PCLinuxOS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 PCLinuxOS 2009 |
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| Company / developer | Bill Reynolds ("Texstar") |
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| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Free software/open source |
| Kernel type | Monolithic kernel |
| License | Various |
| Website | www.pclinuxos.com |
PCLinuxOS, often abbreviated as PCLOS, is a desktop operating system. It is a free operating system for personal computers aimed at ease of use.
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[edit] History
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 the year 2000 to 2003, Texstar maintained his repository of RPM packages in parallel with the PCLinuxOnline Web 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 2003 Texstar created a fork of Mandrake Linux 9.2 (which was released in October 2003). 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" i.e. p5, p7, p8 up to p81a, then p9, p91, p92, and p93.
With the advent of PCLinuxOS 2007, PCLinuxOS rebased on Mandriva Linux 2007. This implied a shift to a more modern code which will require a complete reinstall to this version. The new version featured a new look, and built-in 3D effects. A new logo has also been designed for the new version, and is incorporated in the boot screen. A new login screen was designed, entitled "Dark". PCLinuxOS 2007 final version was released on 2007-05-21.
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.[3]
The newest version of the main Live CD, PCLinuxOS 2009.1, was released on March 11, 2009.[4]
[edit] GNOME edition
PCLinuxOS Gnome 2008, a remastered, community edition of PCLinuxOS featuring the GNOME 2.24.2 desktop (and sporting a look similar to Microsoft's Windows Vista), was released on March 21, 2008, and is currently hosted at linuxgator.org though it is not supported in the official forums or irc channels.
[edit] Features
PCLinuxOS is distributed as a Live CD, which can also be installed to a local hard disk drive. When used as a Live CD, it can work with a USB flash drive, where the user's configuration and personal data are saved. The entire CD can be copied to and run from memory (if the system has sufficient RAM) increasing speed. PCLinuxOS uses the Advanced Packaging Tool (or APT), a package management system (originally from the Debian distribution), together with Synaptic Package Manager, a GUI frontend to APT, in order to add, remove or update packages. If there is enough memory on the machine and a network connection, the Live CD can update packages. PCLinuxOS is also designed to be easy to remaster after installation, creating one's own personalized CD, using the mklivecd tool. A Live USB of PCLinuxOS can be created manually or with UNetbootin [5].
[edit] Relationship with 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. Since PCLOS includes the mklivecd script, there are several third-party distros based on PCLOS. Some include:
- Karoshi Linux
- BugnuX - Based on a development version of Enlightenment
- Small Business Edition
- VideoLinux
- SAM Linux
- TinyMe
- PCFluxboxOS
- CAE Linux
- PCLinuxOS Digital Photography Edition
- PCLinuxOS Hebrew Enabled Remaster
- PCLinux 3D OS Indonesia
The PCLinuxOS Magazine project is a community driven free publication focused on the users of PCLinuxOS by MyPCLinuxOS.com. This online publication was started in September 2006 by a group of PCLOS users with some publication experience. All content for the publication is solicited from the PCLOS user base.
[edit] References
- ^ "DistroWatch.com: Top Ten Distributions - An overview of today's top distributions". http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
- ^ "Experiment: Interview with Texstar of PCLinuxOS - Yet Another Linux Blog". linux-blog.org. 08 June 2005. http://linux-blog.org/index.php?/archives/91-Experiment-Interview-with-Texstar-of-PCLinuxOS.html. Retrieved on 2007-07-03.
- ^ "PCLinuxOS MiniMe 2008 Released". 2008-01-07. http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=58&topic=38535.0. Retrieved on 2008-01-09.
- ^ "Distribution Release: PCLinuxOS 2009.1". 2009-03-11. http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=05372. Retrieved on 2000-03-12.
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
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