I just installed Mandrake 9.1 just last week. Im a newbie and I find 9.1 to fullfill my basic needs of computing.

I only use the computer for Internet, and playing around with Open Office and maybe some games (rarely, not hardcore games) and Email, Thats it.

9.1 seems simple for me.

I would like to ask people out here if I should really upgrade.

I had ordered Mandrake 10 (official) JUST INCASE I change my mind.

What do you think? Should I stick with 9.1 for now or go for 10???

I just really need help in deciding this matter.

And BTW, I do not want to go through the install process again. Mandrake 9.1 detected everything with no major problems. Im afraid that 10 will do something ....who knows what.

So, is it safe to stick with 9.1 for now?

Mandrake 10.1 is coming out soon!

If Mandrake 9.1 works, use it.

I guess what you're really asking is, what are the advantages of Mandrake 10 over Mandrake 9.1.

I used Mandrake 9.1 then 9.2, and have upgraded to Mandrake 10. The main reason is for KDE 3.2 (it's KDE 3.1 in Mdk 9.x). I just couldn't stand the tabbed browsing in the old Konqueror, where the tabs run off the edge of the screen and you can only open about 5 tabs or something (I open at least a dozen tabs when I browse). Konqueror 3.2 squeezes down the tabs to fit all of them in.

Also, KMail is better in KDE 3.2, with message threading. (But if you try to open KMail in Mdk 10, it instead opens Kontact + the KMail view, which is retarded for someone who just wants to read mail. I reset the menu to open only KMail.)

GIMP is still, disappointingly, v1.45 instead of v2.x, although I don't know how stable 2.x is. GIMP is still frustratingly maddening, a collection of programming exercises for image manipulation with no regard to usability of the interface.

Oh yeah, Mandrake Control Centre (renamed to "Configure Your Computer") is better and more responsive.

Other than that, nothing spectacularly better that I've been able to find.

One DRAWBACK to going beyond 9.1 (which didn't stop me): you can't make a proper boot floppy. No, sir, the later kernels of Mdk 9.2 and beyond are too big to fit on a floppy disk! Apparently the people at Mandrake didn't realize this until too late, since the Mdk 9.2 install CD's still blithely include the option of "create boot floppy" which results in an error --thanks, Mandrake, for testing your stuff thoroughly before putting it out! I mean, for crying out loud, it's the *install* program, not some obscure little multimedia java server that only 0.1% of the users ever run. Can you tell why I haven't given Mandrake any money since I bought Mandrake 8.1 from Best Buy?

Sorry about that rant. Anyway, long story short: if it works, leave it alone.

KWTm -

Sorry for saying this, but AS LONG AS IM AWAY FROM WINDOWS I dont even care which version of any Linux I use. As long as its Linux or Unix.

The applications that you mentioned such as GIMP, I will not be using it either. I rarely do paint or editing and stuff like that. Its just basic computing such as Email, Internet, and Office Apps such as Open Office. Thats about it.

For now I am very comfortable with 9.1.

I dont like to face the fact of going through the headaches of another installation. I will leave it the way it is.