In search of the Best KDE Linux distro of 2013: A comparison of 19 leading KDE operating systems
KDE is possibly the most versatile desktop environment that I've used. It ships with a host of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, BSD, Windows, and even Mac OS X. I don't know of any other desktop environment with that capability. Today almost all major Linux distros have a KDE version and distros like OpenSUSE, PCLinuxOS, Kubuntu, SolydK, PCBSD, etc. have KDE spins as their
Expanding a disk with ubuntu and virtualbox
I have no more free space in my virtualbox disk. And i created the disk as "static" which is an obstacle when you want to expand the disk:
The disk says "Format variant: fixed"
The first thing you have to do, just clone the disk. Once cloned, it will be dynamic:
Now, i changed the original disk with this new one in the Virtual Box GUI Management and everything was smooth.
Next, i just resized the disk to have 20 Gig instead of only 4 Gig
Now i started the ubuntu desktop to use gparted and resize the guest operating system:
Choose to "Try Ubuntu"
Make sure to choose the right disk, i can not take any responsibility if something of this goes wrong:
I was not able to move the swap disk, so i removed it with fdisk.
fdisk /dev/sda
d 5
d 2
w
And then i started gparted again. Now i was able to resize the partition. Then, i rebooted the virtual machine and opened gparted again. Added the swap partition and rebooted.
walter@walter-Lenovo-Z480:~/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb$ VBoxManage modifyhd Linux1.vdi --resize 20000
0%...
Progress state: VBOX_E_NOT_SUPPORTED
VBoxManage: error: Resize hard disk operation for this format is not implemented yet!
The disk says "Format variant: fixed"
walter@walter-Lenovo-Z480:~/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb$ VBoxManage showhdinfo Linux1.vdi
UUID: 3492e240-1589-479f-a6d7-f58586a7a671
Parent UUID: base
State: created
Type: normal (base)
Location: /home/walter/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb/Linux1.vdi
Storage format: VDI
Format variant: fixed default
Capacity: 4853 MBytes
Size on disk: 4854 MBytes
In use by VMs: intraweb (UUID: 76173fac-f9b3-4cf9-9daf-06e363eecd6d)
The first thing you have to do, just clone the disk. Once cloned, it will be dynamic:
walter@walter-Lenovo-Z480:~/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb$ VBoxManage clonehd Linux1.vdi Linux1d.vdi
0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Clone hard disk created in format 'VDI'. UUID: e8f06a57-805e-464f-8cbc-3e23d082a003
walter@walter-Lenovo-Z480:~/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb$ VBoxManage showhdinfo Linux1d.vdi
UUID: e8f06a57-805e-464f-8cbc-3e23d082a003
Parent UUID: base
State: created
Type: normal (base)
Location: /home/walter/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb/Linux1d.vdi
Storage format: VDI
Format variant: dynamic default
Capacity: 4853 MBytes
Size on disk: 4475 MBytes
Now, i changed the original disk with this new one in the Virtual Box GUI Management and everything was smooth.
Next, i just resized the disk to have 20 Gig instead of only 4 Gig
walter@walter-Lenovo-Z480:~/VirtualBox VMs/intraweb$ VBoxManage modifyhd ~/VirtualBox\ VMs/intraweb/Linux1d.vdi --resize 20000
0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
Now i started the ubuntu desktop to use gparted and resize the guest operating system:
I was not able to move the swap disk, so i removed it with fdisk.
fdisk /dev/sda
d 5
d 2
w
And then i started gparted again. Now i was able to resize the partition. Then, i rebooted the virtual machine and opened gparted again. Added the swap partition and rebooted.
Linux Mint 16 KDE Review: With KDE 4.11.3 and offers superb performance!
It is not easy for a distro to stay number 1 in Distrowatch ranking for last 2-3 years displacing operating systems like Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, etc. And Linux Mint is doing the same release after release, each release beating previous releases in terms of functionality and performance. The latest release from Mint stable is Linux Mint 16, code named "Petra". First the Cinnamon and Mate spins
Fedora 20 "Heisenbug" KDE Review: With KDE 4.11.4 & kernel 3.12 now, bleeding edge but stable!
Honestly
when I started using Linux back in 2009, I didn't like Fedora much.
Ubuntu was my choice for being easy, fast and efficient. However, as I
matured as a Linux user, my fondness of Fedora increased. I reviewed
Fedora 19 in July 2013 and was very impressed with the performance it
offered. Fedora's latest release Fedora 20 "Heisenbug", named after a
bug, was released on 17-Dec-2013.
Linux Deepin 2013 Review: Refreshing and Elegant but with some minor quirks!
Linux Deepin has always been a special distro to me - an Asian distro with a distinct theme and an elegant attractive interface. This Chinese distro ships with it's own home-grown desktop environment: Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE), based on GNOME 3 along with a host of goodies that makes it very usable for common Linux users. I was very impressed with the previous release 12.12.1 and once the
Calculate Linux 13.11 Review: Gentoo Simplified and works well with Nvidia hybrid graphics!
After more than 2 years of trying out more than 200 different distros, I noticed that I haven't really cut my teeth onto a couple of Linux branches, Gentoo and Slackware, that much. I don't directly jump to Gentoo in this article but take up a Gentoo spin, Calculate Linux. It is a Russian distro based on Gentoo Linux and has a rolling release, which means that once you install you need not to
Linux Mint 16 "Petra" Cinnamon and Mate Review: Mint has done it again!
We have all seen Ubuntu 13.10 and the incremental improvements that it brought. Though the distro in itself was really good but it wasn't something tempting enough to actually leave Ubuntu Precise, the LTS one with support till April 2017, and adopt Ubuntu Saucy Salamander, with 6 months of support. At that point in time, I thought Mint would make it's release pretty soon. So, ultimately, on the
OpenMandriva Lx 2013.0 Review: Looks awesome but needs to improve functionality and performance
I have been following OpenMandriva for quite sometime, occasionally testing their release candidate distros as well. For those who are not aware of the latest Mandriva spin on the block, OpenMandriva distribution is a full-featured Linux desktop and server, sponsored by the OpenMandriva Association. It is based on ROSA, a Russian Mandriva fork, and hence, the look and feel of OpenMandriva is too
OpenSUSE 13.1 KDE Review: Very refined and functional!
I have been wanting to review OpenSUSE for quite sometime but somehow lost interest in OpenSUSE last year. However, with the release of OpenSUSE 12.3, my interest in OpenSUSE was back but I didn't get much time to critically review it. So, I was eagerly waiting for the 13.1 release to come out. Now after having used 13.1 for around a couple of weeks, I am finally penning down my review. Why a
Pear OS 8 "Rocha" Review: Very very elegant!
I have been following Pear Linux/OS for quite sometime. In fact, in between, I used Pear OS 6, the LTS one, as my main production distro for quite sometime last year. Pear OS intrigues me primarily because of it's striking resemblance to Mac OS X and inherent simplicity of the controls. Pear OS 8, based on Ubuntu 13.04 or Ubuntu Raring Ringtail, is the latest release from their stable.
Ubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" Review and comparison: Ubuntu 13.10 vs Kubuntu 13.10 vs Xubuntu 13.10 vs Lubuntu 13.10 vs Ubuntu GNOME 13.10
Someone asked me yesterday that why I didn't review Ubuntu 13.10, the flagship OS of Canonical, though I reviewed all the other flavors. Well, there are a couple of reasons:
1. Except for Smart scopes and Nvidia support, there is not much difference with Ubuntu Raring
2. A lot of Linux experts wrote some high quality reviews of Ubuntu and I guess, I didn't have much to add.
So I thought of
How to compress a file in linux. In parts
To compress a file in parts i use RAR. There are many ways to do it.
rar a -v250000k /rar_file_name.rar /directory_or_file/Voyager Live 13.10 Review: Ships with a lot of features - definitely the most impressive XFCE distro I've used!
As mentioned in my previous review on MakuluLinux, last one week I was busy in using MakuluLinux and Voyager Live as my primary distros. And I must say it has been an wonderful experience so far. Yesterday I penned down my review on MakuluLinux and today I am attempting to jot down my experience with Voyager.
From Voyager 13.10 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in
Voyager Live is a French
MakuluLinux 4.2 Review: Refreshing all purpose Debian spin but has some minor bugs!
For last 4-5 days, I was busy in testing a couple of pretty good XFCE distros - MakuluLinux and Voyager 13.10. Actually I am bit tired of reviewing the established names in the Linux world - they come pretty much configured to work on commonly available systems and there is very little surprise in store. Of late, the new and relatively unknown distros seem more appealing to me due to a couple of
Ubuntu GNOME 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" Review: With improved GNOME 3.8 and performs better than Unity 7
When GNOME switched to the 3rd version, initially it was plagued with a whole lot of controversies. Ubuntu came up with Unity DE and gave up pure GNOME 3 momentarily to again be back with a GNOME 3 spin in the Raring Ringtail release. There was no LTS release earlier but this time the Ubuntu GNOME team is gearing up for the 14.04 LTS release. I guess that is a great news for all GNOME lovers.
Kubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" Review: Just got better with better animations, social network integration and much more!
Ubuntu 13.10 is released this month and I already reviewed Xubuntu and Lubuntu flavors. Next is line is Kubuntu 13.10 which ships with KDE 4.11.2 and Linux kernel 3.11.0. KDE 4.11 has impressed me a lot and I found it to be better than previous KDE editions in terms of support for modern hardware and animations. Also, OpenGL 3.0 plugin works superb with KDE 4.11. However, this distro is
Xubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" Review: As good as ever!
Ubuntu 13.10 is out and brings with it some incremental innovations. I reviewed Lubuntu yesterday and next in line is another lightweight Ubuntu flavor - Xubuntu. This is another distro which didn't undergo significant overhaul like GNOME or KDE. It has stayed more or less consistent over the years, can be customized a lot and post GNOME 2, has been my preferred DE. Unlike LXDE, XFCE is a lot
Lubuntu 13.10 "Saucy Salamander" Review: Offers fantastic performance and possibly the best Lubuntu release I have used
The Ubuntu 13.10 release is out a couple of days ago and it is named as "Saucy Salamander" in continuation with the tradition of naming each release with an "Adjective Animal". I downloaded all five of the main releases: Ubuntu, Ubuntu GNOME, Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu. However, I start my review with my favorite of the Ubuntu flavors: Lubuntu.
Lubuntu combines the goodness of Ubuntu with
Point Linux 2.2 Review: Beautiful Debian spin with Mate desktop
Honestly, for quite sometime I stopped reviewing Mate distros as they were not appealing enough. Mate seemed to be a poor cousin of GNOME 3 and not as appealing as GNOME 2, still my favorite distro. Though Mate is forked from GNOME 2 but it didn't come across compelling enough for me to adopt it. I was happy with XFCE and KDE, as better alternatives. However, last week I came across a really
Hanthana 19.0 Review: Sri Lankan spiced up Fedora, has some bugs but quite good in overall
The prime issue that I faced while migrating to Fedora from Ubuntu was the complexity involved in installation of proprietary codecs and flash plugins. Hanthana Linux is a step in that direction to provide new users a ready to use Fedora OS with all plugins and codecs along with a whole lot of applications. The concept is not novel though - Korora (formerly Kororaa) has both KDE and GNOME 3
SolydK 201309 Review: Rock-solid Debian spin offering KDE 4.11.1
Linux Mint has some serious competition it seems! SolydXK is gradually growing on me and like me, on many other devoted Linux users. This distro right now comes in KDE and XFCE versions and is a spin off from the Linux Mint Debian. LM Debian as of now has two desktop environments, Cinnamon and Mate, and no longer supports XFCE or KDE. That is where SolydXK contributes; more specifically
SolydX 201309 Review: Simple, effective and efficient, as good as Linux Mint!
All those users fretting over the demise of Mint Debian XFCE spin can now rejoice with SolydX. It aims to provide users a simple, stable and secured operating system and targeted to small businesses, non-profit organizations in addition to the home users. SolydX is based on Debian testing branch and hence, gets updated applications more quicker than Debian stable. I tested the earlier releases
Zorin 6.4 "Educational" Review: Very good for Kids, Fun to use, but lags a bit behind for Graduate students
During post graduate education and doctoral studies I was relying
primarily on Windows 2000 and Windows XP to write my thesis. I could
recall the nights spent with Adobe Pagemaker, LaTeX and MS Word for
writing dissertation, managing references and citations using EndNote
and many other software which actually helped me a lot in my research
work. Unfortunately those days I wasn't initiated
Antergos 2013.08.20 GNOME Review: Most efficient GNOME 3.8 Distro I have used
Antergos started life in 2012 as Cinnarch, offering Cinnamon desktop with Arch Linux. It changed to Antergos after the developers opted for GNOME 3 as the default desktop and retained Cinnamon along with Openbox, Razor-qt and XFCE as the other DEs in offer. It has the same rolling release development model as the parent Arch Linux. Given I never liked Cinnamon, I didn't try out Cinnarch.
Manjaro 0.8.7 "Ascella" XFCE Review: Superb performance with professional looks!
Post Fuduntu, for last 3 months, I was searching for a suitable distro for my
Asus EeePC 1101HA with the following specs:
Processor: Intel Atom Z520 1.33 Ghz
Chipset: Intel US15W
RAM: 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM, 667 Mhz, PC-2 5300
Hard disk: 160 GB
Display: 11.6 in., LED backlight, 1366x768 HD resolution
Graphic Processor: Intel GMA 500
Manjaro XFCE on Asus EeePC 1101HA From Manjaro 0.8.7 XFCE http:
Kubuntu 12.04.3 Review: Good but AWESOME with KDE 4.11
Kubuntu 12.04 LTS received a new update a couple of weeks ago and I have been using it for last two weeks. I installed it on a partition in my Asus K54C laptop with Core i3 2.2 Ghz processor and 2 GB RAM. There is no separate graphic card option in this machine except Intel proprietary graphic card which came along with it.
The latest update came with some significant changes like drivers for
Ubuntu 12.04.3 LTS Review: With much smoother Unity but no web apps yet!
Ubuntu is and always will be a special distro to me as my experience with Linux began with Ubuntu. I used it till 11.04 release, as long as the GNOME classic option was there and it supported customization. However, with Unity taking precedence in Ubuntu's flagship distro, I shifted to Linux Mint and other Ubuntu spins (with XFCE or KDE desktops).
But, with the 12.04 release I started using
OS4 OpenLinux 13.7 Review: With KDE 4.11 and the most efficient KDE I have used!
I have been testing out OS4 for quite sometime, primarily their XFCE spins with BeeOS theme (in 13.6 release, of course, they changed it for better!). Mostly, they bring out user-friendly spins with all available multimedia codecs and plugins to make OS4 a good option for Linux novices as well as experienced users. For this review, I take up the latest update of OS4 KDE spin. OS4 OpenLinux 13
KWheezy 1.1 Review: Good Debian spin for the beginners
I am using KWheezy for last 5 days or so, in parallel to Elementary OS 0.2 and it has been a really weird experience using both so far. On one hand, I experience a very simplified approach to Linux where the operating system, by default, provides only a shell on which you build your own customized system with very specific applications that you like and use regularly, as in case of Elementary OS
Elementary OS "Luna" 0.2 Review: Simple, effective, efficient
Like many other Linux users, I too, follow a lot about Elementary OS. They seems to be getting things right what's wrong with modern Linux in general and GNOME 3 in particular. Consider this, it is just the 0.2 release of Elementary and already ranked 27 in Distrowatch popularity! The 1.0 release is yet to come! As Darshak said in the comments section - it is going to be killer of a distro.
Linux Deepin 12.12.1 Review: Amazingly beautiful and soothing Ubuntu GNOME spin from China!
I have used Deepin Linux earlier but never got time to actually pen down a review. It is based on Ubuntu but uses the GNOME shell rather than Unity and comes with great support for Chinese language. I am no expert in Chinese and hence, downloaded the 32-bit English version of Linux Deepin for this test.
From Deepin 12.12.1 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in
Originally, Linux Deepin 12.12 was
OS4 OpenLinux 13.6 Review: XFCE spin with a difference!
I used and reviewed OS4 13 (LTS version) earlier as well. But, I didn't find it appealing earlier. The default design of XFCE looks way better than the legacy BeOS design of OS4. I checked out the 13.1 version earlier and was not that pleased with OS4. However, my opinion changed with the release OS4 13.6 (I missed out the other updates after 13.1, honestly). With a change in design, interesting
Zorin OS 7 "Lite" Review: Beautiful and functional LXDE operating system
Zorin has a history of creating pretty refined Ubuntu spins specifically targeted to newcomers. Their recent release Zorin OS 7 is based on Ubuntu 13.04 and it has 6 months of support. I earlier reviewed the Zorin OS 7 Core (with GNOME desktop) and found it to be very good in terms of functionality, stability and aesthetics. Zorin, as a tradition, first releases the core or GNOME distro and
antiX 13.1 "Luddite" Review: Superb lightweight OS with blazing fast speed and offering full functionalities
Somehow I was never very comfortable with so called "lightweight" distros primarily because of the very limited functionalities they offer. I have tried out Slitaz, Puppy Linux, MacPup, etc. to name a few and finally settled for Openbox distros like Manjaro openbox, Archbang, Crunchbang, Sparkylinux, etc. In between, I tried e17 distros like Bodhi and Snowlinux as well. Actually all these were
Installing AMD Radeon drivers in Linux: Example from HP 4331s with Ubuntu/Netrunner
Last week, I tested Netrunner on HP
4431s Pro-book laptop (2.3 Ghz 2nd Gen. Ci3, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB Hard
drive, Windows 7, 1 GB AMD Radeon HD 7470M graphic processor). This
laptop belonged to my friend and he came to me to resolve a couple of
issues:
Virus/Malware
problem and slowing down of Windows 7 - the antivirus software
installed could not remove, neither it could be deleted manually.
Netrunner 13.06 "Enigma" KDE Review: With Firefox Market place, web apps and a whole lot of goodies!
I have been thinking of writing a review of Netrunner for quite sometime. I missed out when 12.12 was released. Further, I downloaded the 64-bit Netrunner 13.06 for two weeks or so testing it out, thinking of writing a review later. But, an opportunity came this weekend. Before actually jumping on to the test, an introduction to those who are not aware of Netrunner.
From Netrunner 13.06 http
Linux Mint 15 "Olivia" XFCE Review: Mint does it again, another exceptional XFCE release!
If I think of any distro which just works without any issue month after month, year after year, it is got to be Linux Mint. I am using Linux Mint 13 XFCE (with LTS support) on my netbook and it's been a trouble free 1.5 years - with absolutely no issue. Everything just working as it should work and I keep it on most of days at night to download Linux distros or movies - no heating problem till
Fedora 19 Review: Not flashy but very dependable, KDE being the best of the lot!
2013 has been an exceptional year in a sense that Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian, the three major Linux distros, had their releases this year. Debian 7 finally got released, Ubuntu came up with a better Unity along with more social integration and it is now turn of Fedora to showcase it's latest offering. I was really interested to know Fedora 19 - whether the latest Fedora is able to live up to
ROSA 2012 R1 Desktop Fresh LXDE Review: Another super cool LXDE spin with added integrated control center!
As I wrote in my last article about LXDE though being very efficient, is a bit tough for a Linux newbie to handle. I was very happy with the latest PCLinuxOS 2013.06 LXDE spin as it made LXDE relatively simpler by adding an integrated LXDE control center along with quite a few other customizations. This week I used another LXDE distro, ROSA 2012 R1 Desktop Fresh LXDE. Incidentally, both ROSA
PCLinuxOS 2013.06 LXDE Review: Fast, attractive and easy to use Lightweight rolling release distro
Of all the desktop environments I have used till date, LXDE definitely ranks among the most efficient ones. Just to give a proof of how much it is efficient than other desktop environments, I have used till date 13 LXDE distros and their combined average RAM utilization is ~ 116 MB (all 32-bit OS), to load the default desktop with task manager running. LXDE consumes less than half of the
Peppermint OS Four Review: Linux Mint of Lubuntu with added Ice and Web apps!
Peppermint OS Four is one distro, possibly, I haven't paid sufficient attention till date. This week first time I made an honest effort to understand and use it for a few days continuously. I must say I am very impressed with the new Peppermint OS release - Peppermint OS Four. Earlier my impression was it is just repackaged Lubuntu. But, with continuous usage for a few days, my impression
Zorin OS 7 Review: Windows clone of Ubuntu with great design and good performance
Zorin OS is an Ubuntu spin specially keeping in mind the new Linux converters from Windows. From the beginning itself it has an interface quite similar to previously Windows XP and now Windows 7 (still it gives Win XP appearance as an alternative). Zorin OS is somewhat different from other distros, as it has a commercial angle to it. It has a paid full featured version with support and a free
Linux Mint 15 "Olivia" Mate & Cinnamon Review: Great aesthetics & superb performance - Almost perfect!
Linux Mint is one of the few Linux distros that I normally recommend to any newbie. It just works! This is possibly the most amazing thing about Mint. Whereas with rest of the Linux distros, I get to hear a lot of complains (even I have experienced for some). But, not a single one for Linux Mint. Any system you throw at it, it will always work! Perhaps this is what separates Mint from rest of
Snowlinux 4 "Frosty" "Mate" & "Cinnamon" Review: Good but is it better than Linux Mint 15?
Snowlinux is a distro which I follow with close attention as it brings out good usable spins of Debian stable, with easy installation. I was very impressed with the Snowlinux Crystal and Glacier series. So, after having a good break and returning from a couple of weeks vacation, I thought of starting up with Snowlinux 4 review. This one, of course, is not based on Debian but Ubuntu 13.04 and
Conky Lua for KDE and Gnome 3 distros: Mageia, Sabayon, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, OpenSuSE, Chakra, Debian and Fedora
Conky-lua is a great and stylish conky that I got from Deviantart. I like its simplicity and appeal. However, conkies doesn't tend to work with modern Gnome 3, Unity and KDE desktops, as it is. Some subtle changes are required to make them work work with these modern desktops. I have made the modifications in the zipped files for
Debian KDE, GNOME
Linux Mint KDE, GNOME
Ubuntu Unity, KDE (
Hybryde Linux 13.04 Review: Use Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu and Ubuntu Gnome together without logging out!
Hybryde Linux is a new distro to me - I haven't used it earlier. Conceptually it appears similar to Ultimate Edition which combines all available apps and desktop environments to a fusion operating system, Hybryde Linux adds to it an element of seamlessly switching across desktops without requiring to log out. Definitely a novel concept for users who quickly get bored off using the same desktop
Mageia 3 KDE Review: Simple, refined, elegant and fantastic!
To be honest, I have used quite a few KDE distros in last couple of years but never saw a resource efficient distro like Mageia 2. Under similar conditions, Mageia performed better than almost all the KDE distros I have used. Plus, with Mandriva Linux going commercial and PCLinuxOS becoming independent of Mandriva, Mageia and ROSA are perhaps the limited ways to know what's brewing in the
Ubuntu 13.04 vs Kubuntu 13.04 vs Xubuntu 13.04 vs Lubuntu 13.04 vs Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME: A brief comparison
Every Linux novice goes through this phase - confusion to decide which Ubuntu to install when now you've got so many versions of Ubuntu coming out of the stable. The aim of this article is to facilitate taking decision by briefing about what distro has to offer and a comparison of their performance.
I take up here the latest Ubuntu release 13.04, codenamed "Raring Ringtail". Released in April
Sabayon 13.04 KDE review: One of the most elegant distros in the Linux world
Let me begin this way, I am a great admirer of Sabayon for quite sometime. This Italian distro is based on Gentoo Linux and provides an enviable ensemble of pre-installed applications which just works out of the box. Those who are scared of Gentoo, Sabayon can be a good starting point. Apart from being based on one of the most popular Linux operating systems, one of the greatest USPs of Sabayon
Debian "Wheezy" 7.0 KDE Review: Supremely stable and pure Debian delight!
Let me get it straight in the beginning, if you are a real distro hopper and always looking for the latest Linux world has to offer, Debian is not the perfect distro for you. You will get bored quite easily with Debian Wheezy! As indicated, Debian stable branch is for those who look for supreme stability and awesome performance. I had used Debian Squeeze for quite sometime in 2011 and was
Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" GNOME Review: Upgradable to GNOME 3.8 and performs reasonably well!
Ubuntu GNOME (formerly Ubuntu GNOME Remix) is right now an official flavor of Ubuntu and their first official release came with Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail". The unique USP about it is pure GNOME experience, devoid of Unity. Given it is the first official release with vanilla GNOME desktop and upgradable to GNOME 3.8, I was naturally inclined to try it out - to see whether it is more
Kubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Review: Stable, efficient and rock solid distro!
Kubuntu may not be the best KDE distro around but in my experience, a lot of new Linux users tend to start their KDE experience with Kubuntu. Possibly it is due to trickle down effect of the popularity of Ubuntu. But, never the less, Kubuntu receives a lot of attention among the Linux users. Kubuntu's latest release is 13.04 Raring Ringtail with KDE 4.10.2 and kernel 3.8.0-19 and as the release
Xubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Review: Rock solid and stable as ever!
Let me set the tone of the review at the very beginning itself, these words are from the Xubuntu 13.04 release notes:
"The Xubuntu team is glad to announce the immediate
release of Xubuntu 13.04. Xubuntu 13.04 will be supported for 9 months
and will need other media such as a USB device or a DVD to install.
What's new in Xubuntu 13.04? Xubuntu 13.04 is mostly a maintenance
release, and
Lubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Review: Fast, efficient and functional
Lubuntu is one of my favorite distros for it's amazing resource efficiency and functionality. It may not be the most eye-candy in the Ubuntu clan but definitely the most resource efficient. LXDE traditionally consumes lower resources than Gnome or KDE and even XFCE. And most importantly, it is customizable enough to make it look really attractive. Though the release note of Lubuntu 13.04 didn't
Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Review: Sizzling with Unity 7 but does it warrant an upgrade from Ubuntu 12.04/Ubuntu 12.10?
Let me start with where I left off in my review of Ubuntu 13.04 beta 2. To me, as an user, it appeared to be an updated version of Quantal (12.10) and nothing more. However, I ended with a note that possibly by the time of release Ubuntu will come up with something really spectacular like Smart Scopes. I must say, I am a bit disappointed with Ubuntu in the absence of Smart scopes. I heard that
Manjaro 0.8.5 KDE Review: With KDE 4.10.2 and added Steam!
Within a short span of time, Manjaro seems to have hit the right cord with Linux users. In last 8 months, it had 6 major releases with almost all desktop flavors available in their kitty and currently ranked within top 10 in Distrowatch. For those uninitiated to Manjaro, it is an user-friendly spin of Archlinux with popular desktop environments which just works once you boot up. To me, Manjaro
Fuduntu 2013.2 Review: As ever - Simple, Effective, fast and now with added Steam!
This year January, I reviewed the 2013.1 update from Fuduntu and was extremely impressed by it. Since then Fuduntu has been one of my favorite distros and I use it on my netbook, dual boot with Linux Mint 13 XFCE. Fuduntu, though the name has resemblance to Ubuntu in it, is more of Fedora with the advantage of rolling release. However, to me it is truly Fedora + Ubuntu, as it combines the
Emmabuntus 12.04.2-1.04 Review: Xubuntu LTS spiced up!
I recently came across Emmabuntus in Distrowatch, it is a Xubuntu 12.04.2 LTS based distro which comes with a large number of pre-installed applications. You can say it to be Ultimate Edition for Xubuntu. Naturally, I was inclined to try it out - to check if it is just mindless collection of applications or the developers have used their judgement in selecting those apps.
From Emmabuntus
Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" Beta 2 Review: With a better looking Unity!
It is April 2013 and we are eagerly awaiting the release of Ubuntu 13.04. Discussions are on whether it will have the usual 18 months of support or a lesser 9 months. Codenamed Raring Ringtail, the OS is at the final stages and in this article, I give you a sneak preview of what is expected. Of course, Ubuntu will add some last minute surprises when the final release comes.
From Ubuntu 13.04
Pear OS 7 "Corella" Review: Simple, elegant and smooth Mac clone of Ubuntu 12.10
I have got good familiarity with Pear OS 6, having used it for more than 6 months. I really liked the launcher (and felt it is much intuitive and better than Gnome 3 launcher), and the social networking apps like G+, Facebook and Twitter. Pear OS 6 is based on the long term version of Ubuntu - Precise Pangolin. The latest release of Pear OS, Pear OS 7 is on the other hand based on Ubuntu 12.10,
ZevenOS 3.0 Neptune "Brotkasten" KDE Review: Refreshingly different!
ZevenOS, a German based distro, is quite a familiar name in the Linux world. Typically they bring out two classes of distro
A lightweight XFCE distro based on Ubuntu, with the look and feel of BeOS, which actually never captured my imagination
A heavier KDE based Neptune based on Debian testing
Last week I came across the release note of Neptune in Distrowatch based on Debian Wheezy and I was
Linux Mint 201303 "Debian" Mate: Very good semi-rolling Mate distro from Debian testing
Last week I reviewed Linux Mint 201303 Debian Cinnamon and was extremely pleased with the smoothness, refinement and performance it offered. Further, LMDE offers a semi-rolling distro with little requirement of reinstalling it again (if everything works properly after each update though!). Next I thought of reviewing the Mate version to make an assessment. Honestly, I haven't used much of Mate
Linux Mint 201303 "Debian" Cinnamon Review: Debian simplified and offers impressive performance!
One thing I really like about Linux Mint is the refinement and completeness they render to each and every release. I have been using Linux Mint since 2009 and except for the repetitive art-work, I have never been disappointed so far. Normally Linux Mint releases mimic Ubuntu and mostly require fresh installation. I tried upgrading a few but with no luck and hence, had to do a fresh installation
Trisquel 6.0 Review: High performing and extremely elegant! Free Software advocate or not - a definitely recommended distro for all Linux lovers!
The birth of Ubuntu is possibly, pivotal to the Linux history. Reason? Without Ubuntu, possibly we won't have heard the names of 50% distros in the Distrowatch top 100 list! You will find all kinds of Ubuntu derived distros there - mostly spiced up Ubuntu which work right out of the box with all free and non-free multimedia codecs and restricted softwares loaded in them! However, last week I
GhostBSD 3.0 Review: Complete operating system and FreeBSD on steroids!
For quite sometime I was thinking of trying out a Unix operating system, something a bit different from the usual Linux distros I try out every week. I didn't want to jump directly to FreeBSD and hence, I chose the Gnome derivative of FreeBSD, GhostBSD. Eric Turgeon announced the release of GhostBSD 3.0 on 10th March 2013. The reason for my choice of GhostBSD over FreeBSD is obvious - I wanted
Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail Daily-build Review: With latest apps and a better looking Unity
My latest Ubuntu 13.04 Beta 2 review
With every progressing release, Unity desktop is getting significantly better. In Natty and Oneiric, I actually hated Unity for it's inefficiency and decided to stick to Linux Mint and Sabayon for the time being. However, with Ubuntu Precise 2nd update (12.04.2), my opinion on Unity actually changed. Though still not customizable but efficiency has
Kubuntu 13.04 Alpha 2 Review: Very promising
Kubuntu may not be the best implementation of KDE but definitely one of the most followed. For me, Kubuntu has been always a judicious mix of KDE and Gnome applications along with a boring default interface. Of course, with a change of wallpaper, KDE widgets and bringing in some KDE themes made it really shiny and attractive. Even Kubuntu 12.10 had a real boring and plain-vanilla default
Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS Review: Now I like Unity!
Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is possibly one of the most landmark long term release for Ubuntu and Canonical for a couple of reasons. Number one, it is the first long term release with Unity desktop. Second, first time the LTS is supported for 5 years. Love it or hate it, Unity has now become synonymous with Ubuntu. And after reviewing a lot of distros with stock Gnome 3 as desktop, I now understand why
ROSA Desktop Fresh 2012: Very efficient & elegant stock Gnome 3 distro
I have been following ROSA Linux since 2012. Now that possibly not everything going right for Mandriva Linux, the emergence of ROSA has assumed paramount significance. ROSA has not only enhanced the Mandriva based, but also created its own very distinct theme, especially for KDE. Even I am an ardent admirer of the unique design that ROSA brings on the table. Every ROSA release so far has been
Sabayon 11 Mate Review: Very efficient but stripped down version
To begin with, Sabayon 11 release is not
be missed. At least that is the evidence I got post using the Sabayon
11 XFCE and KDE releases. Hardware support is better than ever with complete EFI/UEFI and UEFI SecureBoot support, greatly improved NVIDIA Optimus support through Bumblebee, a selection of MySQL flavors, including Google MySQL and MariaDB, up to 14000 packages now available in the
Sabayon 11 KDE Review: Great aesthetics and stable performance
To begin with, Sabayon 11 release is not be missed. At least that is the evidence I got post using the Sabayon 11 XFCE release. Hardware support is better than ever with complete EFI/UEFI and UEFI SecureBoot support, greatly improved NVIDIA Optimus support through Bumblebee, a selection of MySQL flavors, including Google MySQL and MariaDB, up to 14000 packages now available in the repositories
Sabayon 11 XFCE Review: Extremely refined and a release not to be missed!
The name "Sabayon" always rings me of a very refined and extremely polished Linux operating system. As has been my experience with Sabayon 9 and 10, even the Sabayon 11 release doesn't disappoint. Sabayon 11 is refinement exemplified and is released in four flavors: Gnome 3, KDE, XFCE and LXDE. I start this series of review with my preferred desktop environment, XFCE.
From Sabayon 11 XFCE
Linux Mint 14 "Nadia" XFCE Review: Simply the best!
Simply put, it has become really boring to review any Linux Mint distro as I need to write the same words again and again. Things work so perfect with Mint and honestly, I haven't seen any other Linux distro better than Mint in terms of stability and performance. Last year when I reviewed Linux Mint 13 XFCE (the long term support one), I coined the release as the best of the year for any XFCE
Customize to Create desktop cube with Compiz in Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint
As I have been saying in my last
few articles, Linux desktops like Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, etc. (except
Unity) can be customized - so much that even at times it becomes
difficult to identify what desktop environment (DE) actually it is! In my last article I covered whatever is written here, just separating out the compiz bit so that it is easier to search in google.
From Enabling Desktop
How to customize and decorate Ubuntu desktop? Simple steps to customize Linux Desktop: Give your Fedora or Ubuntu a face-lift!
As I have been saying in my last
few articles, Linux desktops like Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, etc. (except
Unity) can be customized - so much that even at times it becomes
difficult to identify what desktop environment (DE) actually it is! I do
some very basic level customization to give a face lift to
otherwise bland DEs like LXDE, XFCE, Openbox, etc. and in this article
I'll take you
Linux Lite 1.0.4: With added Steam!
When I reviewed Linux Lite 1.0.0 last year, I was pretty happy with the lightweight XFCE distro. The release was based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and was quite lighter than Xubuntu 12.04. Once the 1.0.4 update for Linux Lite came out in February 2013, I was a bit curious to try out and see the incremental additions that the developers have made to the updated release.
I found a few changes from 1.0.0
Fedora 18 "Spherical Cow" Vs Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal": Who is the best?
With Fedora 18 release in Jan 2013, I see increase in interest on Fedora distros in my friends circle. Almost everybody wants to know between Fedora and Ubuntu - who offers better proposition? Well, honestly, there is no straight forward, definitive answer and both command a significant number of dedicated users. As you see, both Ubuntu and Fedora gives birth to scores of derivatives and are
Ubuntu Precise: Install LibreOffice 4.0.0 full suite
LibreOffice 4.0.0 is released and you can download the installation file from LibreOffice site. Two files are to be download:
LibreOffice_4.0.0_Linux_x86_deb.tar.gz (170 MB)
LibreOffice_4.0.0_Linux_x86_deb_helppack_en-US.tar.gz (9 MB)
Before proceeding, first uninstall the existing LibreOffice installation via terminal, by:
sudo apt-get remove libreoffice*
Now go to the downloaded files.
PCLinuxOS KDE 2013.02 Review: The best KDE distro in the Linux world!
Last year, I started using PCLinuxOS KDE on a regular basis with 2012.02 and with 2012.08 release, I really fell in love with the distro. The July release provided almost every application I require, out of the box, and I hardly needed installing any more application from the repository. However, I found it to be a bit high on resource consumption compared to other KDE distros released in 2012.
Snowlinux 4 "e17" Review: Good but not good enough compared to Bodhi 2.2.0
Enlightenment is definitely one of the best looking lightweight desktops that I have used. Thanks to Rasterman and team for creating and nurturing this amazing desktop. I would place it somewhere between Openbox and LXDE both in aesthetics as well as performance. Openbox runs on the least resources of the three but looks a bit blank whereas LXDE consumes a bit more RAM and CPU but can be