I just switched my main development computer from Kubuntu to Mandriva.
Why switching ?
I used Kubuntu distribution for quite a long time now (almost 3 years), and I was quite happy with it.
- Lots of softwares
- The updates are smooth (distribution updates are often done automatically)
- you can escape the long « checking /dev/sda » sequence that always pops up when you need to quickly boot your computer !
But, since 3-6 monthes, I noticed more and more annoying problems.
- KDE 4 is really slow. There is always this annoying delay between a click and an action. Even without 3D installed.
- Before displaying any new window, you get garbage for 1s on screen at the window future position.
- It is badly integrated, For example, by default, Firefox opens all documents with Ark, even a directory or a PDF.
- I tried OpenOffice 3.0 from an official depot (in launchpad), but it kept crashing all the time.
So, regarding this, I decided to try other distribs, mainly Mandriva and OpenSuse. I finally choose to install Mandriva.
Why Mandriva ?
First,
its install tool allowed me to resize dynamically and split the Kubuntu root filesystem in two partitions. And I installed Mandriva inside the newly created partition.
It has worked like a charm, I now have root Kubuntu, root Mandriva, and all uses the same /home directory. See the Mandriva partitioning tool in action:
With OpenSuse, it seems KDE is greatly integrated, but the partitioning tool scared me off. Even when you choose to split the partition and don’t format anything, it always displays the « recommand installation », that is, reformat all hard disk drive. I was not sure my demands were taken into account, and I surely didn’t want to loose all my data !
Second,
Mandriva is a great Distro.
- It boots very fast (27s from grub to login for Mandriva, 45s for Kubuntu)
- And more important KDE is back as a smooth, fast and responsive desktop,
- default 3D desktop settings are well configured
- Firefox is nice and correctly set up (see pictures)….
Firefox under Mandriva:
Firefox under Kubuntu:
Which one is nicer ?
- The admin GUI interface is much better than Kubuntu, and much more things can be done through it.
For example, grub can be graphically modified:
- Fonts seem to be more pleasants for the eyes, but zooming them doesn’t seem to show any real difference.
On the not-so-bright side:
- I can’t figure out how to skip the checkdisk at boot, like in Kubuntu
- I had to install manually the printing system because default installation didn’t.
-what else ™?
I will see as time goes if this Mandriva distribution stays on this high level (especially full distro update was horrible in old mandriva versions), but for now, I’m quite happy with the change !
