Mandrake Linux was originally derived from the popular Red Hat distribution. So, essentially, it is "Red Hat Enhanced." Mandrake has provided enhancements in three areas—a) ease of install b) applications and c) administration. Currently (version 7.2) it is x86-only (kernel and apps have been compiled with pentium-class cpu optimizations). This version is roughly the equivilant of Red Hat 6.2 (it's based on glibc 2.1.3) and uses the rpm package format. It provides XFree86 4.0.1, kernel 2.2.17, and a lot of applications. You can choose to go back to XFree86 3.3.6 or forward to kernel 2.4.0-test.
The rpmdrake package manager.
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It is embarrasingly easy to install Mandrake. As with Red Hat, you can boot off the cd, or grab a floppy image to boot over the network (the most you will need is a single floppy disk). Install is full graphical, but you can drop back to the old text mode. It is very good at detecting hardware, for instance it found my dual processors, Intellimouse, ethernet adaptor, video card and max display resolution. So for the newbie, Mandrake is the way to go. For the expert, the disk partitioner is quite intuitive. I liked the fact that you can create ReiserFS (a speedy, failsafe filesystem) partitions in "expert" mode and that you don't have to reboot when changing the partition table.
Mandrake 7.2 provides some 1500 packages, with a maximum install size of around 4 gigabytes. The installer automatically has this "smart" mode where, if you don't have that much space, or want to choose some percentage of the apps to install, it'll install the minimum plus do a priority-based determination to winnow down the rest.
One other install nicety worth mentioning is that, if you have the second CD, all the packages you'll need later in the install are on there too. So once you switch CD's midway through the install, you don't have to go back.
Mandrake has worked closely with KDE, sponsoring some of their best developers. So by default you get the KDE 2.0 desktop (but could choose from GNOME, WindowMaker, and several others). It's worth mentioning that of course you can run GNOME and other X apps in KDE.
As I mentioned, they've also focused on administration. Two utilities for managing a system are rpmdrake and MandrakeUpdate. The former allows you to add (or remove) packages from your system, and it resolves dependencies. The latter provides a GUI for fetching a list of updates (such as security fixes, which Mandrake has been very prompt in releasing) and installing them. You can also choose to fetch packages from the development branch.
Mandrake has built their own series of system configuration wizards, the program is called DrakConf. For those not familiar with the equivilant command-line programs or linuxconf, it'll be a great help. They also have a full-graphical system boot screen, called Auorora—some great eye-candy for those who believe linux isn't as pretty as Windows or Mac.
Mandrake Update.
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One problem I've noticed with Red Hat based
systems is that once in a great while the rpm database gets fouled up.
You'll go to install a package and the process will spin, disks still
churning. A reboot followed by rpm --rebuilddb always takes
care of it. Fortunately, it's rare. But it's another reason to consider
switching to ReiserFS from the default filesystem, ext2. [Another standout
reason is much faster boot times, you'll never have to fsck, even in the
event of power failure].
Linux distributions have come a long way, but Mandrake leads the pack in my opinion. The install is very intuitive and flexible, giving you whatever degree of control you need. The set of applications is very complete (one noticable omission was the XV image viewer, but it seems to have problems with XFree 4.0) and up-to-date. Since it supports the de facto standard rpm package format, any package labeled for Red Hat i386 will work (and many sites now also provide Mandrake specific packages).
As a little aside, here's an easy way to make an
MP3 alarm clock with the kmp3 player. Populate a directory with mp3's to hear on wake. Then make an entry like this with crontab -e:
This launches kmp3 every weekday at 6:26; -s shuffles, -q is quiet mode, and -h launches kmp3 hidden.DISPLAY=localhost:0.0 26 06 * * 1-5 /usr/bin/kmp3 -h -q -s /home/guym/bin/wake-mp3/*