Guest n8oay Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 I am trying out various Linux distros trying to find a home away from Windows. Before I wipe the drive of the current distro (2nd computer), I have a few questions (I have so far tried Linspire, Xandros and Ubuntu). Has anyone had any success doing video capture with an ATI All In Wonder 2006 256mb (Radeon 9600 chipset)? I have a lot of old VHS tapes that I want to archive to DVD. The ATI driver experience in the Debian-based distros that I have tried has been less than satisfactory. It does work better in Xandros than it did in Ubuntu, but the quality of video playback is less than it was in the Windows computer in which it was first installed. I have been unable to get my Brother HL5280DW laster printer to work through a network connection - the printer is connected directly to the network through it's internal NIC. This and other printers work OK when connected to the Linux computer's USB port. What are the differences between Mandriva Free 2007 (received the dvd with the November 2006 issue of Linux Magazine) and the boxed retail Mandriva Powerpack 2007 (aside form the obvious lack of manufacturer Support)? And if I like Mandriva well enough to want to stay with it, do I need to buy the retail box, or can I download it by joining the Mandriva Club to get whatever features are missing from the free version? With the Debian based distros, I have had many problems getting some programs to work that are not available from the distro's own repositories. Is this also a problem with Mandriva? As an example, I was never able to get XnView to work in either Xandros or Ubuntu (it is available only in an rpm or tarball). Right now, I can't think of any programs I would want that are available only in a deb, but the possibility probably exists. Does Mandriva support the 5-button mouse? Are there any other hardware problems that I might run into (2.53ghz P4 on Biostar P4M80 with 2gb PC3200DDR, ATI All In Wonder 2006 256mb, and Netgear gigabit NIC, Lite-On and I/O Magic DVDRWs)? What else does a Linux Rookie need to know about Mandriva before trying it out? Thanks for the help! N8OAY Dave Marshall Unencumbered by the ravages of intelligence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfitpierce Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 What are the differences between Mandriva Free 2007 (received the dvd with the November 2006 issue of Linux Magazine) and the boxed retail Mandriva Powerpack 2007 (aside form the obvious lack of manufacturer Support)? And if I like Mandriva well enough to want to stay with it, do I need to buy the retail box, or can I download it by joining the Mandriva Club to get whatever features are missing from the free version? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, you got Free and powerpack here. Powerpack comes with a lot of goodies and extras bundled in as well as support I believe. Also note that the Free version is just open source software I believe and One has pretty much everything. I dont know if im 100% correct but in any case I run Mandriva One and printer, wireless and everything works top notch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ixthusdan Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Buying Mandriva is a convenience because you get proprietary stuff. But, everything is available on-line. Additionally, buying Mandriva supports the company, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everything else that you list can be resolved here. We have been around for sometime and have top notch users who can resolve any issue, including issues with other distros. I find Mandriva 2007 Spring (release date within 2 weeks probably) to be excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmanuel_uk Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 All distros are much of a much, and somehow can usually do the same thing, the ease or the way to achieve x or y is not the same though. mandriva is good for newbie while at the same time allowing progression. The package manager urpmi is pretty good The community is great. ubuntu is marketed as beginners friendky, but my experience was different, and I am not the only one saying that the freedom to try many distros is great install mandy, give it a try. Better setup a dual boot linux It is best to concentrate one one distro (say mandy :-) as main OS and to learn, and use another partition to try other distro or lean other things (say BSD :P ) brother printer, I never come accross this, would need to google to help video card, will be supported the same on any distro note ATI stop making new linux driver for the 9xxx series since now it is an old series With the Debian based distros, I have had many problems getting some programs to work that are not available from the distro's own repositories. Is this also a problem with Mandriva? I think this is a skill issues, not a distro issue. a learning curve issue it is. I often install tar.gz and struggle occasionally BUT most of things are in rpm repositories or equivalent software so you should not need to feel the pain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 The Mandriva wiki has an article on choosing the right edition. If you join the Club as a standard member, you can download the Powerpack edition. The benefits of joining are outlined here. Everything you need is available for free, but you may find the retail/club packages more convenient, or a way to support Mandriva. It's up to you. Sometimes the version given away with magazines is not the final version: bear this in mind if you have problems with it... and welcome to the board. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neddie Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Before I wipe the drive of the current distro (2nd computer), I have a few questionsBefore you wipe anything, try out a live CD (Mandriva's is called "One") to see if things work and trouble-shoot any problems. That's what the live CDs are for.Then if you like it you can install directly from the live CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest n8oay Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Thanks for all the good info. Before I wipe the hard drive, I will run a full backup of all partitions with Acronis True Image. I have done this with each of the other distros that I have tried except for Linspire, which is so badly dumbed down that it was a waste of my time. I also tried Fedora Core 6, and wipes it in less than an hour after I installed it. I think I am too much of a "power user" for Xandros, but not yet ready for Ubuntu or Fedora. Xandros has some features that I really like, but I can't live with the limitations of it's customization. Some of the programs that I want to use for photos and videos are available only in the RPM or Tarball format. Installing hem into Xandros with Xandros Networks or apt-get does not handle dependencies well, making it impossible for an inexperienced rookie to make them work. Yes, it is a learning curve issue, but for a distro that advertises itself as being the best option for Windows refugees, it leaves a lot to be desired. Everything that I installed from the CDs and downloaded from Xandros Networks worked perfectly. With just a couple exceptions, everything that I installed from RPMs or Tarballs has never worked. The links that spinynorman posted for the Mandriva Club FAQ and wiki gave me the info that I have been looking for to help make the decision. It looks like there may be a monthly payment option for buying the club membership, which will make it possible for me to join sooner. I am downloading the Mandriva One CD right now, and will try it out tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfitpierce Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 (edited) Thats cause Xandros sucks :P Edited April 5, 2007 by misfitpierce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindwave Posted April 5, 2007 Report Share Posted April 5, 2007 Thats cause Xandros sucks :P actually i like Xabdros 4 a lot, matter of fact it was my main desktop for almost a year. the ONLY reason i came back to mandriva was the foundation my wife and i have established. we are 'giving away' 10- 20 network stations to schools, churches, libraries etc. as such we need to be able to have a comeplet OS and sw setup as cheaply as possible. Now xandros offered us their distro at $7 per pc. the problem is that part of our curriculum is to create "live vrsions" of the OS that can be mounted on USB keys that the students get to take with them at the end of the class. unfortunately Xabdros halted development of their own LIVER version last summer, and the paragon NTFS driver that they have installed is prprietary and expensive. So wuith the help of MCNL I have miograted my own desktop back to mandriva and am moving along quite nicely. but even the haters have to admit that for new folks moving from windows to linux, Xandros makes the learning curve VERY short Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opvask Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 (edited) I believe that Mandriva 2007.1 is a great choice when moving from Windows to Linux. Personally I would recommend using KDE although some do find Gnome more simple. Mandriva 2007.1 is very user friendly and also very stable on my system. Most things can be solved from the GUI if that is what is preferred. My experiences with the 2007 versions are really positive. I recommend it. BTW: You can easíly start out with the FREE Mandriva or the ONE version without being a paying member. I get everything I need and lots more with the free version. Club membership is optional but a good way to support Mandriva and receive some extra benefits. cheers Thats cause Xandros sucks :P It does? I've been thinking of trying it out just of curiosity. A 30 day trial does not appeal to me that much though. Edited April 20, 2007 by opvask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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