Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring (2008.1), what’s coming ?
Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring i can say, impresses!
This is more a visual tour than a technical one, so take your coffee cup … just try to relax.
There goes some visual things that i saw and liked. And you will like it too.
As i am a KDE user, i hardly install GNOME on my box, so here i will abort what i saw on a Mandriva 2008 Spring KDE Desktop, anyway Mandriva has GNOME and KDE very well integrated, using the same colors and themes at all, probably some of the KDE news are present on GNOME too.
- Screensaver
If you used Mandriva Linux 2008 you should remind the screensaver, it is not ugly, randomly images are displayed, designed on screen with some specific effect.
On Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring the screensaver has a big rework, the default screensaver is a collection of flower images (yes, it is Mandriva Spring) designed on screen with a fading effect, very close do MAC, they appear one’s mixing with the others in about a 15sec cycle. What i found interesting is wen the screensaver is activated, the first image is showed mixing itself on the screen, for ex. if you are watching a Youtube video when the screensaver starts up the first image will mix itself with the video and with a fade effect the flower will show up, look at the screenshot:
Screensaver starting, see the screensaver image is mixing itself with Youtube
Theme Animals (not included)
Default Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring Screensaver Theme
You can also make you own screensaver theme, using your own images with the new krozat-effect app. included on Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring, i did my own theme and it looks very cool, see the following images to catch how it works. (picture taken from http://www.rallyzeiros.com.br/) :
Run krozat-effect and drag your image into krozat effect,
Select image area, or use the entire picture if you want so,
click on apply then save the image, it is now done to use as screensaver,
New screensaver image in action.
If you want to use the new image we just created mixed with the default Mandriva Screensaver, just copy the new image to /usr/share/mdk/screensaver/
- Themes
Mandriva Linux if officially released in 3 cd/dvd versions:
- Mandriva Free – Only Free software, nothing proprietary (on 3cd’s or 1 DVD)
- Mandriva One – Installable live cd, works without touching your Hard Drive, comes with nvidia drivers, flash, java and all those thinks, (it’s just 1 cd)
- Mandriva Powerpack – The paid version, comes with codecs and all those thinks to have a complete working system, avoiding you to catch something on the web, also has some other programs like liDVD, cedega and many others. (There are many ways to acquire it, on box or download version (check out on http://store.mandriva.com) ).
Read more about the 3 versions here(sorry, is in Brazilian Portuguese, will translate it soon) all the 3 versions have a different visual, but you can use Powerpack theme on Mandriva One or on Mandriva Free, you only have to install the theme package provided by Mandriva on the official repositories.
The following image shows me using Mandriva Linux Powerpack theme, i am selecting the Mandriva One theme and selecting it as default,
Session restarted, there is the new appearance… now my Mandriva Linux Free has the Mandriva Linux One visual… before this i was using Powerpack visual. Cool right?
To get this working you have to install the theme package who refers to the theme, as did before:
Do you want to use Mandriva One visual, then install:
mandriva-release-One e mandriva-theme-One one-kde-config
Do you want to use Mandriva Free visual, then install
mandriva-release-Free e mandriva-theme-Free free-kde-config
Do you want to use Mandriva Powerpack visual, then install
mandriva-release-Powerpack mandriva-theme-Powerpack powerpack-kde-config
- Wallpaper change in each 6 hours
On 2008 Spring, all the 3 version of Mandriva are shipped with 4 different wallpapers, the changes on they are basically the pallets of colors and little changes on style.
Then you ask me, why 4 wallpaper for each version if only color changes are done ?
This is the funny think, the wallpaper is changing automatically on a 6 hours period, but you will not notice it, the process happens for 6 hours, from morning at 7 you will start with one wallpaper, it is in constantly change mixing with the second wallpaper who will be complete at 13, this one will start to mix again with another one and the process will be done at 18, same process again reaching 00:00. This new feature is nice IMHO.
These little changes you will not notice so easy, but it makes you like the visual for a good time, maybe 6 months, and probably you will not change soon, well, its hard anyway because 2008 Spring have a very nice clean visual, using blue tons. Who not likes blue style, that throw the first rock.
Follow de Powerpack version wallpapers with the respective act times:
7:00 13:00
18:00 00:00
- Menu item’s Description
Now, when you pass with your mouse cursor over a menu item a dialog will appear with this item description, as example, many people don’t know what is kopete on menu, now you they just need to browse normally on menu, when you comes over kopete a dialog will appear “Instant Messenger”. Ohhh, long live to Linux, you just discovered that it works with MSN.
Powerpack image, description on Menu Item
- Fading effect on wallpaper change
One thing that new users to Linux do, is changing the wallpaper at last 15 times per day. On Mandriva Linux 2008 spring this is more elegant. Now the wallpaper is changed using a fading effect, it means, the new wallpaper mixes itself with the old one, it’s a fast transition, but I’m sure it’s more elegant that the traditional method.
If i record correctly, GNOME also has this effect.
Original Mandriva Powerpack wallpaper mixing with KDE’s “Alien Night” wallpaper on a fade effect.
- Menu Icon
The Menu icon is happy again, now, even you resizing the task bar, the menu button will still at the same size, see:
Normal Mandriva menu button size.
Bigger task bar, menu icon with the same size.
For they who used Mandriva 2008, you should remind that resizing the task bar always resized the menu icon too and the icons becomes to big. Fixed.
- Kickoff Menu
Kickoff menu still present as option, you only need a right click over the menu button and select him. The option to still using the default kde icon from your own icons theme set still present too.
- Login Screen
The login screen now has the system user list, it makes easier, for example, if you have children at home using/learning the system, he needs only to click on hes picture, the installer gives a list of user icons to select one, so cute cute.
- Please access the official wiki if you want to get more technical info:
- http://wiki.mandriva.com
I translated it from my original post in Brazilian Portuguese, it is not the best English but is the best i can do, thanks for reading, it makes me believe that i not waste my time =]
Comments here.
That’s it. Choose your destiny.
