Prep for Distro II

I’m well underway with preparations for Distro II, starting Monday. Let me take a few minutes to recap the fundamentals of this round.

First, the reviews will be over a period of no more than two weeks rather than the week we took for each in the Great Distro Review. This will allow me a bit more quality time with each distribution - time I can utilize to dig further under the hood than in the original series.

Second, we’re mixing this round up a bit. I’ve got three consumer-oriented distros on tap; Lycoris, Caldera OpenLinux and LibraNet. We’ll cover these in the first half of the series. The second half will be the purpose-built Astaro, Trustix and NetMax. These distributions are focused, for the most part, on a single purpose - providing security in Linux.

Third, I’m taking a radically different approach to evaluating these distributions. Rather than install, poke around and comment, I’m taking a more objective approach to each distro. While I haven’t completely worked through the criteria for the security-oriented distros, here are the evaluation categories for the consumer distributions:

Installation - Each distribution will be evaluated based on the install type (GUI or text), the ease with which the distribution is installed, the flexibility of the install process (how easy or complicated it can be, based on user choices) and the ability to accurately probe hardware on the test machine. This last will be given a higher weight due to its importance to new Linux users.

Security - The security of each distribution will be evaluated in at least two different ways. The security evaluation tool I’ll be using is Nessus. The security of each distribution will be evaluated in the default configuration first. The inclusion of additional security tools in the stock distribution will be assessed. Finally, I’ll look at the ease with which additional security measures can be built into the system. The default settings will carry a 2:1 weight because, again, we’re focused in Penguin Shell on new users.

Distro Tools - In the vein of Suse’s YaST2 and Mandrake’s *Drake tools, I’ll be looking for distro-specific configuration tools. If present, I’ll evaluate their ease of use and ability to actually complete the task they’re intended to complete.

Support - In my mind, if you spend money on a Linux distribution, the support should be stellar. You can, after all, download most of these distributions at no cost. So, if you’re buying the product, you’re really buying the documentation and support. In the support section of Distro II, I’ll be looking at support availability, the quality of any provided support and the accuracy of support information. Accuracy will carry the heaviest weight, provided availability is acceptable.

Technical - This will be an area of most interest to programmers and Linux developers. I’ll look at the default programming/development tools for each distribution, any available add-ons included in the distro but not in the default install, any unique tools provided, and the ease with which additional tools can be added.

Applications - What’s included in each distro for office/productivity, multimedia, networking, games, and utilities? Falling back to the experience of the first distribution review, these will be high-level snapshots intended as much to assure that no critical apps are missing as anything else. We’ll also look at the “currency” of these apps; are older versions or new being used?

Documentation - I’ll take a look at any manufacturer-provided paper documentation, as well as online documentation on the manufacturer’s site. I’ll also evaluate whether any distro-specific documentation is installed as part of the standard installation. These will be evaluated for ease of use and thoroughness.

That looks a bit different from the first round of distribution reviews, eh? Each of these areas will carry a raw score, adding up to a total for the distribution. Using this protocol will keep me much more focused and will level the playing field for all.

Another item to note today is the existence of a new set of links in your Penguin Shell. In the right margin you’ll now find the PenguinArchive. These are downloadable .tgz files of all Penguin Shell issues through the previous month. I’ll update these at the beginning of each month. I’ve had so many requests for this that it just seemed silly not to include it. I’ve got them, anyway, so here’s to sharing them.

Have a great weekend.