Mandriva Linux is a Linux distribution by Mandriva. It uses the RPM Package
Manager. Each release lifetime is 18 months for
base updates and 12 months for desktop updates. Server products receive full
updates for at least 5 years after their release.
The last release of Mandriva Linux was in August 2011. Most developers who were
laid off went to Mageia. In May 2015, Mandriva went into
administration; as of the 27th of May the organisation website was offline.
History The first release was based on Red Hat
Linux and K Desktop Environment 1 in July 1998. It has since moved away from
Red Hat's distribution and has become a completely separate distribution in its
own right. Mandriva now includes a number of original tools, mostly to ease
system configuration. Mandriva Linux is the brainchild of Gaël Duval, who wanted
to focus on ease of use for new users. This goal was met as Mandrake Linux
gained a reputation as "one of the easiest to install and user-friendly
Linux distributions". At this time Internet Explorer held a dominant share
of the web browser market, and Microsoft a near monopoly in operating systems.
Web browsers for Linux were limited to Mozilla, followed by a variety of poorly
performing Linux-specific browsers such as Konqueror or Galeon. Mandrake Linux
earned praise as a Linux distribution that users could use all the time,
without dual booting into Windows for compatibility with web sites or software
unavailable under Linux. CNET called the user experience of Mandrake Linux 8.0
the most polished available at that time.
Duval became the co-founder of Mandrakesoft, but was laid off from the
company in 2006 along with many other employees.
= Name changes = From its inception until the release of
version 8.0, Mandrake named its flagship distribution Linux-Mandrake. From
version 8.1 to 9.2 the distribution name was reversed and called Mandrake Linux.
In February 2004, MandrakeSoft lost a court case against Hearst Corporation,
owners of King Features Syndicate. Hearst contended that MandrakeSoft
infringed upon King Features' trademarked character Mandrake the
Magician. As a precaution, MandrakeSoft renamed its products by removing the
space between the brand name and the product name and changing the first
letter of the product name to lower case, thus creating one word. Starting
from version 10.0, Mandrake Linux became known as Mandrakelinux, and its logo
changed accordingly. Similarly, MandrakeMove became Mandrakemove.
In April 2005, Mandrakesoft announced the corporate acquisition of Conectiva,
a Brazilian-based company that produced a Linux distribution for
Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking Latin America. As a result of this
acquisition and the legal dispute with Hearst Corporation, Mandrakesoft
announced that the company was changing its name to Mandriva, and that their
Linux distribution Mandrake Linux would henceforward be known as Mandriva Linux.
Features The major features of Mandriva Linux
are: = Installation, control and
administration = Mandriva Linux contains the Mandriva
Control Center, which eases configuration of some settings. It has
many programs known as Drakes or Draks, collectively named drakxtools, to
configure many different settings. Examples include MouseDrake to set up a
mouse, DiskDrake to set up disk partitions and drakconnect to set up a
network connection. They are written using GTK+ and Perl, and most of them
can run in both graphical and text mode using the ncurses interface.
= Desktops = The latest version of Mandriva Linux,
2011.0 officially supports only KDE Plasma Desktop, whereas other desktop
environments are available but not supported. Older Mandriva versions used
Plasma Desktop as standard but others such as GNOME were also officially
supported. = Package manager =
Mandriva Linux uses a package manager called urpmi, which functions as a
wrapper to the RPM package management system. It is similar to Debian &
Ubuntu's apt-get, Fedora & RedHat's YUM, or openSUSE/SUSE's ZYpp in that it
allows seamless installation of a given software package by automatically
installing the other packages needed. It is also media-transparent due to its
ability to retrieve packages from various media, including
network/Internet, CD/DVD and local disk. Urpmi also has an easy-to-use graphical
front-end called rpmdrake, which is integrated into the Mandriva Control
Center. = Live USB =
A Live USB of Mandriva Linux can be created manually or with UNetbootin.
Availability Mandriva provides multiple editions of
Linux. Some were freely distributable until 2012, while now they are only sold
online and via a network of authorized resellers. Prior open source code of the
old Mandriva Free was later forked into free derivatives like Mageia and
OpenMandriva Lx. Versions
From 2007–2011, Mandriva was released on a 6-month fixed-release cycle, similar
to Ubuntu and Fedora. = Latest version =
The latest stable version is Mandriva Linux 2011, released on 28 August 2011.
= Development version = The development tree of Mandriva Linux
has always been known as Cooker. This tree is directly released as a new
stable version. = Table of versions =
Editions Each release of Mandriva Linux is split
into several different editions. Each edition is derived from the same master
tree, most of which is available on the public mirrors: all free / open source
software, and all non-free software which is under a license that allows
unrestricted distribution to the general public, is available from the public
mirrors. Only commercial software under a license that does not allow
unrestricted distribution to the general public is not available from public
mirrors. = Current =
All free Mandriva Versions are now end of life and the open-source code was
forked into other, newer distributions such as Mageia.
Currently there are only non-free business and server editions available,
including: Mandriva Class
Mandriva Business Server Mandriva CloudPulse
= Discontinued = Mandriva Linux Free
Mandriva Linux Free is a 'traditional' distribution. It is 'free' in both
senses: it consists entirely of free and open-source software, and it is made
available for public download at no charge. It is usually available in CD
and DVD editions for x86 32- and 64-bit CPU architectures. It is aimed at users
to whom software freedom is important, and also at users who prefer a
traditional installer to the installable live CD system used by One. The package
selection is tailored towards regular desktop use. It consists of a subset of
packages from the 'main' and 'contrib' sections of the master tree.
Mandriva Linux One Mandriva Linux One is free to download.
It is a hybrid, being both a Live CD and an installer.
Several Mandriva Linux One versions were provided for each Mandriva Linux release
preceding Mandriva 2008. Users could choose between different languages,
select either the KDE or GNOME desktops and include or exclude non-free
software. The 'lead' version is the KDE version with non-free software included.
The One images consist of a subset of packages from the 'main', 'contrib' and
'non-free' sections of the master tree, with the documentation files stripped
from the packages to save space. Mandriva Linux One 2008 has a smaller
range of versions. There are KDE and GNOME versions with the default set of
languages. There are also two KDE versions with alternative sets of
languages. All versions include non-free software.
Mandriva Linux Powerpack Mandriva Linux Powerpack is a
'traditional' distribution. It is the main commercial edition of Mandriva
Linux, and as such, requires payment for its use. It contains several non-free
packages intended to add value for the end user, including non-free drivers
like the NVIDIA and ATI graphics card drivers, non-free firmware for wireless
chips and modems, some browser plugins such as Java and Flash, and some full
applications such as Cedega, Adobe Reader and RealPlayer. It is sold
directly from the Mandriva Store website and through authorized resellers. It is
also made available via a subscription service, which allows unlimited
downloads of Powerpack editions for the last few Mandriva releases for a set
yearly fee. It consists of a subset of packages from the 'main', 'contrib',
'non-free' and 'restricted' sections of the master tree.
In Mandriva Linux 2008, the Discovery and Powerpack+ editions have been merged
into Powerpack, which will become Mandriva's only commercial offering.
Users will be able to choose between a novice-friendly Discovery-like setup or
an installation process and desktop aimed at power users.
Mandriva Linux Discovery Mandriva Linux Discovery was a
commercial distribution aimed at first-time and novice Linux users. It
was sold via the Mandriva Store website and authorized resellers, or could be
downloaded by some subscribers to the Mandriva Club. Mandriva Linux 2008 does
not include a Discovery edition, having added optional novice-friendly features
to the Powerpack edition. In releases prior to Mandriva Linux
2007, Discovery was a 'traditional' distribution built on the DrakX
installer. In Mandriva Linux 2007 and 2007 Spring, Discovery is a hybrid "Live
DVD" which can be booted without installation or installed to hard disk
in the traditional manner. Discovery was a DVD rather than a CD,
allowing all languages to be provided on one disc. It consisted of a subset of
packages from the 'main', 'contrib', 'non-free' and 'non-free-restricted'
sections of the master tree. The package selection was tailored towards novice
desktop users. A theme chosen to be appealing to novice users was used, and
the 'simplified' menu layout in which applications are described rather than
named and not all applications are included was the default.
Mandriva Linux Powerpack+ Mandriva Linux Powerpack+ was a version
of Powerpack with additional packages, mostly commercial software. Like
Powerpack, it was sold directly from the Mandriva Store website and through
authorized resellers; it was also a free download for Mandriva Club members of
the Gold level and above. Powerpack+ was aimed at SOHO users, with the
expectation that it could be used to run a small home or office server machine as
well as desktop and development workstations. The package selection was
tailored with this in mind, including a wide range of server packages. It
consisted of a subset of packages from the 'main', 'contrib', 'non-free' and
'restricted' sections of the master tree.
Mandriva 2008 no longer includes a Powerpack+ edition; instead, the
Powerpack edition includes all the available packages.
Derivatives Derivatives are distributions that are
based on Mandriva Linux, some by Mandriva itself, others by independent
projects. Some maintain compatibility with Mandriva Linux, so that installing
a Mandriva Linux RPM also works on the offspring.
= Current = Mandriva Business Server 1
Mandriva Enterprise Server 5 OpenMandriva Lx a fork of ROSA Linux
Mageia a fork of Mandriva PCLinuxOS initially derived from
Mandrake Unity Linux Mandriva-based distribution
= Discontinued = Mandriva Flash
Mandriva Flash is a pre-installed Mandriva Linux distribution on an 8 GB
USB key. The user can choose how much space is used for system files and how
much is reserved for user files. An earlier version of Mandriva Flash was 4
GB and before that 2 GB in size with fixed ratios. It can be booted directly
from the key on systems that support booting from USB devices, or from a
'kickstart' CD on systems that do not. Flash runs faster than live CDs due to
the relative speed of flash memory, and the read/write nature of the medium
allows users to save files, configuration options and even to
install new packages. Mandriva Corporate Server
Mandriva Corporate Server is a distribution specifically tailored for
enterprise-level general-purpose server usage. Development is started from the
basis of a previous Mandriva Linux release, with the package selection
altered, important packages updated, certain extra configuration tools and
applications added, and some extra support for enterprise-level hardware.
The maintenance lifetime of each release is five years. The current release of
Corporate Server is 4.0. Mandriva Corporate Desktop
Mandriva Corporate Desktop is the desktop counterpart to Corporate Server.
Again it is based on a Mandriva Linux release with enterprise-specific
modifications and a five-year maintenance lifetime. The current
release of Corporate Desktop is 4.0. Multi Network Firewall
Linux Mandrake 7.2 had a version tailored specifically for use as a
firewall, known as Single Network Firewall. Its successor, based on
Mandrake 8.2, was titled Multi Network Firewall. The third iteration is named
MNF 2 and is based upon Mandrakelinux 10.0.
These firewall distributions are designed to provide security for
computer networks, and can be administered remotely via a
browser-based interface or Secure Shell. MNF 2 is now counted as part of the
Corporate product line and can only be bought, with support, from Mandriva.
GlobeTrotter GlobeTrotter is a LaCie mobile USB drive
loaded with a specific version of Mandriva Linux. Like Move, it can boot
most PCs into Linux without installing first. The 40 GB hard drive makes it a
convenient way to carry a Linux workstation around. GlobeTrotter was
launched in August 2003 and could be ordered through Mandriva's online store.
CLIC CLIC is a dedicated version of
Mandrakelinux created by MandrakeSoft specifically for clustering
environments. It was sponsored by the RNTL, other partners were ID-IMAG,
Groupe Bull and Mandrakesoft. This project's aim was to produce a HPC Linux
Distribution for 32- and 64-bit processors.
The objective of project CLIC was to allow the realization of large
scientific computers while being based on free software. The objective consists
of the realization a Linux distribution for clusters of machines, meeting the
needs for deployment, administration and programming of clusters within the
framework of exploitation for intensive calculation.
It features an automated installation of a full cluster using the Ka tools, urpmi
and the clusterscripts. This project was finished on 1 December
2003 and Mandrakesoft decided to continue that project with a product
called Mandrake Linux Clustering. This product included Drakcluster for
improved usability. It was dedicated to the HPC market but it could also be used
to all kinds of clusters. It features parallel commands, deployment, software
upgrade/downgrade, monitoring, etc. Clustering was available on x86 and
x86-64 architectures. Mandrake Move
A LiveMove is the set formed by a Live CD and a bootfloppy or USB flash drive.
Mandrake Move was a Mandriva product that benefits from a Mandrake Linux Live
CD which doesn't need to be installed to run on a computer, and a USB key that
automatically records bootloader, hardware configuration and personal
data. The first version of Mandrake Move was
released in December 2003. It brought two main innovations compared to
competitors: ability to eject the CD if the machine
has 256 MB of RAM or more. Without the CD present, the OS is limited to playing
multimedia files. transparent save of any user
modification of his/her own files and system configuration files, if operated
with a USB key The second version, now simply called
Move, was released in October 2004. Hardware support and stability have seen
much improvement. Move is now superseded by Mandriva One and Mandriva Flash.
References External links
Mandriva Linux at DistroWatch