This is changing. Recently Red Hat, arguably the most known Linux distributor, decided to start trying to get noticed on the desktop. Red Hat Linux 8.0 is their first real effort to have the general public start using Linux like they do with Windows today. The question is, did they succeed?

If you've been using Red Hat Linux for awhile you'll notice some big changes with this new version.

To start off, the install process has some new and changed items in it. I installed RH 8 on a Dell Latitude laptop and a generic desktop. The install process detected all the various hardware I had on each system. The install changed the selection of packages somewhat. There is now a new package manager, and this is reflected in the way packages are chosen. The packages are grouped by similarity and you must view a second screen to see the individual packages. I personally found this new way more difficult to use and had a hard time at first determining what packages were getting installed. I also found a few glitches with this system, but that's to be expected with a first release of new or changed software whether it's open source or not.

Once Linux is installed you will immediately see the biggest difference and the part of this that makes it a target for more than your average computer guru. The default desktop is no longer Gnome or even KDE. It is Bluecurve. This is Red Hat's own desktop that is trying to win over the rest of the world. With Bluecurve, you get Gnome and KDE combined into 1 desktop. The idea is to have a consistent look and feel for everyone. This is one thing that will be needed to help win over more Linux users.

There are some things I don't like about Bluecurve. The menu is trying to be broken down to keep Gnome and Kde apps separate, but causes confusion as to where an item is. Red Hat also renamed the menu shortcuts for some items to make them 'standard' items. Evolution is now just called Mail. Without knowing this, old time Linux users may find some things difficult to find at first. The other disadvantage of this is that a lot of new users will get used to the one program because of the naming and this will essentially freeze out some of the competitors and take away some of the choice that is part of Linux's rallying cry.

There are many programs that are improved and upgraded. It seems that the open source community really revved up production lately. Several programs from version 7.3 that had some problems seem to have been fixed. On the flip side, there seems to be many items that are now broken, and this has caused much controversy. For example, there is a problem with playing MP3 files in Red Hat 8.0.

Like any new version of an OS that comes out there are fixes and improvements. This release is a big step for Red Hat in that the focus of their release has changed slightly. Unfortunately, it seems that there are more problems with their new release than things to like with it. If you've been using Red Hat Linux you may want to research carefully before upgrading. If you've been thinking of trying to switch, test Red Hat 8.0 before committing to it. It may be worthwhile to wait for 8.1 or 8.2 to see if things improve a bit before moving to this OS.

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