# Mandriva "spring" 2009



## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi guys, I'm from XS, followed the thread here during the downtime, and heard so many good things about you today as XS went back online that I decided to register @ TPU. So for my first post I thought of sharing a few Mandriva screenshots (build is now 2009.1 RC2/Cooker).


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## freaksavior (Apr 11, 2009)

I have mandriva but idk how to use any of the features?


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

freaksavior said:


> I have mandriva but idk how to use any of the features?



if you were a bit more precise that would help...which version do you have, and what features do you mean ?


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## aCid888* (Apr 11, 2009)

Very nice and thanks for sharing. 


p.s Welcome to TPU.


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

cheers man...

...I moved from another distro to Mandriva just recently because of their awesome integration of KDE 4.


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## WhiteLotus (Apr 11, 2009)

that looks amazing! may have to give this a try.


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

WhiteLotus said:


> that looks amazing! may have to give this a try.



you definitely should. Just fyi, the version I'm using now is not a stable build. So you'd be better off to wait until the end of this month when the final release is out.


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## xfire (Apr 11, 2009)

Glad to have you here 
That's quite a nice one. What theme are you using?


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

xfire said:


> Glad to have you here
> That's quite a nice one. What theme are you using?



thanks for the welcome 

I'm using the oxygen theme. But the 3D is Compiz Fusion, not KWin. They (KDE) introduced their own 3D effects but it's still limited, so I don't use them often.


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## xfire (Apr 11, 2009)

I use Compiz too, I'm a Gnome lover.


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

xfire said:


> I use Compiz too, I'm a *Gnome* lover.



OK let's say this place is neutral, we're not on a Linux forum, and I became tolerant  Just kidding


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## xfire (Apr 11, 2009)




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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

lol yes 
which distro are you running?


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## xfire (Apr 11, 2009)

Ubuntu
On a Lenovo S10 netbook(not netbook remix).


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

oh OK. Are you using the 8.04 official release? read some good words about the upcoming 9.04 Jaunty...

ps: I actually was on PCLOS before, switched to Mandriva a few weeks ago.


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## Oliver_FF (Apr 11, 2009)

I too am an Ubuntu user 

I've got it running on my work laptop, my EeePc 901 with a custom kernel and my main rig runs Ubuntu x64.

I tried using KDE 4.0  a while back but it was a bit glitchy, if you did things like resize the bottom bar and then shrink it back down the bar would shrink but the textures wouldn't.

I'd also argue that KDE looks a little too much like Vista IMO. Ubuntu 9.04 soon 

Out of interest, whats going on in the bottom left window of your first screenshot Logos?


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

Oliver_FF said:


> I too am an Ubuntu user
> 
> I've got it running on my work laptop, my EeePc 901 with a custom kernel and my main rig runs Ubuntu x64.
> 
> ...



it's just a picture frame plasmoid; you just drop any pic in it and if there's more than one you can have a slide show.

 Yep, as to KDE 4, it's extremely stable since the release of 4.2, really. And I don't agree it looks like Vista. The 4.0 version, a year ago, if you looked at it quickly, could remind of Vista. But now with 4.2, I tell you, that's pure KDE.


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## Oliver_FF (Apr 11, 2009)

awesome, i might give KDE 4.2 a go - it sounds miles better than 4.0


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## xfire (Apr 11, 2009)

I would say Vista looks like KDE 
Ya, 9.04 should be good, what interests me is the faster boot times.
I like KDE's visuals but interface wise it's Gnome.


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## Logos (Apr 11, 2009)

there's already a fast boot option in Mandriva. They call it Speedboot; I'm using it in the "spring" RC and it's really faster, about 50% on my laptop. Don't know how they will do it @ Ubuntu; @ Mandriva they did it so that the graphics server would be loaded as fast as possible. So one should theoretically have a longer login time, like in Windows, but I didn't notice that.


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## xfire (Apr 12, 2009)

Logos said:


> there's already a fast boot option in Mandriva. They call it Speedboot; I'm using it in the "spring" RC and it's really faster, about 50% on my laptop. Don't know how they will do it @ Ubuntu; @ Mandriva they did it so that the graphics server would be loaded as fast as possible. So one should theoretically have a longer login time, like in Windows, but I didn't notice that.


Must have been tweaked very well. Windows 7 will bo out too,so lets see. I'll be sticking too ubuntu on my lappy. Hardly any time to test others but you should try out puppy another of favorite distro's.


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## Easy Rhino (Apr 13, 2009)

im tired of ubuntu because it is turning into bloatware. im currently running debian 5 stripped down with only the crap i need. how is mandriva with nvidia drivers? maybe i will switch when they release the final version.


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## freaksavior (Apr 13, 2009)

the spinning globe desktop


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## ajames942 (Apr 13, 2009)

how do i get something like this for windows xp?


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## Logos (Apr 13, 2009)

ajames942 said:


> how do i get something like this for windows xp?



you don't  OK tbh there is a company that does it, *and sells it* for Windows...and it's in no way comparable to Compiz. And to be honest, I forgot the name of these guys.

 You would get the same if Compiz or KDE decided to develop an equivalent 3D Desktop for Windows, but they don't want to do it. They stick to Linux and I won't blame them for this. Now it is Open Source, so if any one feels like doing it, be it


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## Logos (Apr 13, 2009)

Easy Rhino said:


> im tired of ubuntu because it is turning into bloatware. im currently running debian 5 stripped down with only the crap i need. how is mandriva with nvidia drivers? maybe i will switch when they release the final version.



can't help you about NV drivers in Mandriva 'cause I run an Intel chip, but feel free to browse their forums, that's the graphics card section:
http://forum.mandriva.com/viewforum.php?f=91

but if you're looking for a "light" distro, I'm not sure Mandriva is an option. You can always opt for "one" (Gnome or KDE live CDs) instead of the so called "mandriva free DVD" ("one" is free as well) that I'm using.


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## Logos (Apr 13, 2009)

just wanted to add: one thing that bothers me a bit with Mandriva. They "officially" care about license infringements. While most other distros don't and everything needed can be found in repositories, like codecs for audio and video. So one difference between Mandriva and Ubuntu for instance is that Mandriva has a so called "power pack", a commercial version that includes those codecs. Now on the other side, as soon as you get into the Mandriva thing, you learn that some very unofficial repositories exist where anything "bad" can be found. They're called the "plf" repositories (plf stands for "penguin liberation front" lol). So, very officially, those plf repositories are not supported, while it's known some Mandriva devs are involved there. I don't like that very much to be honest. Not to mention that  I haven't been so able to play some videos...I haven't found what I needed, may be it's there, may be it's not (in the plf repos)...I didn't really insist in searching. I dual-boot with Windows and I honestly find it more convenient to switch to Windows where everything is available and so easily, and quickly.
 You're even prompted to buy a codec pack called Codeina when attempting to play some files...for instance, my flv or mp4 files stop running after 15 seconds, and the interface that plays them just closes automatically. They (in the forums) call it a bug, or are saying that I don't have the required (free) codecs installed...this has been driving me nuts for a while and I just gave up. Now don't tell me fairy tales when files just start playing normally and suddenly stop, and always after 15 seconds 

 OK this said, if I looked more into it, I'd probably find what's needed to avoid all that mess. I'll probably do it...later  . I didn't have these problems at all when I was running PCLinuxOS (based off of Mandriva)...my only reasons for the switch is that pclos is very late on KDE 4 integration (they're still stuck to 3.5 atm), and they don't and won't have a 64 bit version.

 edit: don't get me wrong, I'll still stick to Mandriva 'cause it is, in my opinion, one of the most stable distro with KDE; and they did an amazing integration job with KDE 4.


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