How do i go about to install Mandrake 10?
 

I am trying to figure out the best way to install Mandrake 10.0.

1. Can I do it on one of my partitions that I haven't used yet?
2. How much space do I need for installation and basic applications?
3. I have never used Linux before, is there a step by step guide on how to install Mandrake 10.0 successfully?

all help greatly appreciated!

The official Mandrake documentation is here. It refers to version 9.2, but I can't see there being that much of a difference (although I could be wrong - I don't use Mandrake). Hope it all goes well.

1. ) yes
2. ) about 500MB should see you through in a pinch on MDK, though 2GB sure is nice (assuming you want GUI and so forth, if not, you can get by on very little)
3. ) install ... MDK ... successfully ... **resists urge to bash distro**

Seriously though on 3 - MDK is a very nice install, one thing to remember though is, wait for the bloody thing to detect the mouse :)

I have jammed my machine with apps - KDE/XFCE4/Fluxbox - 3 browsers (I can't decide which to use, although Opera gets the most use), email, media player, mp3player, cd burning, good chunk of installed documentation, graphics, few games, office, etc, and my /usr directory (where most of the programs reside) is 1.6 Gigs and there's not much more that I'd install on it. I hope that's a guideline for you (btw, I didn't install the kernel sources - that's another ~150mb). So, if you end up liking it, 2G is a comfortable size. It'll take you months to fill it with neato apps. 3G would be better, but not necessary. You'd be hard put to fill it with programs. Now, files.....................

Good plan. All distros have their strong points (and I'm sure that Slack'll show me its good points as soon as it starts to like "X"! --oops, that was almost a bash too;))

Hey ... i said MDK had a good install.

Well, quite right all distro's have their quirks, so yes, i'm sure Slackware has it's problems too. In fact, it's not telling you about missing dependencies might be considered a problem :)

Heh heh. That's why one would be wise to give themselves a head start and install swaret. I think that anyone who happens to have a mandrake 10 install that doesn't run into problems with the initial install ahd gets their urpmi sources set up with easyurpmi, will have a pleasureable experience with their system. I love to try new things (which is why I starterd 10 with beta 2 and updated with cooker until official was cooked) and the constant install/uninstalls I have done haven't broken my system. Mandrake is the only distro so far that has stood up to the constant changes intact. (I haven't tried every one out there, but I'm working on it;)).

I was worried about an rpm-based distro (I had heard - and experienced to an extent - about rpm hell), but urpmi has calmed me a bit. Now, my system has been zipping along with KDE 3.2 and kernel 2.6 without a hitch, and I didn't have to put those things there myself. I must admit, the 2.6 kernel already installed was what lured me to it. But, because I like trying new things.....Slack's on the block now! (Like the Frito Lays commercial says, "I bet you can't eat just one!!")

drmungis,
Welcome to the Linux world. I hope your install is trouble-free.

Incidentally, we installed MDK 10.0 Community (dunno if that's beta or anything ... how would i check??) on someones system here at the office (whilst he was out) when he got in everyone was silent right up to the "WTF???? WHAT HAPPENED TO WINDOWS???"

ANYWAY, us harrassing other IT honors students aside, it was a very instersting experience. The installer has certainly gotten easier again, as i mentioned to the other guy here, "It's installing already, i didn't even notice i'd told it to do anything yet"

MDK 10.0 is very easy to install, and reasonably quick ... though the system was only a p3 550 ... and it's running like a dog (no 3d accelleration) ...

Incidentally, something i have noticed on that point is that MDK runs slow even on some decent spec systems ... any thoughts on that?

What do you mean slow? Slow to use? Or slow to boot? I find its slower to boot than other distros can be and its definotely slower to boot than Microsoft's products (out of the box). I find, too, that on my modest P-III 700, it gave it a new lease on life. SOme things don't "seem" to respond as quickly as they should. Sometimes that's perception instead of reality. I found the same thing when I replaced Windows 95 on my p-120 (32mb) with Windows 98. The interface seemed sluggish, but it got the job done faster, for the most part. There are quite a few services that run by default, that will slow a system down as well. But the biggest difference I noticed when I replaced Mdkkdm with XDM as the desktop manager. This is anecdital, but I'd say the biggest contributer to a slowing would be KDM. With XDM running things (or "startx"), the system was a whole lot zippier.

According to Mandrakesoft, "Community" is a final release. "Official" is the final release after a month's of security and bug fix updates. I don't know! Its not any different than before. As far as I can tell, Mandrake takes the release out of Cooker and stops adding new development. That'd be community. After any bugs are found in the packages, Official is released with the fixes. I've never found this t o be any real difference to most any distro out there.

i see (on the issue of releases)

As for slow, well, it may have been just underpowered systems, a Celeron 600 and a P2 450. and on both KDE ran like a wet dog. boot speed i'm fine with, this (p3 650) ... and KDE runs nice, despite ATi's efforts to not support their GFX chipset.

BTW, on www.distrowatch.com, there seems to be a link to Mandrake Official isos. Although there doesn't seem to be any that are easily found on the list of mirrors on the Mandrake download page last night, thse seem to be valid links, if anyone's interested.