PCLinuxOS 2008: Mini-Me released

[davecs]

The latest release of PCLinuxOS is a "Mini-Me" version, aimed at users who are prepared to install a pared-down version of Linux then add software from the repositories. A lot of work has been going on re hardware compatibility, and anyone trying this is asked to report any problems to the site: http://www.pclinuxos.com

This new version contains "ndiswrapper" and a number of shortcuts to enable you to get certain awkward wireless cards working.

This is in a Utilities folder which also contains shortcuts to add ATi/Nvidia drivers, ALSA setup, Make Live CD, Make Live USB stick, and Redo MBR (if Windows ate your master boot record and broke access to installed Linux). Also to setup your Clock.

This means that ONLY the keyboard selection pops up when booting the live CD.

Another major change is that you are not prompted for root and user passwords during installation of the Live CD, this is done on first bootup instead. There is no longer an option not to have a root password.

What I would recommend to users in the UK is that you run Synaptic once you have got your internet connection working, and change the default repository using "Settings > Repositories" to a European one, Belnet, nl.freebsd or Heanet especially, you will get faster download speeds that way. Default is ibiblio which can be slow from the UK.

Anyway you can find the iso here:

http://ftp.nl.freebsd.org/os/Linux/dist ... h/preview/

[davecs]

When I posted the above, the ftp site at Belnet was down, it's the fastest one for me:

ftp://ftp.belnet.be/pub/mirror/pclinuxo ... h/preview/

And here is a link to Texstar's announcement at the PCLinuxOS site:

http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?opti ... .msg286182

[hecatae]

tried it with virtualbox, works lovely.

I'm thinking of wiping my current pclos2007 install and installing mini-me 2008, simply because there is so much on the full install I never use.

eeepclinuxos is based on mini-me 2008, and flies.

[davecs]

I'm preparing to do the same, hecatae, but for a different reason. PCLOS 2007 is built on top of Logical Volume Management, and since I added a SATA optical drive this slows everything right down on bootup and closedown. You can't uninstall LVM without knocking out most of the system.

Minime does not seem to include LVM, I've installed it a spare partition, with LOADS of software from synaptic, and even though it's basically an updated version, for this and other reasons the whole thing seems more snappy and more stable (not scientific, just my perception).

[nelz]

Can't you tell LVM to ignore your optical drive? Chances are, the config (/etc/lvm/lvm.conf) already does this but uses the name for a PATA drive. Check the filter line in lvm.conf.

[hecatae]

Thanks for that information davecs, looks like I'll be doing the re-install at the weekend then.

[davecs]

Can't you tell LVM to ignore your optical drive? Chances are, the config (/etc/lvm/lvm.conf) already does this but uses the name for a PATA drive. Check the filter line in lvm.conf.

I did try that at first, but after an upgrade, LVM seemed to start ignoring the lvm.conf file. No idea why, I did research this on the net and the configuration I did to stop it trying to include my SATA Optical Drive should have worked but didn't.

In any case, the whole thing is far snappier now. I have one 500Gb hard drive so LVM is better of not there for me.

There's obviously been some fairy dust involved though, I've done an rpm -qa on my old system and loaded nearly every package I had, and then some, nearly all the system services are turned on, and it still seems quicker.

I actually think that this mini-me justifies the praise in LXF101 more than PCLOS2007 did!

[Rhakios]

I actually think that this mini-me justifies the praise in LXF101 more than PCLOS2007 did!

Perhaps it'll be on the #103 cover disc, they are promising a distro bonanza.

P.S. That theme on mini-me looks vaguely familiar

[hecatae]

Done a complete re-install today, love the new theme, and I no longer get the LVM issue when my pc shuts down.

[M0PHP]

Is it just me or does the PCLOS main website look awful in FF/IE/Opera on Windows? Am I being punished for using the devil's operating system? Screenshot.

[davecs]

I'm forced to use IE on WinXP in work at it looks just fine there...

But you, M0PHP have a choice!!

[hecatae]

1280x1024 resolution?

looks fine in 1024x768

[M0PHP]

Suppose I could SSH into one of our *nix email/file servers and run Elinks

Weird... works at home on my Windows box (albeit at 1024x768) Shall have to investigate further to see if any of the css files are being blocked by our upstream proxy