PCLinuxOS, often shortened to PCLOS, is a

rolling release Rolling release, also known as rolling update or continuous delivery, is a concept in software development of frequently delivering updates to applications. This is in contrast to a ''standard'' or '' point release'' development model which uses ...

Linux distribution A Linux distribution, often abbreviated as distro, is an operating system that includes the Linux kernel for its kernel functionality. Although the name does not imply product distribution per se, a distro—if distributed on its own—is oft ...

for

x86-64 x86-64 (also known as x64, x86_64, AMD64, and Intel 64) is a 64-bit extension of the x86 instruction set architecture, instruction set. It was announced in 1999 and first available in the AMD Opteron family in 2003. It introduces two new ope ...

computers, with

KDE Plasma KDE Plasma is a Shell (computing), graphical shell developed by the KDE community for Unix-like operating systems. It serves as the interface layer between the user and the operating system, providing a graphical user interface (GUI) and workspa ...

, MATE, and

XFCE Xfce or XFCE (pronounced as four individual letters, ) is a Free and open-source software, free and open-source desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Xfce aims to be fast and Lightweight software, lightweight whil ...

as its default user interfaces. It is a primarily

FOSS Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

for personal computers aimed at ease of use.

History

The precursor to PCLinuxOS was a set of RPM packages created to improve successive versions of Mandrake Linux (later

Mandriva Linux Mandriva Linux, a fusion of the French distribution Mandrake Linux and the Brazilian distribution Conectiva Linux, is a discontinued Linux distribution developed by Mandriva S.A. Each release lifetime was 18 months for base updates (Linux, syste ...

). These packages were created by Bill Reynolds, a packager better known as "Texstar". From 2000 to 2003, Texstar maintained his repository of RPM packages in parallel with the PCLinuxOnline site. In an interview, Texstar said he started PCLinuxOS "to provide an outlet for iscrazy desire to package

source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...

without having to deal with egos, arrogance, and politics." In October 2003, Texstar created a

fork In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods either to h ...

of Mandrake Linux 9.2. Working closely with the Live CD Project, Texstar has since developed that fork independently into a full-fledged distribution. The initial releases were successively numbered as "previews": p5, p7, p8, up to p81a, then p9, p91, p92, and p93. Although it retains a similar "look and feel" to Mandriva Linux, PCLinuxOS has diverged significantly. The code was officially forked from Mandrake 9.2 into an independent project in 2003. After three years of continuous development, the developers took advantage of further development in (the renamed) Mandriva late in 2006 for PCLinuxOS 2007. In the releases before 2007, it was normally necessary to perform a re-installation.

PCLinuxOS 2007

For 2007, PCLinuxOS used a one-time source code snapshot from Mandriva to produce a new independent code base (no longer a fork of Mandriva). This implied a shift to a more modern code, which required a complete reinstallation of this version. The new version featured a new look and built-in 3D effects. A new logo was also designed for the new version and was incorporated into the boot screen. A new login screen was designed, entitled "Dark". The final/official PCLinuxOS 2007 version was released on May 21, 2007.

PCLinuxOS 2009

The last version of the 2009 Live CD, PCLinuxOS 2009.2, was released on June 30, 2009. Improvements included bug fixes, new backgrounds, sounds, and start-up screen, as well as quicker start-up times. It was the last PCLinuxOS live CD to ship with K Desktop Environment 3, and the last of the PCLinuxOS 2007 backward compatible series. Remasters of PCLinuxOS, featuring the Xfce (Phoenix), LXDE (PCLinuxOS-LXDE), and Gnome (PCLinuxOS-Gnome) desktops were also made available.

PCLinuxOS 2010

The 2010 version of the Live CD was released on April 19, 2010. It includes the new KDE SC 4.4.2, a new graphical theme and a new version of the Linux Kernel (Kernel 2.6.32.11). It is also the first PCLinuxOS Live CD to include the

ext4 ext4 (fourth extended filesystem) is a journaling file system for Linux, developed as the successor to ext3. ext4 was initially a series of backward-compatible extensions to ext3, many of them originally developed by Cluster File Systems for ...

file system support. This version required a complete reinstall of the operating system. While a version of PCLinuxOS that features the GNOME desktop environment was introduced in 2008, the 2010 version is the first one to not only offer the

and

GNOME A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

versions, but also versions with

Xfce Xfce or XFCE (pronounced as four individual letters, ) is a Free and open-source software, free and open-source desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Xfce aims to be fast and Lightweight software, lightweight whil ...

LXDE LXDE (abbreviation for Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) is a Free and open-source software, free desktop environment with comparatively low resource requirements. This makes it especially suitable for use on older or resource-constrained pe ...

, Enlightenment, and Openbox.

PCLinuxOS 2010.1

Version 2010.1 was released on May 5, 2010. Changes made since the last version: * heKernel has been updated to version 2.6.32.12-bfs. *

KDE Plasma Desktop KDE Plasma 5 is the fifth generation of the KDE Plasma graphical workspaces environment, created by KDE primarily for Linux systems. KDE Plasma 5 is the successor of KDE Plasma 4 and was first released on 15 July 2014. It was succeeded by KDE Pl ...

has been upgraded to version 4.4.3. * Support has been added for Realtek RTL8191SE/RTL8192SE WiFi cards and Microdia webcams. * Vim console text editor and udftools have been added. * Fixed CD-ROM ejection when using the Copy to RAM feature. * Fixed KDE new widget download. Updated nVIDIA (195.36.24) and ATi fglrx (8.723) drivers. * Updated all supporting applications and libraries from the software repository which include security updates and bug fixes.

PCLinuxOS 2011.6

PCLinuxOS 2011.6 version was released on June 27, 2011.

PCLinuxOS 2012

PCLinuxOS 2012.02 version was released on February 22, 2012. Later another maintenance release was made on August 22, 2012. Major changes compared to the 2011 release are: * Kernel has been updated to version 3.2 * KDE version 4.8.2 * nVIDIA and ATi fglrx driver support * KDE Settings set to dark by default

PCLinuxOS 2013 64-bit

PCLinuxOS 2013 64-bit first version was released on April 10, 2013. It featured: * Kernel 3.2.18-pclos2.bfs for maximum desktop performance. * Full KDE 4.10.1 Desktop. *

NVIDIA Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...

and ATi fglrx driver support. * Multimedia playback support for many popular formats. * Wireless support for many network devices. * Printer support for many local and networked printer devices. * Addlocale: allows you to translate PCLinuxOS into over 60 languages. * LibreOffice preinstalled. * LibreOffice Manager can install LibreOffice supporting over 100 languages. * MyLiveCD allows you to take a snapshot of your installation and burn it to a LiveCD/DVD. * PCLinuxOS-liveusb – allows you to install PCLinuxOS on a USB key disk.

PCLinuxOS 2014.7

The new version was released on July 7, 2014. Features: * kernel 3.15.4 for maximum desktop performance. * Full KDE 4.12.3 Desktop. *

Nvidia Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...

and ATI fglrx driver support. * Multimedia playback support for many popular formats. * Wireless support for many network devices. * Printer support for many local and networked printer devices. * Addlocale allows you to convert PCLinuxOS into over 60 languages. * LibreOffice Manager can install

LibreOffice LibreOffice () is a free and open-source office productivity software suite developed by The Document Foundation (TDF). It was created in 2010 as a fork of OpenOffice.org, itself a successor to StarOffice. The suite includes applications ...

supporting over 100 languages. * MyLiveCD allows you to take a snapshot of your installation and burn it to a LiveCD/DVD. * PCLinuxOS-liveusb allows you to install PCLinuxOS on a USB key disk.

Features

PCLinuxOS places specific emphasis on desktop computing, concentrating its efforts on home or small business environments, hence paying less attention to other more "traditional" uses, like servers, although packages for most server tasks are available. PCLinuxOS is distributed as a

Live CD A live CD (also live DVD, live disc, or live operating system) is a complete booting, bootable computer installation including operating system which runs directly from a CD-ROM or similar storage device into a computer's memory, rather than lo ...

, which can also be installed on a local

hard disk drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...

USB flash drive A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...

. Beginning from version 2009.1 PCLinuxOS provides a USB installer to create a

Live USB A live USB is a portable USB-attached external data storage device containing a full operating system that can be booted from. The term is reminiscent of USB flash drives but may encompass an external hard disk drive or solid-state drive, thou ...

, where the user's configuration and personal data can be saved if desired. A live USB of older versions of PCLinuxOS can be created manually or with

UNetbootin UNetbootin ("Universal Netboot Installer") is a cross-platform utility that can create live USB systems and can load a variety of system utilities or install various Linux distributions and other operating systems without a CD. Modes USB ins ...

. The entire CD can be run from memory, assuming the system has sufficient

RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

. PCLinuxOS uses APT-RPM, based on

APT (Debian) Advanced Package Tool (APT) is a free software, free-software frontend and backend, user interface that works with library (computing), core libraries to handle the installation and removal of software on Debian and Debian-based Linux distribut ...

, a

package management system A package manager or package management system is a collection of software tools that automates the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing computer programs for a computer in a consistent manner. A package manager deals wi ...

(originally from the

Debian Debian () is a free and open-source software, free and open source Linux distribution, developed by the Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock in August 1993. Debian is one of the oldest operating systems based on the Linux kerne ...

distribution), together with Synaptic Package Manager, a GUI to APT, to add, remove or update packages. If there is enough memory on the machine, and an active network connection, the Live CD can update packages. PCLinuxOS is also designed to be easy to

remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...

after installation, creating one's personalized Live CD, using the mylivecd tool. PCLinuxOS maintains its software repository, available via the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) and its Synaptic front-end, completely replacing Mandriva's urpmi. This means that an installation could be continuously updated to the latest versions of packages, hence sometimes forgoing the need to re-install the entire distribution upon each successive release. Other differences include its menu arrangement, custom graphics and icon sets.

End of official support for 32-bit version

On May 10, 2016, main developer Texstar announced the end of support for 32-bit versions of PCLinuxOS. As a result, 32-bit ISOs of the distribution, official 32-bit package updates, and forum support became unavailable. While this doesn't prevent unofficial support, following the announcement only 64-bit ISO images and package updates are available through the official webpage and channels.

Other versions

There are several community projects associated with PCLinuxOS.

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
edition

The Trinity edition of PCLinuxOS comes in two flavors. "Mini" is a minimalist ISO intended for those who want to customize their desktop with only the programs they want. "Big Daddy", on the other hand, comes with many programs pre-installed, including, but not limited to multimedia codecs and office software.

LXQt LXQt is a free and open-source software, free and open source lightweight desktop environment. It was formed from the merger of the LXDE and Razor-qt projects. Like its GTK predecessor LXDE, LXQt does not ship or develop its own window manager ...
edition

The LXQt edition on PCLinuxOS comes with LXQt's suite of applications and several third-party applications pre-installed.

KDE4 FullMonty (FM) edition (Discontinued)

KDE FullMonty (Live & Install DVD) was a regular PCLinuxOS KDE4 installation but was modified to include a special desktop layout and many additional applications and drivers preinstalled. PCLinuxOS officially discontinued the FullMonty edition in 2017 due to KDE developers discontinuing support for KDE4.

Third-party distributions

Because PCLinuxOS includes the mklivecd script, there have been several third-party distributions over the years based on PCLinuxOS, though they are permitted to mention that connection only if they follow strict guidelines.

Release history

Almost all major releases have been accompanied by new boot-up and login screens, along with some changes in icon sets, and login sounds.

References

External links

PCLinuxOS Magazine
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pclinuxos Linux distributions offering KDE desktop environment Live CD Live USB Mandriva Linux Operating system distributions bootable from read-only media RPM-based Linux distributions Linux distributions without systemd X86-64 Linux distributions Rolling release Linux distributions Linux distributions