Mandrake Linux 9.2 PowerPack - how should I buy it?

For $69.99 through Mandrake directly?

For $69.99 through Borders bookstore, if and when it arrives (been waiting for 1.5 months)

For $19.99 through 3rd party distributor as a set of duplicated discs?

http://www.xandros.com/

(OK I lied B-) )

:D

Dunno if it works with WineX though, which works nicely under SuSE (the best platform I gather for gaming) and Mandrake...

Besides, now that Novell has bought SuSE and Ximian Desktop, things will get "veddy interesting", as the German would say!

On edit: Ah, so that's what happened to Corel Linux! :think:

...they license the OEM binaries when possible.

Plus you get excellent printer and SAMBA setup (you can even setup a full Windows PDC with it). It manages network logins for you and won't brainlessly keep re-prompting you for a password just to access a remove Windows folder. Their file manager integrates seamlessly with network shares.

All the players/codecs/plugins are right there for you.

Also, it's based on Debian... WineX should be fine.

Xandros uses APT and has a great GUI for managing software. The software is not piled on like a garbage heap-- You get ONE office suite (OpenOffice) by default and you can download all the usual alternatives from the repository.

It has a user-switcher too.

Lastly, it is the most stable distro I have ever seen.

direct love. And read the 9.2 errata page before you install. ;-)

If you need any help with installing it, or configuring it, lemme know.

I've been using Red Hat 9 because its free. I would say get the cheap one because you can get support and stuff anywhere.

Sex drugs and Linux rules!

I'm sitting here looking at CD sets I've burned directly from RedHat, Mandrake, and Slackware.org, as well as QNX 6.0 sitting here somewhere.

I guess I must be right. :shrug:

is far cheaper than a year of DSL/cable modem any day when you consider I don't do online gaming and the most I do is occasionally download music. Don't need DSL or cable modem.

As a heavy Internet and Windows Office user (on XP) are there really reasons why I would want to go through the pain of going to Linux? I realize that Linux is more secure but is it worth it?

If it is a better OS that pleases the computer purist that's fine and maybe you don't want the hordes joining your club. Just wondering when/if Linux could ever go mainstream.

Like Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament 2003, et al? They run MUCH faster under Linux than under Windows... In Linux, I can easily do 3d games in 1600x1200x32-bit color what Windows can barely do at 1024x768x32-bit using the same hardware (AMD Athlon XP 2100+@2700+, 1GB RAM, Nvidia geforce 4 4600 video w/128MB RAM...) and using the same performance settings.

Linux is a winner and a better gaming platform.

there are linux apps- major ones, IIRC- that can read and write MS Office format. I think OpenOffice does this.

If you don't use your machine for heavy-duty games like Morrowind or Unreal2, but only for office-type work, linux may be a cost-free solution for you. Of course, you'll need to either a) be willing to admin the system yourself or b) be willing/able to hire an admin.

When I installed Mandrake 9 on my machine, it found my sound and network cards just fine, and I just needed to download and install the vid drivers to get video acceleration.

The learning curve is steep, but the payoff is worth it. Linux is damn powerful.