For those of you on the lookout for a completely free, easy to install, Windows-like Linux distribution — for yourself or a technically challenged loved one — I’ve finally discovered one worth recommending. Ark Linux boasts that it can be installed with 4 mouse clicks — no other typing required. Is it true? I had to find out.
Ark, like Xandros and Linspire, is especially designed for people with no experience with Linux, who don’t want to learn Linux, or for that matter, don’t really care what their computer is running so long as it allows them to write an essay, get the internet, and play a CD.
Ark delivers, and unlike the commercial alternatives, there’s no upsell. All of the features work as they should, and there is no subscription fee to install additional software. It’s free — as Linux should be.
When you boot the install disc, there is a brief flash to a prompt (where you would generally enter an install command). With Ark, by the time I reached to type something at that prompt it had already initiated the install process and was detecting my hardware. The install is graphical, and when Ark says it is geared for beginners, they aren’t kidding. The first screen has large red arrows telling you where to point and click (and which button to click) to select your language, keyboard, and timezone. Then, you are whisked away to the installation type: three are presented (Use all space, Use unpartitioned/free space, or Dual boot). On my computer, only the first is option was selectable — the others were greyed out. Fortunately, this is the option I would have selected anyway. I suspect that the system may have simplified my choice by detecting that I had no unpartitioned space, and that no other non-Linux OS (like Windows) was present.
The installer warns that the install may take hours, and invites me to play Tetrix to pass the time. Nice! I haven’t seen that option on a distro in awhile. Fortunately, the install took only 40 mins (on a 500 MHz processor).
When I reboot, I’m pleased to see that GRUB is installed, and works. Then, a bootsplash of beautiful coastline fills the screen and a progress bar inches up as the system loads. If you hit escape, you can still watch the software load. It looks like the system is based on Mandrake/Mandriva. A login prompt briefly appears, but then X kicks in and KDE’s personalizer starts up. The desktop is KDE’s default blue swirl with the Ark Linux logo running KDE 3.4 on X.org. I’m pleased, but immediately configure the KDE kicker panel to deselect the mouseover effects when I point — my least favorite new featre of 3.4 (right click on the grey bar: Configure Panel > Layout > Appearance > General, deselect “Enable icon mouseover effects”).
Like Ubuntu, Ark does not use its root account. It is disabled and no root password is set. There is also no personal user account and password set. (NOTE: If there was, Ark couldn’t brag that their software can be installed with only 4 mouse clicks). Instead “arklinux” is set as the sole/default user, and this is the account that will automatically login whenever Ark starts. This account has sufficient privileges to install software and do basic management tasks using the “Mission Control” panel, which bears a striking (and deliberate) resemblance to Windows XP’s Control Panel.
For an home average user (or family) who desires a computer with a shared login, this is a simple and workable solution. Some extra security can be enabled by setting a password for the arklinux (default) account by clicking on Mission Control > User Accounts > and editing the arklinux account to add a password. Auto login (enabled by default) can be turned off in Login Manager.
Nice suprises on the 1-disc installation included OpenOffice.org 1.9, K3B CD/DVD Authoring, and a decent selection of games including Tux Racer. Additional software is easily added through Mission Control > Install Software (Kynaptic),
All in all, Ark is a friendly way to use Linux and is based on cutting edge software (2.6.12 kernel, X.org 6.8.1.99, KDE 3.4). I am eager to watch it progress over future releases.
PROS: Extremely easy to install, free and uncrippled, ideal for home use, has a 586 optimized version available (uncommon).
CONS: Lax on security, geared to single user mode.
ArkLinux
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