Mandriva Linux is a “populaire” Linux distribution with a French origin. It is created by Mandriva (formerly Mandrakesoft) in 1998. Mandriva’s previous name is Mandrakelinux, and its first release was based on Red Hat Linux (version 5.1) and KDE (version 1.0). It has since diverged from Red Hat and has included a number of original tools mostly to ease system configuration. Mandriva’s popularity can’t be denied as it ranks consistently high on Distrowatch.com with a current standing at #8.

I have tried and tested almost all major Linux distros but not yet Mandriva. Fortunately, I had a not-so-busy weekend so I finally had my hands on Mandriva 2008. I installed it on my backup computer.

Installation:
I loaded the One installation CD which I got from HERE. If you want a more complete version with language support and all, get the DVD Powerpack version. There’s also a FREE edition to those who have a strict ideology of using only free/open-source software. Anyway, once the CD was loaded, I was immediately impressed with Mandriva’s professional looking artwork.

More Here