Welcome From the Chief Editor
by Paul Arnote
I hate to say "I told ya so," but I told ya so. April did end up being a very busy month! April saw the release of nine new ISO's, covering 6 desktop environments. Yep, count them … six desktop environments and nine ISO's: KDE 4, MiniMe (also KDE 4), Gnome, Zen Mini (also Gnome), Phoenix (XFCE), PCLXDE, PCLXDE Mini, Enlightenment e17, and OpenBox (still in beta, but VERY near its final release).
So April became the month were many PCLinuxOS users were reinstalling. The sheer number of upgraded components forced a temporary break from the rolling distribution model. But in the end, it was worth it. Users ended up with a much more stable installation, and the new version was able to come out faster than if an upgrade path that would have worked with all the countless computer configurations were attempted. KDE was upgraded to the most recent release. We saw the latest kernels being rolled out. The xorg server saw a significant upgrade. The upgraded toolchain necessitated the rebuilding of virtually every package in the PCLinuxOS repository.
And when it was all said and done, the users of PCLinuxOS benefited, by having a stable system (regardless of the desktop environment used), that has the best hardware recognition of any Linux distribution, and that runs faster and better than most any Linux distribution out there. Am I bashing the other Linux distributions? Absolutely not, but it is simply a comparison. And, it's a testament to the ability of Texstar to produce what many PCLinuxOS users already know: the best version of Linux out there. It's now only up to the rest of the world to discover the thrill of running the most stable, fastest version of Linux — or of any operating system — available.
The magazine staff have been just as busy over the last month, preparing the May issue for the community. Of course, we have an article on the new releases, in April Showers Bring … 9 New ISO's! We also take a more detailed look at the different versions released, in Stricktoo's Taste Test Of The PCLinuxOS Flavors, in an effort to help you make the decision of which version may be right for you, based on a) the equipment you have on hand, and b) how you work with your computer. I continue a look at the new features of KDE 4 this month, with KDE 4: Panel Keeps Pace & Place and KDE 4: Widgets Galore, taking a look at the options in setting these up on your KDE 4 desktop.
Leiche take us on the first part of a journey that not only explains one of the newer original programs in the PCLinuxOS repository, Zip-Player, but also the process he went through in creating it, with his article Zip-Player Plays Music Archives: Part 1. Critter continues his series of articles, Command Line Interface Intro: Part 8, taking you farther into a greater understanding of the command line and scripting. Eronstuc continues his exploration of computer programming languages, with his article series, Computer Languages A to Z: Korn Shell. Meanwhile, Meemaw explores what it takes to be a good citizen in the PCLinuxOS forum, with her Forum Etiquette: Being A Good Citizen article.
Ms_meme continues to entertain us with Forum Foibles: Forum Book Reviews and ms_meme's Nook, where she dedicates her song, Quiet Nights, to her PCLinuxOS experiences. Georgetoon is back with another installment of Double Take & Mark's Quick Gimp Tip. We also pay tribute to a recently departed PCLinuxOS family member, NibiruET, in The Loss Of A PCLinuxOS Family Member. We also take a Behind The Scenes look at Wamukota and the PCLinuxOS.nl users. Linuxera shares some fascinating information about the PCLinuxOS Folding Team.
And, to round things out, we have four separate Testimonials this month, from PCLinuxOS users. We also have 10 more user screen shots to highlight and share, with Screenshot Showcase.
As we start to move from Spring into Summer, and experience summer vacations and holidays, things continue to move forward for PCLinuxOS. So, until next month, I wish each and every one of you peace, happiness, and tranquility.
