Review: Pardus 2008 RC2

Pardus is a release that I didn't discover by myself; more it was thrust in front of me by a community of passionate users. Whenever I was looking for 'the most usable' distro someone would always recommend Pardus - so I gave it a go. I tried 2007.1 way back on the 12th of May 2007 and was very, very impressed. I then tried the RC2 of Kurulan at the end of June the same year with positive results too.

Somehow I always end up reviewing release candidates rather than the finished article, but when I saw that RC2 for Pardus 2008 was released I felt compelled to don my reviewing hat and see how things have progressed - nearly 12 months since I last touched this remarkable Turkish OS.

Pardus 2008 features

The final release of 2008 is due on June 27th worldwide so we can expect this RC2 edition to be fairly final (although there will obviously be some margin on that). Pardus 2008 is really the most obvious progression from 2007; using the latest Kernel (2.6.25.5) and the latest KDE4 available. They've also updated most of the other packages (things like PISI - the package manager, YALI - the installer) and there's a new design/feel so it's basically a whole new OS.

Pardus normally release separate disks for install and LiveCD environments but because this is a release candidate there isn't a LiveCD yet... But here's hoping one is released when the final version comes out.

Installation

I (unlike many other reviewers) place an almost unfair amount of weight upon the installation process because it's the first place for things to go wrong. A counter-intuitive installer is sometimes all it takes for users to abandon a system; we need something that doesn't require technical knowledge. An installer needs to hold your hand all the way through the process and (yet again) YALI excels. Ironically an acronym for 'Yet Another Linux Installer' it outdoes most other installers and finds itself up there with things like Draklive.

Ubuntu may still lead the race in this area by wielding Wubi; allowing prospective users to install the distro as a Windows application (ish) is marvelous and something other releases should aspire towards. This RC2 of Pardus may not have a LiveCD version but the installer is among the easiest I've used.

Even the inclusion of friendly cartoon characters that smile back at you as it installs is welcome; prompting you to feel welcome. Too many installers are very sterile and vague in their actions (Vista, most notably) so it's nice to not only be told what it's doing, but the installer sells the OS to you too. Talking about the benefits of using the system, the software provided, the community... It's not the fastest installer in the world but as far as I'm concerned it's not a race; install it properly in a friendly manner and I'm willing to avoid clock watching.

To top it all off, when it's finished installing it says "Goodbye from YALI, enjoy your fresh Pardus" to make you feel like an expert has finished his work and is handing you over to another to help you on your way. Nice touch...

Aesthetics

I always feel a little shallow for approaching something so superficial so early in the review but I consider aesthetics an important part of system acceptance. Hell, it's easier to remain in an abusive relationship if your partner is beautiful so I'm more willing to gloss over the occasional fault in the same manner.

The login screen isn't as polished as I was expecting making it a bit of an inauspicious start for Pardus (although I found the same thing with PCLOS Gnome edition, and learned not to care). It's at the point where you first login that you meet the Kaptan; a friendly looking cartoon character who guides you through your new OS.

While the majority of this introduction is academic for the majority of people who install Pardus, it is nice to have a walkthrough there for those who are fresh to Linux. It's good that it explains the package manager in this process too - something that is normally left to the user to figure out.

I chose to go through the Kaptan and re-theme my Pardus to use the transparent one and use a floral background; from dull, normal OS to aesthetic wonder in 3 clicks, all through the initial 'welcome' screen - nice. It allows the user to get things looking hot and sexy straight from the off - and make no mistake, Pardus looks great.

The icon design is nice and modern, the menus are fairly conventional and the whole thing is nice and easy to get around. What more can I say?

Networking and Connectivity

Networking in Pardus was also handled during the initial Kaptan setup process; it found and configured my connection without any real intervention from me which is always a good start. The next step to having the Internet is to try connecting to my Windows network...

The skin for Konqueror is somewhat striking if not a little out of place - sure Pardus is orange in a lot of places but I'm not sure this specific dashboard needs to have this mix of orange and white text with a drop shadow - it all looks like ClearType gone wrong.

Samba shares are accessible by default which makes life nice and painless if (like me) you have a Windows machine with all your media on it (which is unlikely, but hey). The next step is testing the out of the box functionality and media playback.

Out of the box functionality

While out of the box functionality may seem like a strange concept under Linux (you know, where everything is free) I still consider it important. Modern Linux should work well out of the box and I like to see decent media support by default too. So I'll grab a video file from my Samba share and give it a go.

While I still can't understand why various distros ship with Kaffeine as the default media player when there are much better alternatives available, it works fine in this instance. My chosen episode of Seinfeld plays without problem. It's a bit of a grey area over the community - the use of proprietary codecs - but for me I consider it a necessary addition.



One of the worst aspects of a fresh Windows XP install is obtaining all the codecs you require and that's something that almost every Linux release tackles in one way, shape or form these days. I don't personally mind whether they're preloaded or downloaded on demand, but there needs to be a seemless workflow to your video playing. I don't want to be told "No codecs" and have to source them myself. Pardus manages media playback out of the box and that's important to me.

As for software, pretty much all your needs are covered directly post install in Pardus. The usual faces are here (OpenOffice, GIMP, a media player, Firefox) but it doesn't stop there - every possible whim is catered for. FTP programs, screenshot utilities, a multitude of office applications... You could happily hand someone a Pardus installation CD and be confident that their needs will be met for quite some time.

Package Management and Control Centre

Both the TASMA configuration utilty and the PISI package manager are pinned to the 'start' menu which makes life easy (whereas in Ubuntu you need to remember which menu to look in, etc) Pardus makes life easy. PISI is a fairly typical package manager - those who have used Synaptic before won't recognise the difference. The average user should have fun 'shopping' through the list of available applications too because installation is a point-and-click affair.



The TASMA configuration centre reminds me heavily of the excellent one found in PCLinuxOS and caters for both the average and advanced user. The key with control centres is the use of language; it's all well and good that "Display Settings" and "Appearance and Themes" are largely synonymous in my head but the average user might be slightly confused - which is why Pardus lands on the latter. The language within the control centre is uncomplicated and (although I can't quantify why) it just doesn't feel imposing. Sometimes configuration utilities can imply that one incorrect movement could leave you picking computer parts out of your face, so it's important that you feel supported throughout your changes.

Usability

Like so many Linux releases of late, usability is excellent. Your hand is held throughout a simple installation process, you're welcomed into the OS by a walkthrough that allows you to start making it feel like home. The menu system is intuitive and both the package manager and configuration utilities are accessible by those with even the most basic of IT experience. The only barrier I can see people having to Pardus is the lack of arms, because everything else is catered for.

Conclusion

For a non-english release you wouldn't know it. In previous versions of Pardus there were times where you became aware that it was developed with another language in mind but that seems to have completely gone with 2008. When you initially load the installer it's not in English, but that's easy to resolve and the developers have clearly made that path nice and easy - allowing the English speaking world easy access to a great release.

I can't fault Pardus. I really can't. I (like many other reviewers) love to find fault and exercise our wit while being cruel but there's no opportunity to do that here. Pardus meets you half way every time and that's not something I find very often with releases. The colour scheme isn't annoying and it's highly configurable (on a KDE base). I only hope that it comes with a LiveCD when the final version is released because this really is a release that demands more users than it has.

I love finding fault when reviewing products, services and software, so consider this my standing ovation to Pardus for being nigh on faultless. They've got a top notch operating system on their hands and I'm willing to say this might be one of the best releases of 2008.

Think I'm wrong or that I've missed something massive out? Shout at me in the comments but if you've not used Pardus yet, I recommend you give it a whirl.

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