Mandriva

From Mandrivausers Wiki

Mandriva Linux (formerly known as Mandrake Linux) is a popular Linux distribution with a reputation for being easy to use and suitable for beginners. At the same time it provides a very large repository of software making it also suitable for advanced users. The home page of Mandriva is at mandriva.com.

1 Features
2 Mandriva Linux versions
3 Getting Mandriva
4 Support
5 External links

[edit] Features

Mandriva uses the RPM format for packaging, and provides a very large number of packages in a variety of repositories. Unique to Mandriva are the package management tool Urpmi and the Mandriva Control Center, as well as several so-called 'drak' tools for system configuration using GUIs.

A full version of Mandriva Linux can be downloaded for free without registration or membership. Club membership is available as an optional extra, bringing additional benefits such as early access to new releases and packaged versions of proprietary binary software such as drivers and plugins.

[edit] Mandriva Linux versions

The latest official version is Mandriva 2008, released in October 2007. The next version to be released will be called Mandriva 2008.1 and is scheduled for release in April 2008.

[edit] Getting Mandriva

You can download the latest Mandriva Linux for free from the Mandriva download section on the Mandriva website. These come in the form of installation CDs and DVDs, and also as live versions which you can run from CD before deciding whether to install or not.

[edit] Support

Paid support is available from Mandriva itself, and free advice is available on the net thanks to the large user population. Of course, mandrivausers.org is a prominent source of expert advice ;)