We have a winner!
Written: Dec 05 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy, graphical, great server/workstation
Cons: Underlying structure is very complex
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| Andyman's Full Review: Caldera OpenLinux |
I won't pretend to write this for all the Linux geeks out there. I'm just an average user who wants all the power of a Unix web/email server. I've experimented with Linux in the past, mostly RedHat 5 and 6, but caldera's OpenLinux 2.3 is the first distribution which, in my opinion, lives up to the true promise of the platform for the layperson.
The install was really, really easy. Graphical, helpful, fool-proof. You eve do some minor system setup while files are being copied, such as adding user accounts, entering network configuration numbers, and selecting which server daemons you want to run. By the time installation is done, you're on the internet and serving!
Part of the positive experience I've had so far is thanks to KDE, the user interface which ships with Caldera. I find it's user interface to be highly customizeable, and its system tools to be truly useful. It's nice to be able to manipulate files, directories, permissions, accounts, and daemons graphically! I've even done some fiddling with the configuration files of my web server, which is easy because they are well-commented and the text editor is once again an application with a gui.
The web browser and email client work great. I haven't downloaded Star Office yet, mostly because this is a server machine, but if I do, I'll have a completely rounded workstation for about $30. Caldera is a great OS for any PC. I've spent a few years learning how to do FTP, web design, and even some Unix shell stuff, but always through an ISP. Now I have my own Apache server shelling out web pages and Real Audio at high speeds for basically FREE.
Caldera's Open Linux supported all of my hardware no problem, except I've had trouble with the mouse wheel and I still don't understand why the keyboard's 10-key pad doesn't work in Linux... Doesn't seem too much to ask. Anyway, I had much better luck with Caldera than REdHat, especially in the area of actually getting real network services running. Everyone at my company was very impressed that I put together a RealAudio server on a zero budget. Quite powerful stuff, and a great way to harness the power of Unix. NT admins don't try this at home.
Of course, Linux still has a way to go. I find it difficult to download and install software from the internet. I just find it hard to imagine that I will ever have a grip on all those cryptic files that make up the OS. KDE goes a long way to managing them and their contents for you, but I still get lost. Even better GUIs will come, I'm sure.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Andyman
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Andy Hilal
Location: Oakland, CA
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 177 members
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