I wanted to try out a Debian based distribution on my laptop now that Debian’s newest release has been out long enough to take care of the bugs that always show up with a new release.  Debian itself is easy enough to install, and rock solid, but Debian via Debian is kind of boring, and bare of files some people need.

I had used Dreamlinux back in 2009 on my Netbook, and Dreamlinux was a good little distro then. I thought perhaps a good distro could only get better with the passing of time. The current sable version of Dreamlinux is 3.5 which I downloaded and burned to cd. Dreamlinux runs as a live cd, so you can see what you get before you commit to an install.

Running the live cd, I noticed not a lot has changed in the last few years. There are some small improvements but nothing major caught my attention. It is good to have a stable development team behind a distribution. The default desktop is a well tuned XFCE desktop. Of course other desktops are available if one wishes. I think Dreamlinux has always done a good job with the desktop and makes Dreamlinux unique. Conky is available in the menu in three preconfigured levels  depending how much information is wanted

One item to note on the live cd is a lack of Games. Dreamlinux is well stocked, but not for playing games. I imagine Dreamlinux is that way as a matter of real estate. A cd only has so much room. Dreamlinux live cd worked as it should, so I decided to install Dreamlinux to my hard drive.

Dreamlinux install is unique among installs. The install starts and ends on one screen. I think it is designed that way to make it simple, and separate newer users and those who are not to sure about how a Linux install works from those that do. I think anyone who has a Linux distribution on their hard drive can install Dreamlinux to their hard drive.

Installation takes a little more thinking about the process of an installation. After selecting your drive partitions, they need to be added to the right side of the screen. Once the installation screen options are completed correctly you can continue past the screen and actually begin the installation. If you can not continue, something was missed.

Install is normal to quick. The only oddity I experienced is I was not sure my user account was created. It turns out it was, but iI did not add a proper password. That was an error on my part I think. Other than the initial install screen the rest of the install is hands off until it is time to remove the cd and reboot. Once install is completed, there are the few final settings for the internet.

Dreamlinux is fairly fast on my old laptop, maybe not as fast as Puppy Linux, but as fast or faster other distributions running on older hardware. Start time is about average. No matter how small or fast a distribution is, the system needs to be loaded and tweaked before you can log in.

I like the desktop itself, and the simplicity of the menu. The menu itself is nothing fancy, but then again if I wanted a lot of flash I would need new laptop and a flashy distro. The menu is well stocked with more options than most of us will need or want. If anything is missing from Dreamlinux, the Synaptic package manager will install it in short order.

If the installed applications are not enough, Dreamlinux also has what they call an easy install button where other common packages may be installed with a few clicks. The easy Install options include: Google-Earth, Google-Desktop,Picasa, Kompozer, Opera Browser, Skype, Adobe Acrobat Reader , Azureus, WineHQ/Wine-Doors, W32Codecs, DVD Support, Nvidia Driver, and more. Nice replacement programs if the default programs are not what is wanted.

Dreamlinux comes with some additional options users may enjoy. There are icons for creating both a bootable usb stick, and a persistent usb stick. A third and I think one of the best options is an icon to create a remaster of your own creation. I did not use any of these options myself, and I cannot verify how well they work. Here is a link to help with the various installation options.

When I completed the installation and opened Synaptic, there were almost a cd’s worth of upgraded packages waiting to be be downloaded and installed. Downloads were completed at reasonable speed with no real slowdown after the first minutes. I imagine the upgrades are a result of the flux in Debian’s new release. No matter how well tested, not every bug is found when a new version is released.

There is no downside to using a Debian distribution. It is thought that Debian being conservative runs behind the time with browsers and other programs. This is not the eighties and there are not major breakthroughs or changes in programs. Unless there is a reason for needing the newest version of a program, what is installed will work fine. For those who need something newer, there is also the option of doing a self install of wanted packages.

Dreamlinux is an interesting mix of practicality and flash. With Mac like looks, straight forward menu system, multimedia, and solid reputation of Debian make for a Linux distribution to please most users.  With the programs the live cd installs and the Debian repositories backing up the initial install, if you cannot find a program to do what you need, it probably does not exist in the Linux world. For those with more experience or the need to be on the edge, there is a beta available to be downloaded and tested.