Posted on Monday 25th of June 2007 at 15:28 in Linux

Review: Pardus Linux 2007 Kurulan RC2

The Linux release schedule has been rather slow of late with the major players (Fedora aside), so that explains the unusual excitement I felt when seeing that Pardus Linux has a new release candidate out. Here are my thoughts on one of the most unlikely releases around.

I first investigated Pardus in the middle of May where I reviewed Pardus Linux 2007.1. I concluded "the design is tidy, the install obvious and while I couldn't possibly recommend this over a more established distro such as Ubuntu, PCLOS or Mepis I'm definately adding this one to my list of releases to keep an eye on. There's a lot of good in this plucky Turkish release and it has an excellent grounding".

Pardus is a relatively unknown release funded and developed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and I was rather impressed with it last time, so let's give it another go and see what improvements have been made. NOTE: I appreciate this is a Release Candidate so it's not a final release, but I'm going to give it a preliminary review anyway.

Aesthetics
Excellent! There are some lovely touches present and I particulary like the "Transparent" theme that offers a PCLOS-esque contemporary KDE feel. It looks and feels like a popular distro should - lovely icon design, professional animations and generally an excellent level of polish. See the below screenshot (click it for a full 1280x1024 desktop screenshot).

Installation
The installation progress was largely the same was it was in 2007.1, rather slow but well explained, clear and unsurprising. It's sometimes clear that the distro's first language isn't English but that doesn't detract away from the clean user experience. It offers a sensible level of information most of the time but sometimes spends a minute or two doing *something* without offering too many hints. Either way, installation was nice and straight forward and shouldn't be a problem for the majority of users.

Network detection was slightly less intuitive than some of the major players (Ubuntu, PCLOS etc) but again, it was clear enough to get through - although it could probably use a little more explanation - the icons were clear and it didn't take much for a technological user to get through.

Applications
The familiar faces are all present, GIMP and OpenOffice to be precise but there really is a full suite of applications available. Suddenly Pardus falls into the "out of the box experience" category that I love so much. So with a full complement of applications available, let's see how it copes with more "out of the box" tasks.

Package Manager
My main gripe is that the Pisi package manager is too hard to find. Normally I like something like Synaptic directly off the menu but Pardus hides it within the "Tasma" configuration utility (more on that in a minute). It's quite easy to use but frustrating in equal measures. Why it loads the "Upgradable Packages" tab by default is beyond me - I'll normally load it up if I'm after something new. Never mind, it works really well - it's just hidden too far away from the user; which is a shame considering it's relative strength.

pisi

The Control centre (Tasma) is excellent, picture the configuration utilty in PCLinuxOS and you're mostly there - they are a little different but both are very powerful and helpful in equal measures.

Networking
Picking up the network was nice and fast but it's how it copes with my current Windows network that's important. Crucially it copes beautifully (as it did in 2007.1) and allowed me to pull across an episode of Family Guy to test the preloaded codecs (if it has any).

Media Playback
This actually surprised me and that doesn't happen terribly often while reviewing distros. My DVD-Rip of Family Guy played perfectly in Kaffeine - something that didn't happen last time. While it's not a big deal if it doesn't (given most people should probably download VLC anyway) but it's excellent for "user experience" that things just "work" straight out of the box.

familyguy

Out of the box media handling is something I really weight highly and Pardus manages wonderfully - surprising but most welcome.

Conclusions
I've suddenly become an advocate for Pardus Linux. I've thoroughly enjoyed playing with this "Kurulan" RC2 release and actually find it as capable as some of the much bigger players that I tend to toy with. It may not have the biggest English community of all the distros but I hope that situation changes because this is actually an excellent release.

Things I recommend changing
The Pisi package manager is a really strong feature - especially for "popular" Linux distros. Regular users will like to see that whatever they want is so quick and simple to obtain and that's hard when the package manger is hidden 2 levels deep inside the powerful control panel.

Pardus Linux is about to be one of the releases I recommend to confident Linux users as something to try. It may not be quite ready to take on the likes of PCLinuxOS or Kubuntu but for a release that sits so far down the Distrowatch popularity list. It's really very usable, user friendly and excellent out of the box - this might just be one release worth watching. Go try Pardus Linux and you really shouldn't be disappointed.

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Comments

Showing most recent 20 of 28 comments [View all comments]

@ Erhan

So you want Windows without licence? "Free" Windows...
People seeking "to find" Windows in Linux, hum, I am not sure that be good news for UNIX systems...

"Are you working in MS?"

No, I use GNU/Linux (but not Pardus)

Blue Knight

You’re right, Erhan, the two aren’t in any way comparable.

Beginning with Vista, Window’s security architecture doesn’t deliberately blur the distinction between normal user and administrator privileges.

Stepelevich

Blue Knight says:

"But then why do you use GNU/Linux? Again if you don’t want UNIX model, don’t use a UNIX system. Use the "real thing", i.e. Windows (And even Microsoft tried to improve the security in Vista)"

Why windows? Goverment pays to Microsoft 600.000 x (Windows License + office licence ...) dolars for every year for totally very simple tasks. Are you working in MS? Pardus is much more than enough and abs-bloody-lutely no need for any WINDOWS for govermantal offices. they will just use firefox.

By the way I made up the total number of computers :)..

Erhan

I will try pardus,ı hope it’s better than windows...

Yerli Malı Yurdun Malı Herkes Onu Kullanmalı

yaw keşke meb felan da bunu kullansa

Ahmet

Erhan says:

"Yes we can say it Window 98..The users mostly will be Windows 98 users.. So this is good for them..
By the way I am not developer .. I am just user"

And what? According to what you say, you thus want that Pardus behaves like Windows 98? Excuse me but why pervert a system which proved to be reliable to make it resemble another which was everything except protected?

But then why do you use GNU/Linux? Again if you don’t want UNIX model, don’t use a UNIX system. Use the "real thing", i.e. Windows (And even Microsoft tried to improve the security in Vista)

> By the way I am not developer .. I am just user..

Naturally I defer to your learned expertise.

Yes we can say it Window 98..
It will be used in govermantal places.. The users mostly will be Windows 98 users.. So this is good for them..
By the way I am not developer .. I am just user..

> We dont say Pardus linux.. We say Pardus..

Why not just call it Windows 98? If memory serves, that also had a "trusted user" security philosophy.

Erhan says:

"If you dont like Pardus use another distro :).."

Yes. But one must also try to help, to explain why such or such thing is good or not. The newbies for example need explanations to understand a new system, “not to swallow anything” and to believe that it is normal and usual, to understand why it is good or not. ;-)

Pardus is otherwise a promising distro, it is a pity really that there is this severe breach in security. This security "relaxation" is outrageously evil, not even other user friendly initiatives, to my knowledge, have not try to "innovate" that much ( and I hope nobody will do it!)

So again: Pardus is a very promising distro but because of the UNIX security perverted, it can’t be recommended.

> If you dont like Pardus use another distro :)..

When one of Pardus’s lead developers boasts about his feckless incompetence ("I remember SMIT in AIX 3.1 did not ask me any passwords for administrative tasks, someone correct me if I’m wroing [sic] - maybe it’s because I was using AIX machine as root.") perhaps it’s not quite the same as the choice between strawberry and vanilla ice-cream.

If you dont like Pardus use another distro :)..
We dont say Pardus linux.. We say Pardus..

glasiad wrote:

> "Pardus dispenses with conventional UNIX security culture"
>
> That’s one of the reasons this distro is great for the 99% of home users
> who don’t live in a state of paranoia and just use their computers for work,
> communication, knowledge seeking, and entertainment.
>
> To all those UNIX SECURITY junkies - please note: the Cold War is over!

glasiad wrote (elsewhwere):

> Security is a state of mind.

So you don’t think that the years of data currently stored on your PC’s worth protecting from remote and local exploits? To each his own.

> Computers are just mashines [sic]. Easily replaced when defective.

I think I’ll decamp to Wales, it’s obviously a land of unimaginable wealth!

@ glasiad

"That’s one of the reasons this distro is great for the 99% of home users who don’t live in a state of paranoia and just use their computers for work, communication, knowledge seeking, and entertainment."

Doesn’t the home user need protection? It is surely for that on Windows for example people use anti-viruses/spyware/maleware/firewall........ They don’t want to be protected, that is just for the fun...

"the Cold War is over! "

hey, no war here! But again If you don’t want UNIX model, security, state of mind etc, don’t use UNIX system.

"Pardus dispenses with conventional UNIX security culture"

That’s one of the reasons this distro is great for the 99% of home users who don’t live in a state of paranoia and just use their computers for work, communication, knowledge seeking, and entertainment.

To all those UNIX SECURITY junkies - please note: the Cold War is over!

glasiad

Ismail "cartman" Donmez says:

"This security FUD bores me to hell. Asking passwords again and again won’t make anything secure."

Wow! And this guy is " the head of Pardus security team"? My God! An additional reason not to use Pardus!

KimTjik says:

"However I can’t understand his arguments about security: why on earth should every distro push some proclaimed UNIX culture about security down the throat of every single user of Linux? Why not give users the right to choose?"

If you don’t want UNIX security, don’t use a UNIX system and use Windows rather than seeking to pervert something which proved reliable.

"Pardus is aimed at the typical desktop user who doesn’t protect information of the dignity of national security on his/her system. He/she simply wants a smooth system whether at home, office or school. Pardus delivers a good user experience in this respect."

Again with this state of mind, use Windows, you are not at the good place. And even Microsoft tried to improve the security in Vista and to educate the home user not to use an administrative account, and there is a Linux project trying to do exactly the opposite. I’m sorry but can perform a wide range of administrative tasks (adding/removing packages, starting/stopping services or the firewall, etc.) without being ever asked for a password is a very bad habits to give even for a home users. For the sake of the user’s convenience, basic Linux principles were broken.

Stepelevich says:

"The developers, when questioned about the security implications of their work, are inclined to say "if you don’t like it, use another Linux distribution"."

One must hope that people will not ask from other distributions to provide them with such a feature..........

Pardus is otherwise very promising but because of the UNIX security perverted, it can’t be recommended.

> However I can’t understand his arguments about security: why on earth
> should every distro push some proclaimed UNIX culture about security
> down the throat of every single user of Linux? Why not give users the right
> to choose?

Because when use of a particular service (such as the package manager) has far-reaching, potentially disastrous consequences to all of a system’s users, the most rudimentary of security considerations dictate that
(i) the service is only available as and when it’s actually required
(ii) the service is accessible only to those with whom it can actually be trusted

Pardus in its default configuration *objectively fails* in respect of both of those requirements.

The question should be: what advantages are to be had deviating from the traditional UNIX security model? None that I can see, for sure.

> He/she simply wants a smooth system whether at home, office or school.
> Pardus delivers a good user experience in this respect.

Well in that case, Windows XP Home Edition would also fit the bill.

Pardus 2007.2 is very slick and easy to use, it is on a par with
pc linux and I hope it continues to be so, I shall be using it more
and maybe replace Ubuntu with Pardus once I have explored it
more.

john c simpson

I’ve tested and used Pardus for several months now. It’s not my main working horse, but I have it set up as default on one system which is used by a small organization of volunteers. When PCLinuxOS finally released its stable 2007 version I’ve been able to compare them and in certain fields it comes out as a winner and overall I would say it’s a close call; if you want a KDE environment in another language than English though Pardus is for obvious reasons the certain and only choice. Some more options added to Tasma would be nice, but on the other hand the menus in KDE are better organized than in PCLinuxOS. Performance wise Pardus proves to be well configured and do from time to time get the upper hand. OK, I stop here, but my point is that Pardus isn’t behind and if quality counts it should gain popularity.

My main system is Fedora, now 7 64bit, and I suppose Mr. Stepelevich would approve the security policy it’s based on. However I can’t understand his arguments about security: why on earth should every distro push some proclaimed UNIX culture about security down the throat of every single user of Linux? Why not give users the right to choose? A Linux system might of course be modified to perform a bunch of specialized tasks, but as far as I can understand Pardus is aimed at the typical desktop user who doesn’t protect information of the dignity of national security on his/her system. He/she simply wants a smooth system whether at home, office or school. Pardus delivers a good user experience in this respect.

KimTjik

Hi,

Firstly thanks for the review, I am the head of Pardus security team and let me tell you sometimes we fix security bugs months before other distributions do. This security FUD bores me to hell. Asking passwords again and again won’t make anything secure.

Security advisories might be lacking but security updates are faster than light that I can assure you.

Back to the review, I now added a package-manager link to main menu, above of Tasma icon so your concern about making it hard to find should be solved for 2007.2 release.

Ismail "cartman" Donmez

"... The Bluefish package missed the "libgnomeui" dependency which I then installed ..."

It has just been fixed in svn.
http://liste.pardus.org.tr/contrib-commits/2007-June/005308.html

Please report any bugs you found, http://bugs.pardus.org.tr/

Only category page is in Turkish, just click a "Paketler" link, which means "Packages"

Regards

Eren

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Review: Pardus Linux 2007 Kurulan RC2