"user friendliest" Linux distro

[JoeHill]

On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 15:53:03 -0500
Lloyd Budd disseminated the following:

> When there was the uncertainty regarding a RedHat product for
> home users I switched to Mandrake.  The problems with
> Mandrake are:
> * finding online repositories (urpmi) for Mandrake
> -- http://urpmi.org/easyurpmi/index.php really is not that nice

Any particular reason? Pick the closest mirror, add the sources, yer done, no?

> * non-"members" do not have access to "core" computing
> technologies such as Macro. Flash plugin for browser

I have Flash working, and I ain't no member (yet). I see nothing wrong with
offering non-GPL software, like Nvidia drivers or Flash plugins, as easily
installed RPM's, to members only. Does the free version of Suse come with these
things? I must admit, I'm not that familiar with Suse.

> * too cutting edge -- you are likely to cut getting cut, or at least the
> members will ;-)  This is not much of an issue, because there is no
> good reason to always run at the latest release.  But what makes
> this issue annoying is Mandrake members whining about it ;-)

Granted, though the bugfixes and updates to those 'cutting edge' issues are
fairly prompt.

> * Mandrake loss / losing / frustrating some of the best independent
>   pkg makers .  For example, Chipster and Texstar.

Ya, Texstar was a great loss, however, AFAIK Chipster is still building RPM's
for Mandrake:

http://norlug.org/~chipster/index.pxml?rpms

and there are others stepping up to the plate like:

http://www.eslrahc.com/

and of course Thac is still in business.

I very rarely am 'forced' to build from source.

-- 
JoeHill
Registered Linux user #282046
Homepage: www.orderinchaos.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
17:38:19 up 6 days, 8:08, Mandrake Linux release 9.2 (FiveStar) for i586 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral
philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for
selfishness." -- John Kenneth Galbraith
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