PCLinuxOS

From Free net encyclopedia

PCLinuxOS, often abbreviated as PCLOS, is a GNU/Linux distribution.

PCLinuxOS is distributed as a LiveCD, and can also be installed to a local hard drive as a traditional operating system. When used as a LiveCD, it can work together with a USB Key (or thumbdrive), where configuration and personal data will be saved, making it a LiveMove distribution as well. Locally installed versions of PCLinuxOS utilise the Advanced Packaging Tool (or APT), a package management system (originally from the Debian distribution), together with Synaptic, an intuitive GUI frontend to APT. Together they allow access to programs and updates packaged for the OS.

1 History and Background
2 Relationship with Mandriva Linux
3 See also
4 External links

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History and Background

The precursor to PCLinuxOS was a set of RPM packages created to improve successive versions of Mandrake Linux (now Mandriva Linux). The packages were created by a packager known as Texstar. From the year 2000 to 2003, Texstar maintained his repository of RPM packages in parallel with the Web site, PCLinuxOnline.

In 2003, Texstar created a fork of Mandrake Linux 9.2 (which was released in October 2003). Working closely with The LiveCD Project, Texstar has since developed that fork into a full-fledged distribution.

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Relationship with Mandriva Linux

Although it retains a similar but arguably more refined "look and feel", PCLinuxOS has diverged significantly "under the bonnet", by absorbing ideas and code from various separate sources: the latest versions of Mandriva, Fedora, SuSE, Gentoo, Yoper and many other distributions. Furthermore, most parts, like the kernel, GCC and KDE (the desktop environment), have been independently packaged.

PCLinuxOS maintains its own software repository, available via the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT), replacing Mandriva's Urpmi. PCLinuxOS endeavours to have a fully valid upgrade path, meaning that an installation can be continuously updated to the latest versions of packages (hence to the latest equivalent ISO CD image or beyond). PCLinuxOS also remains mostly binary compatible with Mandriva Linux-specific RPMs.

Other differences include its own menu arrangement and custom graphics and icon sets.

PCLinuxOS places specific emphasis on desktop computing in homes and small businesses, paying less attention to other more "traditional" uses, like servers (although packages for most server tasks are certainly available).

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