[TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale]

[Vestal, Roy L.]

Let me give you a quick background on why I even tried Mandrake.

A few months ago, I upgraded my work PC from a P-III 450MHz with an Intel
mainboard with PC100MHz RAM bus, to an AMD with an ASUS/AMD motherboard with
PC2100 (266MHz) RAM bus. When I tried to reinstall RH 7.1, anaconda failed
with a signal 11. I posted it and it was recommended that I try MD, since I
was so stuck on using RH (been an RH Linux supporter since RHL 5.1) . So I
tried MD, since it's basically RH with MD tools and enhancements.

With that said, when I installed it, I found the installer, although lengthy
and somewhat large, very helpful in the installation. 

For example,
 MD's installer listed the steps on the left of the graphical installer on
where I was, had been, and the remaining steps. Now please understand, I
"grew up" in the M$ world, so I was used to this kind of information. I
didn't wonder "how much was left", and I could go back to previous step
easily.

Second,
 I was able to look at the packages and their designations (i.e. Base,
System, Development, etc.) in a "tree" style layout(sort of like Windoze
Explorer). I was able to see how they interact with each other. Also, I
simply had to put my mouse over the package and a brief description of that
package showed up, much like a Windoze "mouse-over" would. In the past, I
would have to have one machine on the net to look up the package and find
out what it was and install Linux on the other, but this made that
unnecessary. I was able to choose what I wanted vs. install the defaults and
use GnoRPM or KPackage to look at the descriptions and remove them. 

Another thing about the package chooser, if you removed a check from the
tree for a package (i.e. the package "sane"), if there was a dependancy it
would immediately inform you of the failed dependancy (i.e. "xsane") saying
something like "removing this package will break the dependancies to that
package. Would you like to remove that package as well?" then I was able to
make an informed choice instead of trying to figure out what I broke after
the installation was done.

All vendors of Linux are going to find folks like me trying to migrate from
M$ based systems to Linux based. Currently, I recommend to my collegues and
friends to install Mandrake to learn about the OS, and then when they are
comfortable in the Linux world, to remove it and install RedHat. This way I
know they will be familiar with RPM, and most of the RH tools. I've tried
Slackware, Mandrake, Caldera, Dragon, Armed, Peanut, LoopLinux, and RedHat.
I'm the most comfortable with RedHat, it's just it took the others to teach
Linux to me.

One final thought, Mandrake has this online "tutorial" called Mandrake
Campus. I think this is a very useful tool and a very good way that ALL
Linux vendors could show that Linux isn't just for "geeks" anymore. Their
tutorial starts at the basic fundamentals of Open Source, Freeware, and GNU
licensing. It gives a basic history of Linux and then starts you down the
road on how to use it, then how to admin your box. Very similar to a
"Dummies" style introduction.

Hope this helps.

-----Original Message-----
From: Brent Fox [mailto:bfox at linuxheadquarters.com]
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 8:33 PM
To: trilug at trilug.org; Vestal, Roy L.; 'trilug at trilug.org '
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale]


Hi Roy,

    I work for Red Hat on the installer (and various config tools), and I'm 
curious as to what people like better about the Mandrake installer.  At the 
end of every release, I do a comparative analysis on the installers for many

other OSes (various Linux distros, Solaris x86, various Windows versions, 
etc.) to try to determine areas in which we are lacking.  I do this because
I 
want our installer (and our OS as a whole) to be the best one available.

Specifically, how is Mandrake's installer easier to use?  How does it help 
you better understand what you are installing?  

So I guess the question isn't just to Roy, but to everybody:
  What can we do to make the Red Hat Linux installer better?


Cheers,
  Brent


On Wednesday 24 October 2001 10:42 am, Vestal, Roy L. wrote:
> Being one from the Windoze world, I can say that I like the "bloating" in
> the install. I'm learning this from experience as well as books.  I don't
> have the *nix background like alot of the folks in TriLUG. Being used to
> bloat from the master himself, Mr. G., it does help some.
>
> I do have one request, if any of the RH folks are reading, the installer
> from Mandrake is a lot easier to use for those of us that are learning
this
> way. There is a lot of front end, and the install takes longer, but it
> helped me understand what I was installing. I personally WANT to use RH
> Linux, since I'm a homegrown NC boy, I prefer RH to any other. Call me a
> hick, or a good ol' boy, but I plan on hanging on.