Product Details
Granular is an easy to use Linux operating system which is suitable for the newbies in the world of Linux as well as the regular users. Featuring more customizibility and user-friendliness, Granular is ready to use for all the daily chores like creating documents, collecting images, surfing the Internet, making presentations & spreadsheets, playing games, communicating with mates, and much more.
On-Disk.com mini review:
(test PC: 3GB dual core CPU, 2GB RAM, nVidia 6100 Graphics / Virual Box 256 MB RAM)
When we first looked at Granular Linux 1.0 we were struck how much it looked Like an updated version of PCLinuxOS. After a little investigation we found it is based on PCLinuxOS, uses the latest KDE 3 version (3.5.10) , the same PCLinuxOS Control Center for system configuration (although renamed to "Granular Control Center"), and most of the same included software.
Available Software:
The Synaptic Package Manager is used in both PCLinuxOS and Granular Linux. Granular Linux uses the PCLinuxOS repository, as well as the Granular Linux repository which contains several updated packages.
Testing it out:
Honestly Granular Linux looks great, as does PCLinuxOS. The only real layout difference is that the menu bar is at the top, which can easily be moved to the bottom.
Granular linux is also Enlightened. If you select the E17 session option on the login screen you will find one of the best implimentations of Enlightenment 17 we've used. Some things that are still a bit shaky under other distributions worked well in our testing. It's probibly the first time we've spent more than 1/2 hour testing applications and configurations under Enlightenment without experiencing some sort of Enlightenment crash. Enlightenment is much lighter and faster than KDE, so it's a great addition which helps Granular run faster on older computers.
The LiveCD was working so well we decided to install it. Installation is done using DrakeLive Install available from the desktop icon on the LiveCD. I selected to use the full disc and it took care of everything for me without a hitch. When it restarted from the new install there was a prompt to enter the root password and create the user account, which was on one page and very sraight forward. All that was left to do was login using the newly created user account.
The installation was even more impressive than the LiveCD. We even installed it as a guest operating system using VirtualBox with as little as 256MB. When increasing the memory size to 512MB it ran much better, so we suggest having 512MB or more to use Granular.
Final Thoughts:
Like PCLinuxOS, everything we tried worked well. It's a very good loooking desktop theme and the attention to detail throughout is very good. The installation was as easy as it gets, and overall it was a joy to use.
Granular Linux can easily fill the bill for anyone who has been longing a new release of PCLinuxOS, and then some. It's definately worth, at the very least, taking for a test drive.
Please note: 90 cents from each Granular Linux 1.0 disc shipped is given to support the continued Development of Granular Linux. We are proud to offer this support and encourage you to financially support Free and Open Source Software Development.
Requirements
RAM (Memory): 256 MB or higher
Processor: Pentium III or higher
Graphics Card: Not Required for basic usage but necessary to enjoy all the 3D effects offered by Looking Glass and Compiz Fusion
Harddisk space:
- For trying out Granular in Live Mode - none
- For installing Granular LiveCD - 3 GB
Support
Help and Support
Support for Granular is available in multiple forms.
- Granular Community Forums
The official forums for Granular Linux. Put up your questions, start new topics, or participate in existing discussions. Here is where the fun begins.
- Granular Help/Discussion Mailing list
This mailing list is concerned with all help and discussion topics. You can send an email to all the subscribed list members and can also subscribe to the list yourself. You can also view the archives of this mailing list.
- Documentation
The Granular Documentation is a community-maintained wiki-style collection of documentation, tips, tutorials, work arounds and other topics.
