Mandrake stable?

[Gunde]

I'm about to install an linux partion, thinking of using Mandrake but I see alot of having trouble with.
There seams to be alot of bugs in it?
Does anyone know is it stable or should maybe try out redhat?

[vhg119]

which version of mandrake?
7.2 is very stable to me
hasn't crashed yet.

[Tyr-7BE]

Mandrake has very few bugs. The thing about Mandrake is that it's known as a newbie's distro. That's not to say that experienced users won't use it, because they do. I use Drake 7.2 right now and I find it to be a wonderful distribution...a good mix of holding your hand and letting you try things on your own. The reason you see so many posts about problems in Mandrake is because the majority of Mandrake users are newbies who know nothing of linux. I was once in the same situation. I've been using Drake for a few months now and am considering upgrading to Debian. Most people using other distros have some linux experience behind them and know how to troubleshoot/get around linux. If this is your first linux system, I highly recommend going with Mandrake 7.2. It's how I learned to get around in linux and it's great for newbies.

[jbstew32]

Madnrake is really a newbie distro. With that comes an easy install and setup, but lacks the real *nix experience and just kinda sucks when it comes to making you learn about linux. If you really want to learn Linux, I suggest you go pick up a copy of Slackware, or if you want to go the easy route, i suggest SuSE or Mandrake. Just stay away from Red Hat and Corel.

[jrbush82]

I think the reason why you see so many people having problems with it, is because so many newbies and even regular linux users use it, thus the problems that do occur, it is a good chance that they are using the mandrake distro...

[Molecule Man]

More newbies use it, so more posts about problems.

The part about not forcing you to learn Linux, what a total crock.

Learning is good, but one shouldn't need to hand edit every config file the very first day. I think you forget what it was like as a newbie. Mandrake lets you install a working system, then fiddle with it at your leisure, not boot you to a command prompt then expect you to figure out the arcane workings of cinfiguring X just so you can launch Netscape and search for help on whatever.

[cybergal]

I agree with Shad. Some people want to be able to use their system before getting into the complexities of Linux. I'm using Mandrake 7.1 and am quite happy with it. I mostly use X but slowly am learning command-line and telnet with a friend who is very Linux savvy. This is the best way for me to learn and I'm sure that I will learn more than I first thought possible by not having to learn everything at once. Whatever works best for you!

[dante_d]

All Linux distros are stable at the command line (IMHO).

Most of the bugs and crashes are usually related to three things:

Running X, where you've thrown video, sound etc. into the mix.

The installation process of a particular distro.

The installation/updating of software (i.e. apt/get, RPM, etc).

You could argue that "stability" comparisons would be better aimed at window managers and such, the install routines, and the 'package management' than at the underlying OS (which is fundamentally the same for all distros).

Here's my two cents on those three points regarding Mandrake:

I've never had any problems running X after a Mandrake install. If you break it, you would have broken it the same way in another distro.

One install 'bug' to watch for with it: don't test your video settings after you modify them from the defaults during the install. You can test them when the install's done. That's a common 'freeze point' in MDK 7.2's install process. Some others may be able to point out some other pitfalls, but that's the only one I've experienced.

I have personally also never had any problems using Mandrake's "update" feature (click on the packages to update and walk away) though I have heard of others having some troubles there. If you don't like RPM, install from source (you don't HAVE to use RPM, apt/get, slackware packages, or whatever).

Other distro advocates may now commence to blasting holes in my arguments. :D

[always_today]

some of the coolest things about linux is that there are so many distros. i started on redhat and see no probelm with that, each distro brings something to the linux community, each has a flavor for a different person. the very heart of linux i think is based on individuality, not only are there hundreds of distros but within each distro there are half a dozen window managers to choose from and a million ways to configure them.
the other cool thing about linux is that we have to fix things, we have probelms, we have to learn how to manipulate config files, to navigate through the what seems like a daunting file tree, we have to learn hundreds of commands, reference books, man pages, and message boards. but that is what makes linux so cool. i love linux becuase i have to participate within the OS, as a physics major i live for probelms and i think most linux users are probelm solvers who enjoy cracking a challenge and the euphora aftewards of pulling it off.
what separates us from MS is not so much the fact the we have a better OS (which we do) or that we have a different set of ethics (which we do) but that we like fixing things, we want to have to figure things out, and we want the credit for it afterwards.
linux makes us feel alive, sentient and most of all cool.
kevin
:)