Red Hat has remained the most visible Linux packager and a prominent Windows competitor by releasing high-quality products with lots of extra features and plenty of professional sheen. This strategy clearly informs the company's Linux 7.1 line, available in a standard version (AU$25.00), a Deluxe Workstation version (AU$160.00), and the Professional Server version (AU$255.00). All packages include the same version of the operating system, with the differences lying in the bundled software and the support services.
Deluxe Workstation ships with hundreds of applications (full and demo versions), 60 days of free phone and Web support, and a 60-day subscription (for up to five systems) to the Red Hat Network Software Manager, which automatically notifies users of upgrades and new applications. By comparison, the standard version bundles no additional software and only offers 30 days support for one system. The server version includes five CDs worth of applications and utilities and 90 days support for 10 systems.
All 7.1 versions are built on the Linux 2.4 kernel, which provides better multi-processor support and improves handling of virtual memory, physical RAM, and networking over previous versions. Red Hat Linux 7.1 supports USB devices, provides both the GNOME and KDE graphical desktop environments (you can switch from one to the other, much like having two Windows shells--if that were possible), and increases security in a number of ways. Deluxe Workstation includes the full versions of StarOffice 5.2, the Mimer SQL 8.2 database manager, GlueCode's InSight Portal Server 1.0 for developing Web portals, a strong list of trial and demo versions of applications, and hordes of utilities in its PowerTools collection. You get a lot for your money, although most of the packages are free for the download off the Web.
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For Windows users, of course, installation is perhaps the major concern, and here Deluxe Workstation excels. The installation procedure remains difficult for beginners and even mid-level Windows users, but Red Hat helps considerably by including well-written and highly informative explanations in the onscreen windows during the many steps of the installation wizard. You get explanations of disk partitioning that actually help (but still do not dispense with any residual fear you may have about the process). And, you are told what to do when confronted with choices such as how to install LILO, Linux's standard boot manager. Red Hat Linux 7.1 explains these choices better than any Linux distribution we've yet seen.
You can even opt for a partition-less install, which lets you run Linux from within a Windows (FAT) partition. Linux runs slower this way, and without the security features of Linux's ext2 file system. But partition-less installations let you discover Linux without the pain of working with your hard drive's partitions. If you want, you can also let Red Hat Linux 7.1 take care of the partitions automatically. The option is nice, but experienced installers will likely want to retain partitioning control.
Once installed, Deluxe Workstation functions very well as a working desktop system, and even better--as pretty much all Linux distributions do--as a server system. As always, professional applications and specialty software such as games lag behind Windows, but that's become an accepted consequence of working with Linux. If you want to get started with Linux, or to develop a small professional network of Linux clients, Red Hat Linux 7.1 Deluxe Workstation is very much the way to go. Linux has rarely had it so good.
| Price: |
• Professional AU$255 • Deluxe Workstation AU$160 • Standard AU$25 |
Distributor:EverythingLinux
Phone:02 9712 1799
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