Anyone tried College Linux?

Seems a new version of the recently released College Linux is out. Version 2.1 (Jedi) was released 28th March (in Switzerland). Based on slckware but with custom installer and lots of preconfigured software.

If I can get it downloaded (server is a bit slow at present ) I'll load it and let you know what I think.

From the blurb, seems it will have windows networking out of the box (including LinNeighbourhood), so may suit newbies to linux looking for something to try.

Worth checking out, if you can get it.

I'm gonna ask that it goes onto our local ISP server as well, as that's a free download for us. But the request page is down. Typical of my ISP.

Cheers
Mick

[implexant]

so did you load it? how does it work?

-Chris

Yep, got it working as a dual boot now. Was a bit of a struggle, as the installer only writes LILO to the MBR, so I stuffed it up with Boot Magic.

But it seems nice enough so far - KDE2 desktop, configured my LAN and windows shares automatically, and can access them through LinNeighborhood.

Haven't tried the office apps yet, but it comes with a heap of stuff pre-loaded, including OpenOffice.

Apart from the weird custom installer, which they'll have to fix, looks like a good distro for newbies to Linux, which is what it's for. Comes with everything and includes WINE, The Gimp, SaNe for scanning, CDR tools apps, and more cool stuff.

Worth looking at , I reckon. Has some fast servers with it now, so you won't have to wait 12 hours for it to download like I did if you have a fast connection.

Cheers
Mick

[samwichse]

Wow, the latest version comes with KDE 3.1.1, not just 3.1.0-x like RH9 comes with.

Impressive.

Sounds like they also fixed your installer problems:

New kernel 2.4.20
- Installer duly improved with error checking and supporting
different hard disks, multiple linux/windows partitions and multi boot + auto scan
of your hard drives. while we are a slack based distribution the installer has been
builded from scratch..not another clone!!!
-Desktop Manager : KDE 3.1.1 (yeah! not just 3.1 but the latest) Xfce 3.8.18 and
blackbox
-printers working 100% fine with cups. Over 1300 drivers included via foomatic
-usb problems which affected some keyboards and mouse solved!!
-Mozilla 1.3 -Flash/java Enabled in both Konqueror and Mozilla
-XMMS plugins and skins
-Lin Network Neighborhood preconfigured..on your win network with 2 clicks
-Samba 2.2.8
-OpenOffice and KOffice
-BitchX the guru like IRC client and Xchat -Video Player (yeah!)
-ADSL pppoe tool
-Cd burning utility
-Kbudget
-WINE (Windows Emulator)
-Sylpheed (email client) of course the usual slackware base and reliability!
and much more!

Sam

Nah, the first version installer was worse!

It does identify windows partitions fine, but doesn't allow LILO to go in partition instead of MBR. So dual boot is fine as long as you use LILO. That was my mistake.

Check the review by Quan for more.

Cheers
Mick

Bump for a nice new distro. I like it the more I use it. Very nice to have stuff work first time after install.

Maybe a nice mod can move this to the new linux forum for us??

Cheers
Mick

[nukes]

Give us the low-down on it then. What is it about College Linux that makes it better than standard Slackware?

Easier to use, as it's pre-configured with more useful apps.

The whole philosophy of College Linux is a distro that easy for students to get up and running and do things students would need to do.

So, it comes preconfigured with windows networking, with OpenOffice, with internet conectivity. I can use my scanner and CD burner. Very little you should need to do to get it workable.

Slack has a rep for a not-so-nice-for-newbies distro, so it's interesting to see how a great, dependable base like slack can be refined into a neat, easy-to-use distro like College Linux.

All IMO, of course, and I'll probably find something else I'll start cursing (like the LILO installer ), but as of now I'm impressed. It's not a server distro, or a power *nix user distro, but it seems it does what it's intended for. And that's what counts.

Good work by College Linux creators at Robert Kennedy College in Switzerland.

Cheers
Mick

[nukes]

Slack is a brilliant newbie distro as far as I'm concerned. It taught me half the stuff I know about Linux. Mandrake is all well and good, but what do you learn from having it set up for you - you need to fiddle around to learn wtf you're doing. But I see what you mean, however I'm still hurt you would say something like that about dear old Slack!

LILO is getting outdated. Now GRUB has support for mounting more filesystems and is becoming a bit more stable, I have made the switch on this machine. (Still use LILO for my Slack Server as there is no keyboard/mouse/monitor to make a choice anyway and it only has one kernel to boot)

[originel]

hmm...i might have to check it out after a while...but i dunno. personally i use slack for fooling around with (the fact that it's a challenge is what i like about it). but i will definitely have to remember this..hopefully i will be able to recommend it above redhat or mandrake (I personally don't like either distro) to newbies.