Mandriva Linux LE 2005

If it sounds familiar, Mandriva is the new name for Mandrake Linux. Mandriva Linux Limited Edition 2005 is the first distribution bearing this name.

LE 2005 comes with two DVDs, one for 32bit computers and one for 64bit. Installation is straightforward and we didn't experience any difficulties.

The disk partitioning wizard is particularly good and features an extremely useful graphical representation of the partitions already on the disk.

Once a space has been allocated, Mandriva can create the required partitions within it - a helpful option for those who are experienced enough to want to know exactly what is going on with their hard disk, without knowing the requirements of Linux.

All hardware, such as graphics and sound, are configured and tested at this point. It's essential that the correct resolution for your monitor is chosen here as it isn't possible to change it to use a higher one without returning to the installation process.

As with most Linux distributions there's a choice of desktop interfaces. Of the choices available, KDE is the most like Windows but the Gnome interface is also popular. Most applications now work in all interfaces so the decision shouldn't limit you in any way.

The default login screen doesn't display users to help keep your computer secure, but this can be changed if required. This sort of flexibility is true of just about every element of the desktop in both KDE and Gnome and could leave Windows users a little bewildered with choice.

The amount of software supplied with Limited Edition 2005 may also surprise those used to being left with Wordpad and Solitaire. It's an intelligent choice of software as opposed to the ridiculous mass that used to be included with Linux distributions.

Openoffice 1.1.4 is installed as default - it's not the most recent version but that's not surprising as it's still in beta testing. Openoffice can still create PDFs with a single click and Adobe Reader is there to display them.

Novell Evolution fills the shoes of Microsoft Outlook and handles email, contacts and calendar tasks. There's also software included for Palm users to connect and synch with Evolution, but sadly PocketPC is not supported.