Standardizing the install-fest (WAS Re: Meeting Notes for 20030116)

[Ethan Merritt]

> > Much as I dislike it personally, I would recommend
> > using Mandrake, if we are indeed standardizing.

Mandrake forever!  
(Oops, they just declared bankrupcy).
Seriously - I really hope they pull through in the long term 
because I think they have the best out-of-the-box distro going.
I've successfully installed from their downloadable CDs to machines
ranging from an old (see below) laptop to SMP multiprocessor 
number crunchers at the lab.

On a slight tangent, though - has anyone else been having 
problems with the massive set of KDE3 security updates that came
out a couple of days ago?  Most of the machines they've been applied
to around here came out somewhat the worse for the experience.

> For functionality and compatibility I'd
> guess that'd mean OpenOffice, Mozilla, Evolution (although I prefer
> Mozilla Mail), and XMMS.

Check, 
check, 
Evolution - What's that?, 
check, though if we're talking about the packages in Mandrake 9, 
Xine works better than xmms.

>  > Why are RH and GUI evil? Just curious.

GUIs are fine if your machine has the oomph to support it.
If you're trying to eke out battery life on a 4 yr old 32MB laptop
during a plane flight, then working straight from a set of virtual
consoles looks a whole lot more reasonable. 

-- 
Ethan A Merritt       merritt at u.washington.edu
Biomolecular Structure Center Box 357742
University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
phone: (206)543-1421
FAX:   (206)685-7002