Mandriva is another friendly, popular distro that you should take into consideration when thinking about using or trying Linux. Like its counterparts, it aims to deliver a complete experience to the user.

Recently I was this review at danlynch.org and is it just me or is it overly negative, I suppose that is what we get for being reviewed by a Debian fan. He does raise some points that I would like to address however...

Once upon a time, the way to get a patch into the mainline kernel was to email it to Linus Torvalds. A hopeful developer would then wait for Linus to release a new kernel tree to see whether the patch had been included or not. In the latter case, the more persistent developers would resend the patch. Often, developers had to be persistent indeed if they wanted their code to be merged.

The main chore that you'll want to be handled via the GNOME Do is opening applications. Summon it with Super+Space, type a few letters and in a blink of an eye it will start guessing the program you want to launch.

Warren Woodford, founder and lead developer of MEPIS Linux, had previously complained that Debian 5.0 "Lenny" didn't ship with a long-term support Linux kernel, and so the latest release of MEPIS breaks form with Lenny only days after its release by shipping with a newer kernel.

Ubuntu 9.04, the next version of the Linux desktop due in April, will definitely feature the new unified, transparent desktop notifications. But non-bleeding-edge Ubuntu users can get them now.

The goal of this guide is to show people of all ages that Linux can be simple and fun, and used for all kinds of purposes. This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.