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Update Notifier Settings – Pardus has an application update notification tool that works. The only problem is it is not configured out of the box to check for updates. It’s one of those Kaptan options that should have been pre-configured. On recently reviewed distros like Fedora 13, Mint 9 and Ubuntu 10.04, the update notification tool is pre-configured to check for updates once per day.
In the image below, I think every option on that page should have been enabled by default. Having the update notifier in the systray is about the easiest way to stay informed about applications updates. And it makes sense to add the contrib repo. More choice of software at your disposal.
The application update settings page on Kaptan
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Migration tool – If you are dual-booting between another operating system and Pardus, you may use the Migration tool, similar to one on Mandriva, to import your settings and applications in to Pardus. It’s a nifty little tool to have – if you are dual-booting.
The Migration tool on Pardus
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System Snapshots – The History Manager is a tool that allows you to take snapshots of your Pardus installation, and then to roll back to that state at a later date. It is a graphical interface to pisi snapshot facility. Like every other custom tool on Pardus, it is very easy to use.
The History Manager
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(Multi)-Media and Hardware Handling – With libdvdcss in the repo and installed by default, you can play your encrypted DVD videos using either SMPlayer or Kaffeine. Firefox will play all your Flash movies, movie trailers on film.com, and will pass the Java test.
Aside from network interfaces (wired or wireless), connected hardware are automatically configured. My HP Deskjet F4280 All-in-One was detected and auto-configured.
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Network Manager – The network manager application is another custom tool. Its graphical interface is similar to Wicd’s than to NetworkManager’s. It does not seem to support automatic network interface configuration. Connected network interfaces have to be manually configured.
Network Manager application on Pardus
Recommendations – Pardus 2009.2 is a light-weight desktop distribution. Light-weight because it does not support disk encryption, boot-loader password protection, and LVM and RAID. If those are features you can live without, then Pardus is worth at least a try. It is just like Linux Mint, but with fewer applications in its repository.
What I’m looking forward to in the next release is for the network interface and the graphical firewall manager to be configured out of the box. I’ll also love to see 3D desktop configuration as a step in Kaptan.
Resources – Grab a multi-architecture iso image for Pardus 2009.2 from here. Subscribe to this site’s RSS Feed, or by email.
The main interface has three tabs – the Installable Packages, Installed Packages and the Upgradeable Packages tabs. Very easy to navigate.
The only problem, a minor one, but worth pointing out, is that the search feature cannot search across the three tabs.
That has been taking care of. Thanks for noticing it.
http://bugs.pardus.org.tr/show_bug.cgi?id=13506
I wouldn’t call though a KDE4 using distribution as being lightweight. It’s misleading.
just add contrib in kaptan, all you need is there.
Not true. Enabling Contrib adds very little to the app pool.
its good alternate distro for last users
The most common problem with Pardus have been with the Pisi/program handler (if read at forum questions).I hope they will improve it to the next version.
Then the chat programs I mentioned in my first comment supposed to be there.
Especially aMSN is good if using webcams.
True, they are. aMSN will not feature in a search result if your search string is chat, voip, “instant messenger,” but will if the search string is messenger, amsn, webcam, or may be a few others that I did not care to test.
Most new users (and many who write reviews also) with Pardus forgot to do a Pisi update after the installation by click at “show upgradable packages” before they start looking for programs in “Show installable packages”. Its necessary because it download programs by doing that, even if it show there are no updates.I can see at this comment that important step maybe was not done?
“For chatting, Emesen, Pidgin and Skype are your options”
I also got aMSN, Kmess and Licq in my own Pardus 2009.2 installation. Many other programs will be missing to if this step are not done. Programs for webcams etc..
So it can be a reason why so many say it have so small number of programs in the repo/pisi.
@John:
The first thing I do with every distro I’m reviewing is to get the system up to date. So with Pardus 2009.2, all the updates were applied and Package Manager dutifully reported that “All packages are up to date.”