PCLinuxOS

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PCLinuxOS
PCLinuxOS Logo
Pclos20092.jpg
PCLinuxOS 2009.2
Company / developer Bill Reynolds ("Texstar")
OS family Unix-like
Working state Current
Source model Open source
Initial release October 2003
Latest stable release 2009.2 / 2009-6-30; 5 months ago
Kernel type Monolithic
Default user interface KDE, GNOME[clarification needed]
License Various
Website PCLinuxOS

PCLinuxOS, often shortened to PCLOS, is an open-source desktop operating system based on the Linux Kernel, with KDE as its default user interface. It is an open-source operating system for personal computers aimed at ease of use.

Contents

[edit] History

 This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the article; suggestions may be found on the talk page. (November 2009)

The precursor to PCLinuxOS was a set of RPM packages created to improve successive versions of Mandrake Linux (now Mandriva Linux). These packages were created by Bill Reynolds, a packager better known as Texstar.[1] From 2000 to 2003, Texstar maintained his repository of RPM packages in parallel with the PCLinuxOnline site. In an interview, Reynolds said he started PCLinuxOS "to provide an outlet for [his] crazy desire to package source code without having to deal with egos, arrogance and politics."[2]

In October 2003, Texstar created a fork of Mandrake Linux 9.2. Working closely with The Live CD Project, Texstar has since developed that fork independently into a full-fledged distribution. The initial releases were successively numbered as "previews": p5, p7, p8 up to p81a, then p9, p91, p92, and p93.

[edit] Release history

Most all major releases have been accompanied by new boot-up and login screens, along with some changes in icon sets, and login sounds.

Version Date
2009.2 June 30, 2009
2009.1 March 11, 2009
2008 "MiniMe" January 7, 2008
P.94 "2007" May 21, 2007
P.93a "Big Daddy" August 21, 2006
P.93a "Junior" August 9, 2006
P.93a "MiniMe" August 4, 2006
P.93 "MiniMe" April 21, 2006
P.92 November 21, 2005
P.91 July 7, 2005
Original Release October 2003

[edit] PCLinuxOS 2007

With the advent of PCLinuxOS 2007, PCLinuxOS was rebased on Mandriva Linux 2007. This implied a shift to a more modern code, which required a complete reinstall to this version. The new version featured a new look, and built-in 3D effects. A new logo was also designed for the new version, and was incorporated into the boot screen. A new login screen was designed, entitled "Dark". The final/official PCLinuxOS 2007 version was released on 2007-05-21.

[edit] PCLinuxOS 2009

The newest version of the main Live CD, PCLinuxOS 2009.2, was released on June 30, 2009.[3] Improvements include bug fixes, new backgrounds, sounds, start-up screen, and quicker start-up times.

[edit] Features

[edit] Summary

PCLinuxOS is distributed as a Live CD, which can also be installed to a local hard disk drive or USB flash drive. Version 2009.1 provides a USB installer to create a Live USB, where the user's configuration and personal data can be saved if desired. A live USB of older versions of PCLinuxOS can be created manually or with UNetbootin [4]. The entire CD can be run from memory, assuming the system has sufficient RAM. PCLinuxOS uses APT-RPM, based on Advanced Packaging Tool (or APT), a package management system (originally from the Debian distribution), together with Synaptic Package Manager, a GUI front-end to APT, in order to add, remove or update packages. If there is enough memory on the machine, and an active network connection, the Live CD can update packages. PCLinuxOS is also designed to be easy to remaster after installation, creating one's own personalized Live CD, using the mklivecd tool.

[edit] Mandriva Linux

Although it retains a similar "look and feel" to Mandriva Linux, PCLinuxOS has diverged significantly. The code was officially forked from Mandrake 9.2 into an independent project in 2003. After three years of contiguous development, the developers took advantage of further development in [the renamed] Mandriva, and forked the code again late in 2006 for PCLinuxOS 2007.

PCLinuxOS maintains its own software repository, available via the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) and its Synaptic front-end, completely replacing Mandriva's urpmi. This means that an installation could be continuously updated to the latest versions of packages, hence foregoing the need to re-install the entire distribution upon each successive release. In the releases before 2007, it was sometimes necessary to perform a re-installation.

Other differences include its own menu arrangement, custom graphics, and icon sets.

PCLinuxOS places specific emphasis on desktop computing, concentrating its efforts for home or small business environments, hence paying less attention to other more "traditional" uses, like servers, although packages for most server tasks are available.

[edit] Projects

There are several community projects associated with PCLinuxOS.

[edit] MiniMe

MiniMe is a minimal "Live & Install" CD for experienced users wishing to add their own selection of packages. PCLinuxOS 2008 "MiniMe" edition was released on 2008-01-07.[5]

[edit] PCLinuxOS Magazine

The PCLinuxOS Magazine project is a community driven free publication focused on the users of PCLinuxOS by MyPCLinuxOS. This online publication was started in September 2006 by a group of PCLOS users with some publication experience.

  • Frequency: PCLinuxOS Magazine is published on a monthly basis.
  • Content: All content for the publication is solicited from the PCLOS user base.

[edit] Third-Party Distributions

Since PCLOS includes the mklivecd script, there are several third-party distros based on PCLOS:


[edit] Major Distributions

[edit] GNOME Edition

PCLinuxOS 2009 is also available with GNOME as the standard user interface. It features its own custom PCLinuxOS GNOME Edition Theme, complete with custom graphics and icon sets.

[edit] SAM

This is probably the best known derivative of Sam Linux distribution, which was originally based directly on Mandrake and since the 2007 version is a basic platform on PCLinuxOS. Unlike the original, this variant uses the Xfce desktop environment and is designed for older hardware.

SAM, unofficial variant with Xfce

[edit] Notable Distributions

[edit] References

  1. ^ "DistroWatch.com: Top Ten Distributions - An overview of today's top distributions". http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major. Retrieved 2007-07-03. 
  2. ^ "Experiment: Interview with Texstar of PCLinuxOS - Yet Another Linux Blog". linux-blog.org. 8 June 2005. http://linux-blog.org/index.php?/archives/91-Experiment-Interview-with-Texstar-of-PCLinuxOS.html. Retrieved 2007-07-03. 
  3. ^ "Distribution Release: PCLinuxOS 2009.2". 2009-06-30. http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=05560. Retrieved 2009-07-31. 
  4. ^ UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads Retrieved on 2009-5-1
  5. ^ "PCLinuxOS MiniMe 2008 Released". 2008-01-07. http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=58&topic=38535.0. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 

[edit] External links

Free software portal
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Linux distributions
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