MandrivaThis weekend saw me trash my long-running Fedora system for something new. Followers of these pages will know that I’ve had no end of issue with the recent spate of upgrades and new releases of various Linux distributions. The main cause of my frustrations? The lack of integration and quality testing whenever new kernels are released with specific regard to the operation of proprietary graphics drivers.

The upgrade on katana from Fedora 8 to the new Fedora 9 release was a spur of the moment mistake. I traded a perfectly functional system for something that misbehaved with aplomb. A late burst of hope on Thursday given the release of a new nVIDIA driver saw me update the system with almost 420MB of patches. Sadly, the interdependencies and rpm confusion of the various packages to integrate the new nVIDIA driver into the kernel were just too great. A typical case of kernel version x and kernel development or source version y, with no means of aligning the two. It led to the simple task of inserting the Mandriva Powerpack 2008 Spring DVD and emerging half-an-hour later with a brand new functioning system.

Overall, the Powerpack releases by Mandriva have impressed me greatly. Note that these are not free. They are based on the free distribution but include a variety of proprietary drivers and components not offered in the free version. Of course, the components may be downloaded and added to the free version. The primary difference is that the downloadable ISO of the Powerpack costs roughly USD 50 and comes bundled with support.

So, the real deal is that you get what you pay for. My experience with the free 2008.1 or Spring release contrasts with the Powerpack. Getting the nVIDIA driver to work on the free version was not without its difficulty. Similar issues to the Fedora 9 experience: conflicting releases of the kernel and its source versions. That means no compilation and basically no proprietary graphics support. Why do I harp on proprietary graphics driver support? Without that, there’s no decent hardware acceleration and no decent eye candy. I’ve grown accustomed to it. I want it. Hence, it’s a very important thing to me. I constantly see and interact with the desktop. Hence, it’s constantly in my face if it doesn’t work. Powerpack does one thing and it does it very, very well: a full installation of a decently configured operating system together with the optional installation and configuration of a proprietary graphics driver. I’ve seen it work flawlessly on ATI and nVIDIA systems. Of course there are various other bundled applications. But the most important aspect for me is the satisfactory installation of a working system.

Some may consider the inclusion of proprietary drivers sacrilege. Open source and free software pundits may consider it a no-no. Let’s be honest: the Linux desktop is trying to compete with Mac OS and Windows. Would a Windows or Apple user stand for crappy graphics performance or an unpleasing desktop? Certainly not. Eye candy sells. Eye candy doesn’t necessarily improve productivity, but it’s what everyone talks about. That markets the platform. If it takes a proprietary driver to make it thus, so be it.

My Mandriva desktop

Powerpack is USD 50 more expensive than any other distro you may consider installing. In my opinion, it’s worth every cent. In the end, you get what you pay for. Especially in the FOSS world…

Share