mipia

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This distribution is comparable to the likes of Ubuntu or openSuse. Very desktop oriented and easy to work with. While it does not have as many packages as some, it has everything that would be needed for the casual linux user who wants either a desktop or server setup.
Since it was based from what Mandriva has to offer, the package manager of choice for the .rpm packages is apt-get. I couldn't be happier about that.
I come from 7+ years of working with Slackware Debian and *BSD for everything. PCLinuxOS is a great choice for someone like me who still loves to hack and tinker, but wants something else for his own home system to be able to just sit down to relax and do some graphic design work, web dev, or gaming.

The installation took less than 20 minutes, post install setup for drivers, devices, and multimedia took less than five.

Also be shure to check out the folder on the desktop which allows you to install the 3d ATI or nVidia driver, setup your network, maybe make you a pot of coffee too, you never know. Be shure to check out the KDE menu on how to make a bootable Live CD and USB stick as well. It's right in the K menu.

Overall it's a fun and simple no nonsense approach to a big eyecatching desktop full of fluff that you can choose to add on yourself or keep off and get to work.

Savage2 and Quake Wars are a suggeston. You know, just to kind of round out the system overall.

Gagarin Gambit

Though I was an "advanced" user under Windows, I am new at the world of Linux and PCLinuxOS MiniMe is my first distro. I'm using it for a month now and I'm absolutely excited with it! Let me explain in detail.

Pros:
- Ideal for customization.
This distribution includes only the most essential applications (like Konqueror) - the rest will be set up from the user, according to his or her needs. This makes it ideal for experienced Linux users, or even novices who know exactly what they want, to set up their own compact customized system.
- Suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
PCLinuxOS is known as one of the "easiest" distributions, and it's indeed very friendly for beginners. However, it's more powerful than other "easy" distro. It includes a control centre (with originates in Mandriva) that allows to configure graphically almost every aspect of the system. More important, by default it gives the option to log in as a root. As I've read in another review of PCLinuxOS, it's "a power user's tool".
- Tool to create a remastered live DVD or USB.
This tool was also available in previous PCLinuxOS through the Konsole, but now it even easier to use since it has a graphic interface. That's the ideal way to backup your entire customized system, and you can even take it with you and use it any computer!
- Lighting fast.
PCLinuxOS MiniMe takes less than a minute to start in my Pentium IV 3Ghz desktop and it shuts off within 30 seconds. Most applications also start within a couple of seconds or less.

Cons (sort of...)
- No localization
PCLinuxOS is English only, though you can download other language packs for KDE.
- No "out of the box" multimedia.
Since MiniMe includes only the most basic applications/libraries, there's no audio/video player and codecs installed, unlike the other PCLinuxOS versions. Of course this can change easily through Synaptic. However, the point is customization, and I guess that there are many Linux users who have no use of any multimedia anyway.
- Lack of funds/stable release cycle
In contrast to Fedora or Ubuntu, who have lots of funds and full time employs, the PCLinuxOS development team is a group of hobbists with no resources other than the donations. This means that the release cycle is unstable, and there's no kind of "professional" help. But don't think that the OS itself lacks a professional approach! In my opinion, this development style is an advantage: PCLinuxOS is a community driven distro, and the people involved do excellent work. There may not be any "official" support, but the forums provide friendly and accurate answers to any problem. You may even find yourself getting tips from Texstar, the chief developer of PCLinuxOS!