Mandriva 2010

Fatima Saleh – Hiba Jani – Mona Al Marzouqi – Nouf Al Khajeh December 2010

INTODUCTION

Mandriva Linux is based on the cooker development project sponsored by Mandriva.

Mandriva Linux is created by quite a number of passionate free software developers,

who work plainly on the core of distribution. It is a community driven project and one

of the longest open source development communities available; it has been around

since 1998. Mandriva development community helped keep Mandriva Linux the most

up-to date, incorporated, internationalized and interchangeable distribution. Mandriva

has decided to build a special free software edition to encourage the use of Free

Software and show gratitude to the many free software contributors. This special

edition is constructed for apprehensive users who value software freedom and don’t

want to run propriety software on their devices. This build is called Mandriva Linux

Free and does not include any non-free software packages like proprietary drivers,

closed-source applications or plug-ins. It is listed on the network of public Mandriva

mirrors as part of the Mandriva Linux release.

History

Mandriva set out in July 1998 by a French software organization called MandrakeSoft.

Its first release was derived from Red Hat Linux 5.1. Mandriva was created by Gael

Newsletter 1

Duval and planned to concentrate on simplicity of use for new users. Mandriva offers

commercial and consumer products, its software can be purchased and downloaded

from its Website.

Newsletter 2

The Mandriva Linux Installer

Now with the DrakX installation program, it doesn't matter anymore whether you are Linux guru or a newbie. DrakX provides you with a smoothest installation ever and an easiest transition to Mandriva latest version 2010. Not only that, DrakX also detects existing Windows and Linux installs and adds boot menu entries for them, therefore, you can start either operating system.

Begin Installation

Place your CD or DVD and reboot your machine. The installer will start automatically.

Press any keyboard key when you see Mandriva welcome screen. A list of possible actions is offered.

Press the F2 key to have all options displayed in your language. Simply select your language by using the up and down arrow keys and then press Enter.

Select the Install Mandriva Linux option from the list, and press Enter.

The Installation Process

When the installer begins, you see a lovely graphical interface. On the left are the various installation steps. The installation occurs in two phases: installation then configuration.

Choosing your Language

The first step is to choose your preferred language. If you have already changed the language at the CD or DVD boot splash screen and you can safely move to the next step.

License Terms of the Distribution

Before carrying on, you should carefully read the terms and conditions of the license. It covers the entire Mandriva Linux distribution. If you agree with all the terms it contains, select Accept and click next. If not, click on Quit and it will reboot your computer.

Installation Class

This step is only performed if an existing Linux partition is found on the machine. DrakX will need to know wither you want to install from scratch or if you want to upgrade your existing Mandriva Linux system.

Newsletter 3

Where to Install Mandriva on your Hard Disk

DrakX will view your disks and the way that the disk is already partitioned. Therefore, it will easy for you to see Mandriva Linux previous partitions and the Microsoft Windows partitions. Several options are available to configure your hard drive.

Package Selection

This part consists of selecting the installation media and the packages to be installed. Choosing the installation media can be either by selecting the available CDs or you can have the option to copy all packages on to the hard drive which will probably speed up your installation and will ease later package installation.

Choosing a Graphical Environment

You can choose between different workstation desktop which are profiles or customize the desktop environment. The different types of interfaces will be explained in depth in the features section.

KDE desktop: it is similar to Windows desktop. GNOME desktop: it is similar to Mac OS interface. Custom install: it allows you to specify the

packages group and applications you want to

Choosing Package Groups to Install

There are many packages available for Mandriva Linux that is placed into groups of similar applications so it won’t be difficult to manage it and you can mix and match those applications from the various categories such as workstation, Servers and the Graphical Environment.

Choosing Individual Packages to Install

When you select the installer, a tree structure containing the packages will be presented where you can select the entire groups, subgroups or individual packages.

The Mandriva Linux Installer

Now with the DrakX installation program, it doesn't matter anymore whether you are Linux guru or a newbie. DrakX provides you with a smoothest installation ever and an easiest transition to Mandriva latest version 2010. Not only that, DrakX also detects existing Windows and Linux installs and adds boot menu entries for them, therefore, you can start either operating system.

Begin Installation

Place your CD or DVD and reboot your machine. The installer will start automatically.

Press any keyboard key when you see Mandriva welcome screen. A list of possible actions is offered.

Press the F2 key to have all options displayed in your language. Simply select your language by using the up and down arrow keys and then press Enter.

Select the Install Mandriva Linux option from the list, and press Enter.

The Installation Process

When the installer begins, you see a lovely graphical interface. On the left are the various installation steps. The installation occurs in two phases: installation then configuration.

Choosing your Language

The first step is to choose your preferred language. If you have already changed the language at the CD or DVD boot splash screen and you can safely move to the next step.

License Terms of the Distribution

Before carrying on, you should carefully read the terms and conditions of the license. It covers the entire Mandriva Linux distribution. If you agree with all the terms it contains, select Accept and click next. If not, click on Quit and it will reboot your computer.

Installation Class

This step is only performed if an existing Linux partition is found on the machine. DrakX will need to know wither you want to install from scratch or if you want to upgrade your existing Mandriva Linux system.

Newsletter 4

Where to Install Mandriva on your Hard Disk

DrakX will view your disks and the way that the disk is already partitioned. Therefore, it will easy for you to see Mandriva Linux previous partitions and the Microsoft Windows partitions. Several options are available to configure your hard drive.

Package Selection

This part consists of selecting the installation media and the packages to be installed. Choosing the installation media can be either by selecting the available CDs or you can have the option to copy all packages on to the hard drive which will probably speed up your installation and will ease later package installation.

Choosing a Graphical Environment

You can choose between different workstation desktop which are profiles or customize the desktop environment. The different types of interfaces will be explained in depth in the features section.

KDE desktop: it is similar to Windows desktop. GNOME desktop: it is similar to Mac OS interface. Custom install: it allows you to specify the

packages group and applications you want to

Choosing Package Groups to Install

There are many packages available for Mandriva Linux that is placed into groups of similar applications so it won’t be difficult to manage it and you can mix and match those applications from the various categories such as workstation, Servers and the Graphical Environment.

Choosing Individual Packages to Install

When you select the installer, a tree structure containing the packages will be presented where you can select the entire groups, subgroups or individual packages.

User Management

Administrator (root)

As root user is the system administrator has all the privileges such as making updates, adding users, changing the overall system configuration and so on, it is recommended to enter a strong password that is mixture of alphanumeric characters and the minimum length will vary according to the chosen security level.

Enter a User

You will be asked to enter a login user and enter the password twice which does not need to be as crucial as the root password.

Installing a Bootloader

This step will only be shows if there is Linux bootloader on your system and normally, the bootloader installation is totally automated. According to DrakX findings the disk boot sector will act.

Summary

DrakX presents a summary of information that was gathered about the system where it depends on the hardware installed on the machine, you may have some or all of the following entries where each entry is made up of the hardware item to be configured followed by a quick summary of the current configuration.

Installing Updates from the Internet

Some packages have been updated since the initial release of Mandriva. If you chose yes, a list of web locations from which you can retrieve updates will be displayed.

It's All Done!

The installation is now complete and your Linux system is ready to be used.

Newsletter 5

User Management

Administrator (root)

As root user is the system administrator has all the privileges such as making updates, adding users, changing the overall system configuration and so on, it is recommended to enter a strong password that is mixture of alphanumeric characters and the minimum length will vary according to the chosen security level.

Enter a User

You will be asked to enter a login user and enter the password twice which does not need to be as crucial as the root password.

Installing a Bootloader

This step will only be shows if there is Linux bootloader on your system and normally, the bootloader installation is totally automated. According to DrakX findings the disk boot sector will act.

Summary

DrakX presents a summary of information that was gathered about the system where it depends on the hardware installed on the machine, you may have some or all of the following entries where each entry is made up of the hardware item to be configured followed by a quick summary of the current configuration.

Installing Updates from the Internet

Some packages have been updated since the initial release of Mandriva. If you chose yes, a list of web locations from which you can retrieve updates will be displayed.

It's All Done!

The installation is now complete and your Linux system is ready to be used.

Hardware Requirements

Processor Any Intel, AMD et VIA processor.Memory & storage RAM : 512 MB minimum, 1 GB

recommendedHard disk: 2 GB minimum, 6 GB recommended for a full setup.

Video card.

NVidia, ATI, Intel, SiS, Matrox, VIA.3D desktop support requires a 3D instructions set compatible card

Sound card Any Sound Blaster, AC97 or HDA compatible card.

Others DVD drive required (but for One: CD drive required).ATA, IDE, SCSI, and SAS: most controllers are supported in non-RAID mode, and some are supported in RAID mode.

Disk Partitioning

When installing Mandriva by the DrakX installer several options are available to configure the hard drive depending on your needs and the disk space that is available on your machine.

Use free space

This option will automatically partition any blank areas of the drive.

Use existing partitions

This option will be prompted if the wizard detected any existing Linux partitions on the hard drive. If you want to use the partition choose this option. Then you need to choose the mount points in order to associate with each of the partitions.

Erase and use entire disk

If this option was selected then all existing data and partitions present on your hard drive will be deleted. Once it is confirmed you won’t be able undo this operation.

Remove Microsoft Windows

If the hard drive is entirely taken by Windows this option will appears. Choosing this option will erases the entire drive.

.

.Use the free space on a Microsoft Windows partition

In some cases where Windows is installed on your hard drive, you might need to create free space for Linux Mandriva. In order to apply this, you might either need to delete your Windows partition and data or resize the FAT or NTFS partitions. The resizing option can be performed without the loss of any data. Is option is useful and recommended if you want to use both Mandriva Linux and Windows on the same computer.

Custom disk partitioning

This option will allow you to manually partition your hard drive. It is a powerful option but dangerous choice because you can easily lose all your data. This option is recommended if the custom disk partitioning is performed and you have enough Linux experience.

Improvements in Mandriva Features

GNOME 2.30.1.

One of the improvements in GNOME is that the Tomboy application has the ability to sync the notes with the Snowy web service.

The core of the new version of Pitivi video editor has been rewritten.

The default messaging program in GNOME 2.30.1. is Empathy instead of Pidgin.

KDE 4.4.3.

One of the improvements in KDE 4 that the user has the ability to do data migration for user preferences, mails and others from the previous KDE (KDE 3).

In the desktop configuration menu you can find an option that switch the desktop background every hour.

Instead of downloading Nepomuk technology which helps you to organize your desktop, now it is integrated with Mandriva KDE 4 installation.

KMess is the MSN Live instant messenger in KDE 4.

Mandriva smart desktop

The new release of Mandriva is smarter than before. Your everyday activities can be organized, such as documents, mails and others by adding notes, tags and comments within only few clicks!

OpenOffice

Go-OO branch OpenOffice is integrated within Mandriva Linux 2010 which is compatible with Microsoft office. Examples of supported features are 3D transitions, KDE 4 integration, VBA support, and SVG support.

Configure your desktop

Now your network, system, and hardware can be easily configured through Mandriva Control Center. It has a software manager called RPMDrake that make you able to access to more than 20,000 software packages. Moreover, it has the ability to detect your printer automatically with simple clicks. Wi-Fi and 3G are supported in Mandriva 2010. Also, the firewall is built-in that can protect you from spyware and viruses. In addition, your children access to the internet is safer with the parental control.

.A better Web

Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6.is the web browser of Mandriva. It is faster and safer than other browsers. Moovida

Moovida is Elisa, but is has been renamed. Moovida includes a new graphical user interface.

Parental Control

Parents now are able to protect their children and provide them with a safe access to the internet by authorizing and blocking any unnecessary application even the internet.Live Upgrade

Whenever there is a new version of Mandriva, Mandriva online notifies you and give you the choice of upgrading without reinstalling.

Sage Math

It is a mathematic software system that includes many scientific applications.Video

Examples of video editors in Mandriva are LiVES and OpenShot Guests

You Can create a guest account for friend in your computer without touching your data!

Partition

The new layout of disk partition tool represents the information graphically.RPMDrake gets smarter

You can get the package you need by using this searching utility where you can type the package names, release, version and others. It provides the information with screenshots.

.Administration and Services

Create user accounts (installation)

During the installation of Mandriva Linux, the installer prompted for information to create a normal user account for the system. So as to use the full power of Mandriva Linux therefore, it is obvious that more than one user should be given access to the system. Each user must have their private user account login, password, home directory and rights.

Mandriva Control Center

The Mandriva Linux Control Center (MCC) assists system administrators to configure hardware and services which are utilized by the users in a friendly, simple and good-looking interface. While using the MCC the user can change the central settings of the Mandriva Linux system and can affect all the different users of the machine. For this reason, when running the MCC it asks for the root password. You can access the MCC through either the main menu then click on Tools system toolsconfigure your computer or through the command line (Console) by running the mcc or drakconf commands.

There are various numbers of tools under the Mandriva Control Center. Based on what you want to perform or configure you choose the tools available. Manage users on system is the tool which the users can add users, add groups, install or delete an account. It is a very easy and straight forward mechanism.

In order to manage the devices the users would like to add such as printers or scanners, they can use the tool called configure printing and scanning. Based on the printer type, it might ask to install few software packages in order to proceed.

Once the installation is complete, the user needs to be able to connect to the Internet. Therefore, the MCC has a tool which is called manage your network devices which allows the users to set up and configure a new network interface such as LAN, DSL, Wi-Fi and more.

Define the root account and it privileges

Root user is the super user on a Linux system. Root user has all rights, permissions and accesses to all files, directories and commands. The root user can carry out many things an ordinary user can’t perform on the system such as the ability to adjust the system in any way preferred besides to permit and deny any access permissions in addition to managing the ports as well as user management and much more. The root user is the most licensed user on the system and has complete power and authority over it. By default, almost all Linux distributions create the root account at the time of installation. You don’t have to make a new root account. Use su or sudo command which allows the current user to take on the administrative tasks of the root user.

Use different browsers

Mozilla Firefox is the default browser on the Mandriva distribution. Konqueror is the browser native to KDE desktop, much like Epiphany on GNOME. Out of the box, Firefox and Epiphany supplies flash content but not Java or QuickTime movies.

Managing files and directories

All your data is contained within files such as the office documents, movies, songs etc. Therefore, in Linux distributions there are several commands which help in organizing and managing those files and directories. For instance, if a user wants to create a directory they have to enter the mkdir command. Besides, if the user wants to list the contents of a file or a directory they have to type the ls command. The users can also copy the files or directories by entering the cp command. Remove or move the files or directories are also possible by typing the rm or mv command.

Mandriva 10 vs. Windows 7

Advantages of Mandriva

All graphical configuration tools are compacted in the Mandriva Control Center which provides an easy way to manage the computer, install software besides dealing with the hardware and system security points.

Mandriva has a clever security package such as msec which allows the user to modify and change the advanced security settings from the GUI.

The graphical boot and the login screen theme are much better designed with charming artwork than previous distributions.

The distribution engineers put an effort to enhance the boot time in Mandriva. Therefore, they worked on improving the Speedboot in order to increase the booting process.

Mandriva 2010 supports about 70 different languages.

The main free applications shipped with Mandriva 2010 are Mozilla Firefox 3.5, OpenOffice.org 3.1.1 along with the plugins, Sage Math, Moovida instead of Elisa and the video editor LiVES.

Advantages of Windows 7

Aero Peek: Now you can sneak a quick look in Windows 7 with the help of the Aero Peek application which is a substitute for Show Desktop. It gives you the ability to peel behind all of the open windowpanes on the desktop besides simply view Windows Gadgets or documents on the desktop. Additionally, you can preview into the contents of particular open windows.

Aero Snaps: By dragging open windows in certain ways, you can "snap" them to the edges of the screen, maximize, or minimize. This obviates the need to click tiny onscreen elements, making these features more accessible to users.

Internet explorer 8: Performance of internet explorer 8 is good which comes by default with the operating system.

Home Networking: The interface for connecting the machines to a home network has been made much more lively and easy to use. Connecting a few machines in a network is now much easier task besides sharing information is also trouble-free not like the previous versions it was much complex.

Calculator: Windows 7 Calculator tool has gone through major improvements with calculation history, unit exchange, data calculations, calculation templates and further new features.

Device Stage: Device Stage provides Windows 7 users with a straightforward interface which helps them interact with devices attached to the system such as portable media players, smart phones and a lot more. The users will be able to access the features which are exclusive to each device.

Libraries: The new libraries aspect in Windows 7 makes it easier to deal with the files and folders. It offers a central place to handle files which are located in several locations throughout the computer.

Troubleshooting: In windows 7, if an application collapse twice, it will automatically tries to apply a shim. If the application fails to install a related self-correcting fix, a tool that asks several questions about the application begins.

Windows Anytime Upgrade: This utility debuted in Windows Vista but was found to be too confusing for most users, so the electronic upgrade capability was removed. In Windows 7, Windows Anytime Upgrade returns to electronic upgrading and Microsoft promises you'll be able to upgrade from one version of Windows 7 to another in about 10 minutes now.

Mandriva 2010 Drawbacks

Security updates are at times a bit later than other distributions besides there are missing updates for some packages. In addition the bug fix updates for some reported troubles are sometimes delayed or not done at all.

The Mandriva configuration appliances sometimes have irritating bugs or do not have the best appearance possible.

Windows 7 Drawbacks

In Windows 7, you mainly have to get rid of all files on your computer and perform a clean install. That is something that would distract a lot of people however the benefit of having a new operating system which runs efficiently and faster than before might make the effort helpful.

Windows 7 cannot simply be upgraded from windows XP. It has the disadvantages in upgrading the operating system in the easy way.

Several users have come across the problem of BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) with windows 7 and they have reported it. This problem happens often because of the software and the hardware modifications in the system.

References

"polishlinux." polishlinux. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. <polishlinux.org >."Backgrouder." Mandriva linux. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2010.<www.mandriva.com/enterprise/en/company/backgrounder>."Mandriva Control Center - Mandriva Community Wiki." Mandriva Community Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/ControlCenter>."Installing Mandriva Linux - Mandriva Community Wiki." Mandriva Community Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Docs/Installing_Mandriva_Linux>."How to Install Mandriva Linux | eHow.com." eHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. <http://www.ehow.com/how_4441071_install-mandriva-linux.html>.

.

"Review - Mandriva 2010 Spring Gnome - With Screenshots - Tech." Review - Mandriva 2010 Spring Gnome. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <g33q.co.za/2010/07/11/review-mandriva-2010-spring-gnome-with-screenshots/>."Mandriva « The Official Mandriva Blog." The Official Mandriva Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2010. <http://blog.mandriva.com/category/mandriva/>."Mandriva Linux downloads." Mandriva Linux downloads. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <www2.mandriva.com/en/downloads>"Mandriva makes the headline! « The Official Mandriva Blog." The Official Mandriva Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://blog.mandriva.com/2010/10/20/mandriva-makes-the-headline/>."Mandriva 2009.1: Administration Advantages/Disadvantages." Mandriva 2009.1: Administration Advantages/Disadvantages. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. <beginlinux.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/mandriva-2009-1-administration-advantagesdisadvantages/ >."Linux-Mandrake Installation Guide." CSIF Support Documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2010. <http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~davis>"Mandriva Linux." Mandriva Linux. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. <doc.mandriva.com/en/2009/README.pdf>."The Perfect Setup - Mandrake/Mandriva 10.2 - Page 2 | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials." HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. <http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect>"Fight Club: Windows 7 vs Mandriva 2009.1 – LINUX For You Magazine." LINUX For You Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.<http://www.linuxforu.com/reviews/windows-7-vs-mandriva-2009/>."Being root - Mandriva Community Wiki." Mandriva Community Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Docs>"Difference between Mandriva and k/Ubuntu? (Page 1) / Mandriva / EeeUser Forum." EeeUser Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=2504>"Being root - Mandriva Community Wiki." Mandriva Community Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010. <http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/Docs"Difference between Mandriva and k/Ubuntu? (Page 1) / Mandriva / EeeUser Forum." EeeUser Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010.<http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=25044>.Lynch, Dan. "Distro Review: Mandriva One 2010 | Linuxtracker." LinuxTracker. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2010. <http://blog.linuxtracker.org/2009/11/17/distro-review-mandriva-one-2010/>."2010.1 Notes - Mandriva Community Wiki." Mandriva Community Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://wiki.mandriva.com/en/2010<http://doc.mandriva.com/en/2010/Mastering-Manual/Mastering-Manual.html/>"Introducing Mandriva Linux." Mandriva Official Documentation. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2010.

Mandriva 2010 6