Ultimate Edition 3.0 vs Mint 12 vs PCLinuxOS (FM)

Ultimate Edition 3.0 vs Mint 12 vs PCLinuxOS (Full Monty)

With the big change of Gnome 2.x vs3.x many users are exploring Linux alternatives.

The information that follows is just my personal opinion and your needs or preferences may differ.

First, let me say there has been a long time since my last post and many good OS offerings to keep us busy.  Now that Ultimate Edition 3.0 is out, I feel that it's a good time for another look.

To be fair, I'll try to narrow this group down to a OS that:

1> Just works

2> Is user friendly

3> Comes with most needed applications and a lot more

4> Is easy to look at

5> Has good support

6> Is secure

Links:

Ultmate Edition 3.0

Mint 12

PCLinuxOS (Full Monty)

 

Now, I know there are many others that would pick other Operating Systems, but these are my 3 favourites and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.  

First, Ultimate Edition & Mint both originate from Ubuntu, as does Kubuntu (KDE version)

I myself felt limited using the new Gnome 3 in Ubuntu, so like others, I went to Kubuntu.

I felt is was more powerful and allowed me to do more with my desktop environment.

Ubuntu just seemed to target the Net-book users and left us desktop folks behind.

With the release of Mint 12, and Mate, you can switch between a Gnome 2 or 3 like environment.

Ultimate Edition 3.0 is Ubuntu/Mint 11 based with many fixes, work arounds and additions.

PCLinuxOS comes in many UI flavours, including Gnome, KDE, just to name a few.

Our comparison here  is all about FULL Featured Operating System right out of the box, so I am limiting this PCLinuxOS comparison to PCLinuxOS FM (Full Monty, KDE)

While I am on FM, I would have to say that it takes on a nice approach for organising your work with (6) separate desktops.  One for Internet, Office, Gaming, multimedia, Graphics & system.

They refer to this idea as being great for the beginner or switching from other systems.  While I do agree, it is important to note you (like me) may never want anything more.

So, on to the opinion!

1> Just Works..  All do, but Utimate Edition 3.0 and PCLinuxOS (FM) a close second

2> Is user friendly.. Have to say Mint 12

3> Comes with most needed applications and a lot more..  The two best: Ultmate Edition 3.0 (if you like the Gnome UI) or PCLinuxOS (FM) if you prefer the KDE User Interface

4> Is easy to look at.. Mint 12 (very simple & clean) or PCLinuxOS (FM) (well organised) or Ultimate Edition 3.0 (If you like eye candy and the feeling of a powerful system) = you choose!

5> Has good support..  Mint 12 and also has a model documentation source

6> Is secure..  I have always felt more secure with PCLinuxOS.  I do like the user password AND root user password concept.

So there you have it.  I have left out any screen shots, so as not to influence you by the first impression thoughts.  They all look and (IMHO) work well and are worth a test drive via live CD/DVD or better yet a test install.

Note:

Dual booting of Ultimate Edition, Mint, Kubuntu (all Ubuntu based) & MS Windows worked fine for me.  Could NOT mix in PCLinuxOS, Boot loader Differences..

Dual booting of PCLinuxOS & MS Windows alone also worked fine for me.

Pinguy vs Ultimate Edition

This is my after testing follow up of the Pinguy OS.
Pinguy OS does make a good first impression, with a clear, nicely organized screen. You could do a lot worst in choosing your OS.  After testing Pinguy on a few computers, both 32 & 64 bit, I found myself wanting more.  While, I would have to agree that it might be an improvement over the stock Ubuntu, I think Pinguy's own goals do fall a little short.  So, I am going to compare between Pinguy and Ultimate Edition.  The reason for this is to address a quote from Pinguy, comparing it to the Ultimate Edition.

"Pinguy OS Goals
The goal is to have out-of -the-box working operating system with intelligent chosen programs that all work and are easy to use.  I don't want to have every program under the sun like Ultimate Edition does, I just want a few well built programs for tasks that most people do.  I don't want to many programs on there that can do the same task.

Most people buy their PC/Laptops with the OS installed and preconfigured.  Not many people install their OS their self and the ones that try usually haven't got a clue what to do afterwards.

What I am trying to do is to have a operating system that works and acts like a preconfigured OS like the ones you get when buying a new PC. that's also very easy to be installed."

Note: Compared versions of Pinguy and Ultimate Edition OS are built from Ubuntu 10.04.
Also, Note:  It is not the intent of this blog to bash Pinguy or any other OS and believe some of the goals of Pinguy OS are great and we do think it is is a very good early offering, expecting improvement over time in future versions.

Most programmers would like to say their program is easy to use...
This is a very difficult task.  Once you already know how to do something, it is no longer difficult.

What I would like to see improvements on...
   Clean desktop, Pinguy no-longer lets you auto hide your Docky's.
   While "conky" is newish, it would be nice to have it auto configure (e.g. number of cores & weather) or have a wizard asking you the required information.
Changing your screen res, seems to kill conky 
I found the cpu usage disagreeing with the core info, because it defaults to 2 cores.
Remastersys is a great program and I believe Pinguy used it to make his distro.
I don't think he should hide it in the menu system, though.
If you use multiple work areas, with different wallpapers, you may notice the animation from one to the next is gone. (mine just flickers to the next page)
So, I find it more difficult, if not impossible to tune some personal preferences. 

The Ultimate Edition has been around for some time getting better with each version!
1: The Ultimate Edition has too many programs...
   Well, if you are going to put it on a DVD any way, why not try to fill it up?
    Todays hard drives have more than enough room and you don't seem to get that, add a program, slowdown as with windows.
2: Out-of-the-box working operating system...
   In My Opinion(IMO), the Ultimate Edition is second to none, when it comes to READY TO GO!  (IMO it just works & with bells on!)
3: Most people don't install their own OS or have a clue what to do afterwards...
   There are many skill levels for any job.  I wonder why the Internet slows down when ever there is a major OS distro.  Can't be from people smart enough to install a new OS.  It can also be a good excuse to buy a new computer.
4:The OS you buy...
   Windows has regular bug fixes/updates and even apple is not perfect, so the goal is good, but every OS can have problems.

In coclusion...
Pinguy is on it's way to being a very good OS.
Ultimate Edition has had more time to get to where it is now, IMO the best OS money can't buy! (FREE!)
A review of Ultimate Edition, as viewed by me would be far too large to include in this comparison, but will come in a future blog.

A link to Pinguy's GOALS: Pinguy OS 10.04.1.2 released and Review included

A link to: Pinguy OS Downloads

A link to: Ultimate Edition Re-defining the Ultimate operating system…  

The new releases coming out of Ubuntu & other Linux based Operating Systems hold many new ideas...
I recommend researching & trying things that interest you, especially the ones you can try as a live CD/DVD/Thumb Drive.  That way you can play with little or no risk of harming or over writing your current OS.

Todays OS Flavor "Pinguy"

I am now in the process of trying out the newest version of Pinguy computer operating system.  Pinguy is built from Ubuntu 10.04LTS with a lot of nice art work and many installed programs.  It is very easy to look at, with good color combinations and graphics.  You can check out Pinguy's web site with quite a selection of screen shots to look it over.  Like Ubuntu, Pinguy is downloaded as an .ISO/DVD file, witch can then be burned into a boot-able DVD.  Also like Ubuntu, you can try it out, as a live DVD, without changing your current system.

Here is the link to Pinguy..



Also, found a nice, (FREE Download) Ubuntu Manual.

Here is a link to the Ubuntu Manual Project..


More to come on Pinguy, after testing.

Computer Operating Systems: On the go...

One of the really nice things about Ubuntu, is that it is very portable. (also can apply to other Linux based systems)

Ubuntu can be downloaded from Ubuntu in, Desktop, Netbook or Server Versions. (also 32 or 64 bit systems are supported).  Once you get the file, (.iso) you can can run it as is, in a virtual environment (like virtual box), burn it to a CD/DVD or use Ubuntu's "Startup Disk Creator", to make a auto booting thumb drive (USB).

Most of us will likely just make the CD/DVD.  Once made, you could, if you have Windows up and running, insert your new disk, let it auto start.  It should then give you the option to INSTALL IT INSIDE WINDOWS (wubi installer), or restart your computer, so it can boot right from your CD/DVD.  If done this way, you can choose to, TRY IT OUT (run Ubuntu completely from your disk, without touching your current operating system) or INSTALL IT.  If you choose to try it out, (I believe you should!, See that it works with your devices and the Internet...) you might notice your drive spinning for a while, as it does take a while to load from disk.  Also, know that even though it is quite usable this way, if you do eventually install it, it will run a lot faster.  I believe it loads and runs faster than windows.(once installed)  When you done testing, you can click on the install icon on the desktop, to install or just quit.

If you do the install INSIDE windows, they say you might notice a slight loss in speed.  I did not!  The best part of installing INSIDE windows is  that if you want to remove it, you just go to your windows add/remove programs to remove it. It also returns the hard drive space, it was using.

If you boot from & run from CD/DVD disk or thumb drive, you can carry it from one computer to the next, EVEN IF WINDOWS, FAILS to work & can be used as a tool to get at your files or possibly repair windows.

If you choose to make the USB thumb drive, you must make sure the computer bios is set to boot from USB.  I like this way, because you can easily carry it along with you.  Note: While it may load slightly faster than disk, it is still slow booting, but does not put the wear & tare on you CD/DVD drive.

If you are interested in the virtual environment route, do a search for the same.
I like Sun's VirtualBox, but just use it for testing beta's and the like. (you might not get all the bells & whistles.

Computer Operating Systems: To Free, or Not to Free

Don't fix it, if it isn't broken! * Bigger is Better! * You get what you paid for! * Says it's made for XP! * It came with the computer!

On & on...

Ubuntu 9.04, Desktop 1 of 4

Every one of these thoughts could be true, but when it comes to computers, (In My Opinion=IMO) have a good argument for, "Think Again".

Let's just stand back, think outside the box, and take a closer look at some of these notions.

Docks are all showing, Desktop 1 of 4

"Don't fix it, if it isn't broken!"  Have you noticed any of those commercials on TV, wanting to sell you software to help fix your SLOW or PROBLEMATIC computer?  They are just (in a way) adding to the problem.  What I have noticed, is as time goes on, the virus like threats, become greater & greater.  This means you need more protection & maintenance.  This goes right along with the next one.

Desktop 2 of 4, also called Workspaces

"Bigger is Better!"  Your Computer can only do so many things at a time.  So, the more it has to do, the slower it will get.  This also applies to the new computers being sold at our local retail stores.  New computers are loaded with lots of bloat.  Everything from free trial software to the bulky code of the actual operating system.  Every time we add more software, (ie. like an office package) our hard drive gets fuller & the computer is, (IMO), likely to run slower.

Upper dock is open, Desktop 3 of 4

"You get what you paid for!"  This is one of my favorites.  You can't compare software that's free, against stuff you buy.  We the people, (users) have been programed!!!  The days of unreliable FREE software are over.  (Here I am comparing top notch FREE software, NOT, the beginner programmer stuff.  Note: we all learn to craw, before we learn to walk, so I'm NOT, bashing the less experienced programmers, but the competition does help to improve the quality.

Bottom menu, Desktop 4 of 4

"Says it's made for XP! / It came with the computer!  These days, you can, (if you try) actually buy some computers with a choice of operating systems.  It's true (IMO), that some computer devices will work with some computers and not others.  What's up with that?  Well, if you were a programmer, and wanted to, or was limited to write for only one vendor, who would it be?  It would most likely be the one with the most users, right?

A few open applications, Desktop 2 of 4

OK, It's true.  I am a big fan of Linux.  I prefer the Gnome based Ubuntu.  And really like the extra things that, "THEE MAHN" (programmer/artist) has done to further enhance Ubuntu with his flavor/version called "Ultimate Edition".  Ultimate Edition 2.7 being the current release version, as of this writing. (08/10/2010)  This is based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.  (Long Term Support)

Rotating my desktops, (eye candy)

Also, as far as getting viruses and the like goes, I for one, no longer have to keep looking over my shoulder.  That also goes for the many family & friends that have had me rebuild their computer, to get rid of bugs & viruses and have changed or added Ubuntu to their computer, using it while on-line.

Computer Operating Systems

I'm sure some of us may not even know we have a choice of Computer Operating Systems, other than Mac or PC.  Some of us may have herd of options like Linux, but have no idea of the many FREE Computer Operating Systems they can have.
You could even get a choice at computer start up.  This area is intended provide information I have gathered over the years about Linux and it's subsystems.

(Example:  Shown here is  an older version of Linux Ubuntu that I am running on the laptop I am now using to write this) 

Day One

So here I am.  Looks like I have a lot to learn.  Just another new guy looking to see if this "blog" thing is something that will work for him.

We all have views on many subjects, that never get told.  I'll bet taking the time to do it, has got to be one of the biggest reasons, why not..

Now that I am retired, I have the time part covered.  Next, I will try to learn what it takes to run one.

From here, I will be taking the time to gather input as to how to go about it, as well as how to present it.

Thanks for your time & having a look at it.  Hope to see you again.