“With dozens of Linux distributions available, Linux vendors
must find ways to distinguish their products. One such method
involves the type of package management used by the distribution; a
clear divide exists between distributions based around the Red Hat
Package Manager (RPM) and the Debian -based apt-get package system.
International language support is another method, and is an
increasingly important factor in regions where non-English service,
character sets, and local language support can be just as important
as the applications that come with a distribution. Conectiva, a
Linux vendor serving South America, has distinguished itself not
only as a strong regional player, but potentially as a breakaway
leader in the global distribution market. Featuring a slick and
easy installation, the latest available software, and an innovative
package management system, Conectiva Linux rivals distributions
from more established Linux companies.“
“We installed Conectiva on two systems: a desktop and a laptop.
Our desktop system’s configuration included a Pentium II-333 with
192MB RAM, a 20GB hard disk, a Voodoo Banshee video card, and an
Aureal Vortex2-based sound card. Using Conectiva’s modular
installer, we chose a standard desktop installation. After stepping
through each of the intuitive installation screens and rebooting
the system, we were greeted with the KDE 2.0 login screen. This was
a pleasant surprise, since our older video card typically requires
a significant amount of manual configuration to get X to run on it.
Conectiva didn’t fare so well at detecting our Vortex2 sound card,
however, but that’s not unusual, because we have yet to find a
distribution able to detect and configure the card’s older Aureal
chipset. In any case, we were able to get sound up and running
moments later, after installing and configuring drivers
manually.”
“Although we were generally impressed with the installation
procedure, we were frustrated that Conectiva installed headers for
kernel 2.2.18 rather than the included 2.2.17 kernel–an annoying
oversight. Thankfully, the problem is easily fixed by downloading a
new kernel or the correct headers from Conectiva’s Web site.”