Anyone use Elive ?

[Kolmogorov]

Hi,

I just wonder if somebody using the Elive distro can share what it think of this distro. It looks very good and fast...

The web-site is : http://www.elivecd.org/

Thanks !

[Tux Aubrey]

I have used eLive off and on for a couple of years. I really like the Enlightenment desktop (although it took a while to understand what everyone raved about - it can be a bit quirky and difficult). eLive is Enlightenment plus Debian. Enlightenment "isn't finished yet" (and perhaps that should be its official name. :-)

When eLive first started it was really the only debian e17 distro out there. The "gem" release was pretty good.

These days, I think a few others have surpassed it - but in different ways. A lot of this has to do with using a more up-to-date and tweaked versions of e17 and different degrees of integration with Gnome apps and Ubuntu base. I don't see eLive being as actively maintained and developed as it used to be (but am happy to be corrected).

Both Maryan Linux (http://www.maryanlinux.com/) and OpenGeu (http://opengeu.intilinux.com/Home.html) (formerly GeBuntu) do a great job of putting a recently compiled e17 onto an Ubuntu base. I find them both clean and, compared to eLive and a "vanilla" e17 from the Ubuntu repos, very stable. They are both fully featured and use Ubuntu repositories (apart from the e17 stuff). Maryan is a little more adventurous (IMO) in the way it goes for Enlightenment apps over GTK equivalents.

The alternative route, still staying with an Ubuntu base, is to either get and compile the latest e17 from their cvs or try OzOS (http://cafelinux.org/OzOs/content/ozos-iso-downloads-torrents) which incorporates the easy_e17 script and does that for you. (I use and help out with OzOS, so I am biased about which is the best FOR ME).

OzOS comes as either a Live iso (32 and 64 bit versions are available) or as a "desktop metapackage" that can be installed over any 'buntu (or other Debian) based distro while keeping your existing window manager. (Installation How-To is here (http://cafelinux.org/OzOs/content/how-install-ozos-desktop-existing-os))

OzOS is pretty light on the applications side (but Synaptic is included, so you install what you want), doesn't use e17 apps very much and has a few unique utilities to help you maintain and update the e17 desktop (important as it allows you to stay right at the bleeding edge).

Maryan, OpenGeu and OzOS all have their own support forums and, as they are all 'buntu under the hood, the Ubuntu forums remain a great base for generic support. Each has quite a narrow developer base, so are equally "fragile" in that sense (as is eLive). Support in English can be a bit hard to come by, but there are enough English/American/Australian speaking users on the OzOS forums (and possibly the others) to help with most problems.

You can try any (or all) of these distros (rebuilds?) in a VM and see which, if any, you prefer.

The only e17/'buntu based distro I'd really avoid is the gOS-e thing. The Enlightenment build it uses is so old it should be in a museum and it is as buggy as heck.

[rsambuca]

You might try using the "Search" function on the forums. There are other elive threads here.

Elive talk Thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=231274)

[molom]

The only e17/'buntu based distro I'd really avoid is the gOS-e thing. The Enlightenment build it uses is so old it should be in a museum and it is as buggy as heck.

:lolflag:

[enlightenment now]

I have found OzOS (http://cafelinux.org/OzOs/) to be the best of the best(for a -buntu based e17 environment) and highly recommend it. The OzOS Forums (http://cafelinux.org/forum/index.php) are outstanding!

[imagecko]

I have some mixed emotions on e17.
I suggest that you download the live-cd's and try them out.

[zoe-scutterbug]

wait 24 hours to download opengeu

they released the beta packages today, ...note the E17 and opengeu repos have changed
and the isos for both i386 and amd64 machines will be out tomorrow.


see
http://opengeu.intilinux.com/News/Voci/2008/8/11_Beta_Packages_of_Luna_Crescente_for_all_archite ctures_released.html

[zmjjmz]

The thing I like(d) about Elive is the fact that it's only E17, but then again GoblinX can do that too, so Elive kinda lost its value.