puppy-linux-it failed, tried dreamlinux-it failed then tried pclinuxos live-cd and..voila..booted up straigtaway and did what we wanted it to do. son now seriously considering using linux as a platform for his multimedia homework.
ppls, if you haven’t given pclinuxos a shot, don’t wait any longer :-)

eyecantw8

i have been using PCL for about 7 or 8 months. I have loved it from the moment it booted. It has been the best linux distro for the desktop. I currently run it on an older dell latitude with a P||| brain. It runs beautifully and i use it for everything. I have also installed it to my wifes [soon to be ex] laptop and i am currently thinking about using it as a web server but BSD is want i really want to use but PCL is making my choice difficult. I am waiting for the next release which should also be really nice.
It is a great distro for those moving to linux as i have only one issue with my hardware when i installed. I had to configure my laptop monitor by typeing video when it booted. Beyond that it has been the only distro to make it past the one month point and has kept me using linux and feeling liberated from the clutches of M$ Windoze. I even use it at work and access thier windows network with no problems.
Hands down my favorite distro and will continue to be. Please donate and keep this distro alive and to support the great team who build and maintain this wonderful distro. I can’t thank them enough for giving people a real chance to learn and use linux.

oddballkink

During the last two years, I’ve been a Linux user, and have tried most of the major and quite a lot of minor distros. I first tried PCLOS about half a year or so ago, and was not very impressed. I went back to Kubuntu, and continued testing other distros. Well, after a flirtation with Elive that resulted in a corrupted file system (not Elive’s fault) and GRUB errors, and almost killing my hd, I came, after several failed installs (it’s strange how all the nice debian based distros suddenly died on me, even when the cd’s had worked without any problems before...), to the decision to wipe my hd and start anew with a dual boot of PCLOS and SaxenOS. That was some days ago, and I still haven’t had time to boot into SaxenOS because I keep playing with the other distro. It’s the most stable Linux distro I’ve ever tried (thanks goodness for that!), and it is also the prettiest. I’ve never used a system based on Mandrake/ Red Hat for a long time before changing back to something Debian- ish, but PCLOS 2007 is urging me to stay, and I think I will, even though I think rpm’s are somewhat scary. Kudos to the developers! =)

Vittoria

Ehhh... Didn’t those maximise/minimise/close icons buttons first see the light of day in an earlier version of Gnome, and then for some reason they appeared in one of the leaked Vista versions?

D’biann

Porting Gnome to Windows? Why?! That’s crazy talk. You want to run Gnome, or KDE, or Fluxbox, or any of the other various window managers, just install Linux. And if you want to understand how computers work and how they do what they do, there are lots of good books to read out there. There’s nothing like the mystery of having Microsoft Windows running your computer ragged with having no idea what’s going on.. never had that problem with Linux.

Bob

Just found this page. It’s amazing that, with the exception of computer journalists, everyone likes PCLinuxOS! I thought, as a moderator at the PCLOS forum, I would just let people know the plans for the very near future.

First a very brief history: since Texstar created PCLOS using Mandrake 9.2 as a base, the compilers used to create the programs from source have never been updated. This is why every installation of PCLinuxOS for the last 3 years has not actually been necessary, you could just keep upgrading. But the current version 0.93 has gone as far as these old compilers can go.

The next version 0.94 will require a re-install. Many latest versions of software require the new kernel, including kernels 2.6.18+, and much more. xorg has been stuck at version 6.9, this is why many of the fancy 3D effects have not been seen in PCLinuxOS. Even the latest Firefox is causing problems.

The new PCLinuxOS promises to be a great upgrade. Over at the PCLOS forum, the nagging goes on, when will 0.94 be out, like kids in a car "are we there yet?". But Texstar won’t put it out until it’s ready and stable. He’s too much of a perfectionist, just like calling the current version 0.93 when others are using numbers like 10.2 etc to number an inferior product.

My advice to any contemplating using Linux? Set up a dual boot with PCLOS, but don’t put your valuable data there yet. When 0.94 comes out, re-install it hopefully by then you’ll be ready for the world of Linux.

davecs

Personally, it was GNOME that really pushed me back to the rotten world of Windoze... Well for a short while. I’m NOT scared to try new things, and have learnt a lot using several KDE distros (also tried a few GNOME ones, they simply are not for me). I’d say PCLOS doesn’t seem similar to XP to me - otherwise I probably would ignore it...

I know I’m not alone.

I was rather amazed by the statement "....like Windows Vista..."
Ive been playing with linux for quite a few years now.
Many of the features / functions that have been in place for either KDE or Gnome are now showing up in Vista.
M$ Vista has adopted many GUI features from Linux, not the other way around. Dont belive me? Install any distro from about 2 years ago (Gnome and KDE) and compare the differant style and layouts, themes to the "Upcoming Vista"

2bits

> W. Anderson
Who mentioned Americans? I’m from the UK so it would be a little strange for me to make gross generalisations such as that, wouldn’t it?

And I DO find being similar to XP in several ways a good thing, albeit only aesthetically because it offers a sense of familiarity. I’ve used a couple of other distros and this has (so far) been the only one that hasn’t felt distinctly foreign to me.

Seopher

I’m not sure that being Windows-like is as huge of an advantage as it’s often claimed. In fact, in my experience the less computer literate a person is the less this seems to matter.

My parents PC has been running Windows and finally got to the point (likely due to adware or spyware) that it was unusable. Virus scans using INSERT followed by a couple Windows-based anti-spyWare tools didn’t help. A quick reinstall of Windows over the current didn’t fix things (no surprise really.) Since I was going to have to wipe the OS and start from scratch and I didn’t have time right then I threw in an Ubuntu live-CD, showed them the FireFox icon and told them to use that for a couple days until I could come back.

To my surprise when I returned my dad said, "Can we just use this? It’s a lot easier than Windows and hasn’t locked up once. It’s just slow." So I explained that the speed was due to running from CD and installed Ubuntu to the hard drive.

They had two issues that were beyond their ability to deal with so far. They have one Windows program with no FOSS alternative but I was able to set it up under WINE. Their printer is a Lexmark Z11 (notorious for lack of Linux support) which was a real PITA to set up.

After those things were fixed, however, they were much happier with Linux than Windows. I’ve been hapier too since I no longer get weekly calls saying "something is broken on our computer."

k12linux

I used Suse for over 5 years. very good system but kind of bulky. Right before the MS-Novell deal, I tested PCLinuxOS and liked it right away. After the deal, three computers I have at home were switched to PCLinux including my IBM laptop with everything working great on them. One problem I had was configuring a network printer using LPR. I am still working on it. may be I should get on the forum to get it fixed. I even tested latest Kubuntu edgy. Not good enough compared to PCLinuxOS.

Abe

I have been a heavy and active advocate for Linux and specifically PCLinuxOS for two years. While I was not able to install it on my thin clients when migrating the entire company to Linux (I am the new Director of IT), most of the management and all of the accounting folks use it and most have installed it at home.

There has been some concern lately about the "one-guy distos", and I can see where that may be a concern, but I will point out that a well established commercial distro died with it’s author; and it was one of the finest debian distros I ever used. I am drawing a complete blank here as to the name of it...my Lord how quickly we forget...Oh, yes of course. Libranet.

At any rate, my website, Lobby4linux.com has not only set up linux labs after school in several sub-districts here in austin, we work every week with senior citizens in "assisted living centers". They all Love PCLinuxOS. So...if 12 year old kids and 84 year old great grandmothers can grasp and immediately use a distro, I believe that devteam is heading in the right direction. Here is a good example of what we are doing to spread the word of Texstars fine work...and that takes nothing away from the rest of the deveteam as well...many of who have been mentioned above here.

http://blog.lobby4linux.com/index.php?/archives/70-86-Year-Old-Great-Grandmother-Hoists-The-Jolly-Roger.html

http://blog.lobby4linux.com/index.php?/archives/64-Linux-Advocacy...A-Fools-Errand-or-a-Mission-of-Mercy.html

helios

"This really made me chuckle when I first noticed it - the maximise/minimise/close icons on the windows are clearly stolen from Vista." hmmmm...seems to me that linux has used these icons for some time before Vista "introduced" them......others more in the know than I have observed the many Vista "innovations" that we have enjoyed in linux for quite awhile. Well a linux convert is still a linux convert.....welcome aboard!

michael

Your article opinion is very misleading and incorrect, in assuming that most all "novice"
Microsoft Windows users would be more comfortable with and more easily learn GNU/Linux
with Windows-like Icons, bottom panel with start-ip button, etc.

Over the past 6 months, I have installed several of the more "beginner type" configured
GNU/Linux distros on computers of users you so described - from an 83 year old neighbor who
first touched a Windows computer two years ago, to other senior citizens who can be classified as
"rank novices" and many more of that description.

In almost all cases, those that chose the more "Ubuntu-like" distros have experienced alsolutely no
problem in adapting to and understanding the layout/usage of GNU/Linux desktops, and are as
comfortable and competent in their use of the software as the few others that chose PCLinuxOS or
Freespire 1.0.13 (an even better clone of MS Windows XP).

It is ridiculous to propose that Americans can only be adept at "dumber-down" computer software
applications that mimic Windows. Maybe that is why millions of people in Europe, Asia, Africa
and most of South America are surpassing those in USA in technology understanding and use,
because that are not as thick as Americans who can’t even handle the "metric measurement" system.

W. Anderson

I decided to find a replacement for SUSE following the Novell/M$ announcement. I came upon PCLinuxOS, burned the live CD and booted up. It identified all of my hardware and loaded all the necessary drivers. I was impressed with just how fast it ran off the live CD so I installed it. It took less than 15 minutes for the entire installation process, and just as with the live CD, all hardware was identified and worked perfectly. I have been so pleased with PCLinuxOS that I have not used SUSE since. I recommend everyone give it a test drive.

Impressive

I was running Suse and Kubuntu with mixed success, but switched to PCLOS about six months ago and have never looked back. The OS is stable, hardware support is as good as any, and the software support through Synaptic is outstanding. My daughter is now running PCLOS, and here husband is converting his friends, one desktop at a time.

This is a great choice for anyone who is moving over from Windows, and doesn’t want to become a command line expert. The best is... it lets you do that too!!

tskears

i’ve been using linux for over a year now and have used x/k/ubuntu, mandriva, pclinuxos, fedora, and opensuse. i find k/ubuntu, mandriva, opensuse, and pclinuxos to all be appropriate for linux beginners. out of these, pclinuxos has several advantages. first off, it has one main software repository maintained by the distro’s creator - texstar. this ensures a high level of stability in the distro with a lack of dependency conflicts. there are two additional repos available - thac’s for experimental multimedia and xorg packages that eventually find their way into the main repo - and ocilent’s for experimental kernels which also eventually find their way into the main repo. if you leave these two repos enable you can rarely run into dependency conflicts. i’ve had two conflicts due to have thac’s repo enabled in the 6 months or so i’ve been running pclinuxos. i was provided with a fix from thac in the excellent pclinuxos forums. if you want a package that isn’t in the main repo, post a package request in the forums and the distro’s creator (texstar) will check it out and add it if there’s not already a functionally-equivalent package already in the repo. i’ve had a few packages added due to my package requests already that have increased the distro’s usability for me (vorbisgain and tagtool to name two i remember). to set up multimedia functionality, you need to select only one package in synaptic (or apt-get/aptitude it) - the multimedia package which adds mp3, dvd, and additional codecs from windows. this is far easier than the other distros, where you have to enable additional repos and select several additional repos. speaking of selecting packages, it uses synaptic as a front-end for apt which makes package management run smoothly. i usually end up finding the packages in synaptic and then using aptitude to install them, as it will remove any dependencies if i decide to remove the package (synaptic/apt-get leave the unused dependencies to clutter up your hard-drive). finally, pclinuxos has a nice control center which makes configuring you computer a snap - firewall rules ,user/group management, time/date adjustment, networking, booting, and much more are easily configured here with just one entry of the root password.

mandriva and opensuse also have control centers, which i think are really handy. ubuntu has no control center and if you want to fine-tune your system, you end up having to go into config files and edit them yourself - not for beginners, although it does end up teaching you how to troubleshoot without a gui in place (handy if you bork your graphical login for some reason). i have found mandriva and opensuse’s package management to be slower and more prone to failure than the apt-based package management of pclinuxos and ubuntu. mandriva, opensuse, and ubuntu all require additional repos to get multimedia packages you need for listening to mp3, watching dvds, etc.

all said, i think either k/ubuntu, mandriva, pclinuxos, or opensuse would be great for linux beginners - especially pclinuxos with it friendly forums, responsive maintainer (texstar), and stability. mandriva and opensuse are nice because they have nice control centers for easy systemwide configuration but are handicapped by more complex package management. k/ubuntu has pretty good package management but lacks a good control center for systemwide configuration.

one additional comment - pclinuxos does not have compiz/beryl enabled. in fact, those aren’t in the official repositories. the "transparent" window decorations are the "crystal" window decoration for kde, which provides "false transparency" (constantly remaps the wallpaper onto the window decoration). true transparency would show the windows open behind as well as the wallpaper. this is one area where pclinuxos isn’t as "exciting" as some of the other distros - texstar emphasizes stability and security over glitz.

nikolaus

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PCLinuxOS - perfect halfway house