The ease of sidux
First, let me clear up a mistake I made in my previous article about sidux. I used a “S” instead of a “s”. sidux is spelled with a small s. I am still trying to get around Mrs. Gibson’s High School English class.
Okay, now that we have gotten the English lesson out of the way, you may be wondering, what in the world is sidux. Well, to start off, they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a couple of screenshots of my desktop. Keep in mind that I like to keep my desktop simple and uncluttered. I have my icons all hidden, but as are most things in sidux, that is easily changed.
If you want to change anything from the background image to the color scheme and icons, you go to the Control Center. Here is a screenshot of what it looks like. You can also right click on the desktop and choose “Configure desktop”, to get more options, such as multiple desktops. Nothing could be simpler.
sidux is an operating system that is based on the most modern Debian branch, called Sid. It is easy to download and burn your own live CD, allowing it to be ran from the CD or installed straight to your hardrive. Just go to the sidux mirrors page to choose your download location. They have full instructions on how to burn the CD in order for it to work.
When installing sidux, you will notice how fast the operation is, especially if you have installed Windows XP before. I run an AMD 950 processor with 756 of ram. My video card is a Nivida 5200 with 256 ram. It is an older, slower system, but the difference between the installation speed of sidux and XP is staggering. There is simply no comparison. Also, whereas XP likes to work away and not really give you a clue as to what it is doing, sidux lets the user see clearly what is going on and if there are errors, it will give you some information along with the error message. That makes it a lot easier to troubleshoot. One more thing to keep in mind about sidux. Before I made up my mind to switch to Linux, I had read horror stories about trying to get the computer hardware working under Linux, about how hard it was to get the correct drivers for video cards, printers, and the like. While I can not speak for anyone else, I will say this. sidux installed without a single hitch on my computer and I have had no problems to speak of since then.
One good thing to remember when installing sidux is how often it is updated and errors are fixed. As with any software, there will be problems crop up, from time to time. With sidux, updating is as easy as it could get. All you have to do is open a terminal (command line for all you Windows folks) and type “init 3″. This will stop the desktop manager, called KDE, and will start a script that gives you complete control over the update and guide you through the entire process.
How many times have you updated Windows, only to find their update was more of a pain than anything else? sidux helps prevent this by catching problems that may show up in the Debian kernel and if they are causing a problem for sidux, they are put on hold until they are corrected. I have been running sidux since December 24 and there has been a couple of times this has happened. As the update script runs, it gives you a running account of what is happening and if there are any problems to be on the lookout for. It will also tell you if something has been put on hold. The overall affect of the update procedure is to provide the user with fast and correct updates that keep the system running as smoothly as possible. Keep in mind, this is not just a product of the Linux kernel, but of sidux, the operating system. The Linux kernel provides the basis of a stable system, but sidux provides the glue that holds it all together. Trust me when I say, the update process for sidux is entirely less painful than Windows.
One of the biggest fears I had, when it came to switching over to the Linux kernel, was installing the different programs I need/want on my computer. First of all, sidux helps take care of a lot of that by including so many free (yes, you read that right) programs. Back when I first started using Windows, it didn’t take me long to figure out the power of the clipboard and cut/paste. I wasn’t satisfied with the limitations of the Windows clipboard and I had to buy a program that would keep more than one clip around at the same time. When I installed sidux, one of the first things I asked my brother was if there was a program that would do the same thing as ClipCache Plus. Not only did the program exist, it was free and it was already installed on the system. What about a program to manipulate images? Never mind about Photoshop, Gimp comes installed on sidux and although I do not have a lot of experience with graphics programs, I have heard that Gimp will do anything Photoshop will do and again, it is free.
So, what if you need a program that isn’t already installed on sidux? No problem. Just open a terminal and type “apt-get install name of program”. No fancy program names that make you wonder what they mean. No more searching for downloaded files to figure out which one you want to install. If you want to install ksnapshot, a screen capture program, just type in “apt-get install ksnapshot” and it installs the program. If there is a program that isn’t included in sidux, such as the latest beta of Opera 9.5, all there is to do is to download the file and click on it when it is finished. That’s all there is to it.
I want to urge you to visit the sidux website and browse around the forums. You can learn a lot by just reading a little. You can also join #sidux IRC channel on oftc.net and the users there will be glad to answer your questions. I know, because they have answered several of mine. All you have to do is ask. I promise you this. You will not be disappointed in sidux. It is truly a joy to use.
That’s my take!
Larry
This will stop the desktop manager, called KDE, and will start a script [called smxi] that gives you complete control over the update….
As the [smxi] update script runs, it gives you a running account of what is happening and if there are any problems….
If there is a program that isn’t included in sidux, such as the latest beta of Opera 9.5, all there is to do is to download the file and click on it when it is finished. [Check the sidux OS Manual for how to add new sources for apt-get, here: [http://manual.sidux.com/] That’s all there is to it.
Well done. Thanks for writing it up.
saludos,
Richard.
Well, screw them for that. iWill not! make install OMG wriTiNg unr33dable bEcAuSe 0f 5100pid names.
Well, your description sounds a little bit cryptic to me. In brief, Sidux stems from Kanotix, which is/was derived from Knoppix, which is a very interesting live distro based on Debian. Only that Sidux is based on Debian Sid, while most other Debian-based distributions are based on the stable versions of Debian. And, Sidux brings KDE as default desktop (but Fluxbox is also included), so configuring your desktop is just a matter of clicking around in KDE. It has nothing to do with Sidux.
At least, the developers try to make it easy. As with other operating systems, do a backup before upgrading and read the warnings carefully …
No, it will not (unless the Sidux team has become crazy, which I doubt). It will switch the computer to runlevel 3 which means, among other things, no X, i. e., no KDE. The upgrade script (the already mentioned
smxi) has to be started manually.Everything considered, your article is somewhat superficial. Well, but concerning Sidux, it is indeed a great operating system; I use it since the first final release about a year ago (before that time I was using Kanotix).
Nice short review of sidux. And a positive one to boot. sidux really is something special. Fast, stable, and draws from the huge collection of Debian packages. If you cannot do it in sidux lots of luck with any other distro.
Foobar,
I am not sure how much you would like in a review, but I just tried to keep it simple. What you call superficial, I call simple. There are some users that may be scared away from sidux if they get too much information all at once.
Very nice review. sidux rocks. sidux is NOT based on Kanotix nor Knoppix. It is based on Debian Sid. Unlike ubuntu and other distros, sidux is 100% compatible with Debian repos, which gives you access to over 25,000 packages. All the simple to run scripts like smxi, smvi, ceni make maintaining sidux simple.
Want a fast easy to install linux distro? What other distro installs in 5 minutes? Want the easy of Debian’s package management system? Answer to all : Use sidux.
For a superficial review presumably aimed at windows converts, I was surprised to see you bring up the command line. I would think that any modern distribution, especially one that uses apt, would have a nice graphical front end for package management, such as the awesome utility synaptic. Also, I thought that upgrading in debian was simple enough already, sudo apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade, maybe install deborphan to clean up old packages, or install upgrade system (which is basically a script that updates, upgrades and then cleans the package cache in one go), but thats just my $0.02
Larry,
Well, your review isn’t very technical. You describe how to configure KDE with kcontrol. Nonetheless, your review is not exhaustive enough for users who are so little tech-savvy that they need to be told how to configure their desktop … If you target users who can’t find out that on their own, how will they react when they type in the little
init 3? Oops,init: must be superuser.And if they manage to do this as superuser, there is still no update script running … so, I don’t see who your audience should be. Some more detail would be nice.They are also scared away if nothing worksTM. Anyway, I appreciate that you enjoy your Sidux installation and that you write something nice about this great distro.
Very nice review. I’ve been using sidux exclusively since it first intro’d and it is the fastest, cleanest distro I have ever seen. It is totally cutting edge, being Debian Sid, but with the rough edges taken off by the grand wizard level development team. The excellent smxi utility makes keeping it fresh a snap and the ceni network setup utility makes quick work of that process. Happiness is never having to install a new distro, as the rolling release process works very smoothly. For speed, security, and overall utility, it can’t be beat.
nixninja,
you mention “the awesome utility synaptic”. it might be working well in a stable distribution, but NOT in unstable. sidux, being based on unstable is too dynamic for synaptic to sort it out correctly.
and mentioning commandline with sidux is a good thing. it is not mandatory for many things but it shows even new users the power and speed that CAN be achieved with a linux system, if one is interested in that.
one more thing: you say: “Also, I thought that upgrading in debian was simple enough already, sudo apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade…”
debian does NOT use sudo, ubuntu does. debian uses su/sux.
The thing that attracted me to sidux, (I just installed the xmas release last week) is that it is a rolling distro. IOW install once and just upgrade. The days of reinstalling your distro every 6 months or so are over.
As Devil states, doing a dist-upgrade with X-window running is asking for trouble with any debian based distro.
sidux has evoled beyond knoppix! It is in it own realm! It closer to parent debian than any other linux..And stable/usble/current to the day.
After spending a year or so with Ubuntu, I made the oh-so-pleasant discovery that is sidux! Fast, stable–and that ‘smxi’ script is one of the Wonders of the Modern World! (My favorite part of the distro, actually.)
As I was learnng linux, I tried many distros (Ubuntu, Sabayon, PCLinuxOS, to name a few), but I stopped sampling after giving sidux a try.
Major kudos to the IRC group, too–they’ve helped me many, many times as I’ve climbed the learning curve.
I am a recent convert to sidux, having tried practically everything else. I have two partitions on my desktop, the other devoted to Linux Mint, usually. But sidux is my favorite at this time. I like the fluxbox window manager, since it continues features I liked about Windowmaker when I used it.
Synaptic, btw, is not completely useless in sidux; you can install it in about 30 seconds with apt-get synaptic, and I find it handy for finding and installing programs. It might be risky for using as a general updater.
What I like about the combination of sidux and fluxbox is that it leaves a lot about how I use it up to me. I like kde just fine, but I like the feeling of having a lot of resources at hand but not in my face unless I choose them to be. Fluxbox gives me that.
I have Windows and use Puppy Linux on my laptops; Puppy works especially well with my bcm43xx wireless and I can run it off a usb flash. I have a 2-gig flash which is unfortunately not big enough for sidux. But Puppy is fun anyway. I keep Windows because it is better at some things such as text-to-speech. I would love to reformat my Dell Latitude and get rid of Windows entirely, but I just can’t give up the programs that I have found so essential over the years.