LinuxPlanet: GNOME Configuration Made Easy

"Helix Code aims to take some of the roughness out of tracking an open source project by providing binary packages they've tested for integration into their GNOME distribution. They've made a few things easier to get at (like a generous collection of themes) by packaging them up, and their installer adds a level of order to the confusion a lot of people feel when contemplating which of the 80+ packages that comprise the GNOME environment to download."

"The most notable difference in the desktop itself is that they've also included a menu panel at the top of the screen that provides easy access to menus, configuration commands, and (by clicking on the clock) the GNOME calendar."

"They've also provided an updater program that makes keeping current simple. Running the updater brings up a list of packages that have been changed or added to the Helix GNOME distribution, which it will download and install for you. The updater also allows access to the preview releases of Evolution, the GNOME mailer."

"Unless you just like building from source, it pays to follow the GNOME project's lead and just go with the Helix Code version of the GNOME environment. I've seen it in action on Debian, Red Hat, Mandrake, SuSE, and Caldera, and it's a painless installation process that provides a stable, comprehensive desktop."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Scott Reid: Microsoft's Loss(Sep 20, 2000)
• Inter@ctive Week: Eazel Sketches Linux Future(Jun 06, 2000)
• IBM developerWorks: GNOMEnclature: Keeping your hands clean(Mar 09, 2000)
• AbiSource: First Impressions of Red Hat 6.0 and GNOME(May 06, 1999)