Here are my experiences with Mandrake-7.2beta 2:
Install & System Overview:
- SCSI (aic7xxx) system with 128 MB RAM
- Custom installation selected
- Development system
- No drive optimization, medium security, no supermount
- All package groups selected, 2240 MB 100% ok (install CD + ext CD)
- DSL pppoe network communications
- Matrox Millennium 8 MB graphics
Install Problems and Confusion (places where install program could use
improvement):
- After pppoe installation, I got "An error occurred. Can't coerce
array into hash", clicked ok. It never asked for user ID, password, or DNS IP,
so it didn't have a chance to work on the first boot after the install.
- Your user interface is a bit confusing when you are giving the installer a
chance to specify additional network cards and additional user names. When
returned to the window with choices ending in "Done", it would be very helpful
to indicate that the initial network card or user name choice had been
correctly registered. Otherwise, people might assume that what they just did
failed to "take". Some form of confirmation indication would be nice.
- My system has a Matrox Millennium with 8 MB of VRAM, but while the install
program identifies my Matrox Millennium correctly, it assumes that I have
only 4 MB or VRAM. Consequently, it moves right on to the resolution test
screen without offering me a chance to set it to "Matrox Millennium 8 MB". It
took me a while to notice this and learn to hit "Cancel" at that point.
(The same problem exists when using DrakConf after the install. There, by the
way, DrakConf should be using the current choices in XF86Config for card and
monitor defaults, not hard-wired selections.)
- Got message "Fetchmail failed - no mail servers have been specified"
- Got message "INND execvp no such file"
Problems After its up and Running:
KDE:
- K | Kconsole | Options | Font doesn't show check mark at initial setting, only
after being explicitly set.
- Smaller KDE icons and fixed-width font look blury (ugly) on my machine at
1280x1024 - pushing the limits of my monitor harder than previous Mandrake/KDE
fonts and icons at the same resolution
- Default clock should probably not be analog. Digital is easier to read near
limiting resolution.
- NetScape couldn't find "file:/usr/doc/HTML/index.html"
- Tried "Configure Background" from desktop right-click menu and no app appeared
- Tried "Configure Desktop" from desktop right-click menu and no app appeared
- DrakConf hangs when clicked on MouseDrake on first attempt. At a later
boot, no problem. Could not reproduce problem.
- DrakConf | Change X resolution fails to bring up a window after saying
"Please wait, getting X configuration"
- DrakConf | X Configuration | Show information should also show resolution
and color depth settings. There is no hint that the DefaultColorDepth
setting in XF86Config is, for example, 24 bpp when you use DrakConf to set the
color depth to 32 bpp. DrakConf needs to set the default color depth. Without
doing so, it can appear that DrakConf is not changing anything.
There should be a reminder that it will be necessary to restart the X server
from the login window shutdown menu to put the changes into effect.
The Yes/No question regarding discarding changes to X configuration is
counter-intuitive. It should show the new selections and ask if you want to
confirm the changes or cancel. It would be nice to show all of the
information in the same window as the Confirm Change/Cancel question.
- The bottom of the Network configurator screen containing the "Quit" and
"Help" buttons cannot be reached in a screen of 800x600 resolution. This sort
of problem exists with some other screens. I use a 800x600 projector
when I teach Linux and this is a problem.
- K | Configuration | Sound | Artsbuilder crashes with a SEGV error.
- K | Control Center crashes with a SEGV error.
Mail messages were present after installation saying:
sh: /usr/bin/news.daily: Permission denied
slocate: this is not a valid slocate database: /var/lib/slocate/slocate.db
- MandrakeUpdate seems to be working nicely now, but here are 6
suggestions:
1) It would be nice to be able to move the Please Wait window
aside and scroll the windows during the upate. That way the user can read
descriptions and plan further action while waiting. The Update List window
can be resized, but not scrolled.
2) The Descriptions window cannot be resized. The separator between it and
the Update List is not moveable.
3) Error... window is undersized when there are no error message details.
All the user can do is close and ignore it. Also, it is easy to not notice it
appearing on the desktop and think the install is stalled. Perhaps it should
appear on top of the main MandrakeUpate window.
4) libmysqlclient.so.6 was declared needed by Zope even when
libmysqclient.so.9 was installed. Maybe this is as it should be.
5) It would be very nice to use a lighter font for the entries where the
installed version is newer than the update. Or perhaps a special color for the
more recent of the two versions.
6) MandrakeUpdate hung when the Get Listed button was pressed after doing
all updates that had newer versions than the installed versions. I don't have
more details, but it was a real hard hang.
- I tried kppp 2.0pre18 with my ancient CompuServe dial up phone account and
saw a problem reappear that disappeared a year ago. When CompuServe sends
"Host Name:" the log window shows "Ho�t N��e: ". CompuServe is using even
parity here which triggers the non-ascii characters. This makes it difficult
to use the Expect script. Perhaps the expect script page should have a parity
selector. kppp in Mandrake 7.1 somehow avoided this problem, but as I recall,
the problem was present in Mandrake 7.0.
- kpackage crashed when I went to look at the files list for kaffe
- Could not compile a java HelloWorld application claiming a CLASSPATH
problem. Java applets, and c++, c, and gtk-- programs all compiled ok.
- The KDE Wizard refers to K | Preferences | ... , apparently a KDE set of
menus that doesn't apply to Mandrake
- Right clicking on one of the 4 desktop selection icons on the panel offers a
configuration option that never materializes
- Where is Kmail?
I hope these notes are helpful. Keep up the good work. I have switched to
using Mandrake in my "Linux-An Introduction" class at our local Junior College.
Craig Van Degrift
