Testimonial: A Job Well Done

by Don Cosner (exploder)

I just wanted to express my appreciation for a job well done. I have thought for a long time that Linux is ready for the masses. PCLinuxOS clearly demonstrates this is true. This release has all of the elements in place for success where most distribution fall short. The rolling release concept is the very best way to attract new users and maintain a stable system. People do not want to reinstall all of the time to have current applications, and it is especially undesirable for people that have collected a lot of data and made customizations to their systems. PCLinuxOS is always right on top with current applications and very quick to address any problems that might be encountered.

The artwork in PCLinuxOS 2010 is very attractive and the time, hard work and thought that went into it shows. I mention the artwork, because there was a time when I thought all graphics artists that created artwork for Linux had bad taste as one of their requirements; clearly this is not the case these days. First impressions are important and PCLinuxOS 2010 makes a very good first impression. All of the artwork looks good and is consistent throughout the system.

The way PCLinuxOS 2010 is built is unique in the world of Linux distributions. PCLinuxOS is not a remade version of another distribution, it was built from source from a variety of sources to ensure the highest level of quality could be achieved. Just think about the huge number of packages available in the repos for a moment. Every single one of those packages was built by Texstar and the PCLinuxOS team. That's quite an accomplishment, isn't it! Patches were applied to some of these packages, as well as things like custom splash screens to ensure your PCLinuxOS remains in perfect condition. You really have to respect these guys and gals for the work they do. You just don't see this in other small distributions. The larger distributions could learn a lot from the work being done here.

PCLinuxOS 2010 was tailored to the needs and requests of the community. How often do you see this? Most developers tend to build what they envision things to be, but that is not the case here. I see a lot of things requested by the community in PCLinuxOS 2010. Every effort was made to make the transition from KDE 3.5 as pleasant as possible, right down to the desktop layout. Texstar did accomplish what he really wanted to see, too. He wanted the system to be fast, and it is. It is very rare to see this style of development. More distributions could benefit from this approach. Build something that people actually want! Seems radically simple to me!

The tools in PCLinuxOS 2010 are so valuable, and yet all revolve around good old common sense. The MyLiveCD tool is the most intelligent tool ever to be provided in a Linux distribution. This tool simply has no equal, and I can't believe other distributions have not ported this application. A good working backup of a perfectly set up system is worth it's weight in gold. There really isn't anything more to say. Including BleachBit by default was brilliant. People always ask how to keep their system cleaned up. Someone obviously saw a need and fulfilled it. Dupeclean-gui is also an interesting addition to the default tools. I have never seen this used before, but I would imagine it could come in handy. The PCLinuxOS Control Center is good as always and has always received high praise from the community as well as many reviewers. Having administrative tools all in one place just makes things so much easier; who wants to search all over for their system tools?

One of my favorite things about PCLinuxOS hardly ever get any mention: the installer. The installer makes it easy to preserve your home partition. This comes in real handy! The installer is also quick. No dumb slide show slowing things down, and an oem install can be done simply by shutting down the pc when the install completes. Best of all, it works with consistent results!

One last thing, you just can't beat a distribution with a Lead Developer that participates in the forum and interacts with the community. When I see the Lead Developer taking the time to help an individual user with a problem I know he really cares about the work being done and the community members themselves, that's real dedication! I should mention that I like Texstar's sense of humor too! It's nice to kid around and have some fun once in a while.

Yeah, I tend to write a book … but hey, I see a lot of good things in this release. My thanks to everyone that built PCLinuxOS 2010 and all of the hard work that went into it.