# Red Hat vs. Mandrake Linux?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 13, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766 "2001-04-13T00:45:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@chief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chief)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/1 "2001-04-13T00:45:24Z")
what do you guys think… what are the advantages/disadvantages of both?
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### Author:  [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2001, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/2 "2001-04-13T10:54:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by chief \*
> \*\*what do you guys think… what are the advantages/disadvantages of both? \*\*
I’m just a dabbler, so keep that in mind. Up until the newest version of Red Hat, I preferred Mandrake. As of the newest (7.0??) version of Red Hat, I’ve switched. The installation of Red Hat was a breeze, _all_ my hardware was detected right off the bat, etc. I was up and running in about 45 minutes.
Only complaint, it f\*cks with your MBR without your permission. I _strongly_ object to that. A simple screen saying…
“We need to alter your MBR to run Linux. This will not affect your ability to boot into Windows. To restore it, all you have to do is type “Format /mbr” at a DOS prompt. Do you wish to proceed? **Yes/No** ”
…would have removed my concerns.
Fenris
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### Author:  [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)
#### Post date: [April 13, 2001, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/3 "2001-04-13T19:34:39Z")
Redhat all the way.
Mandrake doesn’t have the hardware support.
The boyfriend tried installing Mandrake a couple times - but our hardware was not supported.
A recent version of Redhat works in all our servers.
My OS rating system (1 -5, 5 is best):
Hardware Support without writing my own drivers or having to compile a kernel myself - I work I do not have the time.
Redhat: 4.5
Solaris (i386):4
Mandrake:4
FreeBSD: 2
Software should exist & be current - major daemons, java and other stuff - Binary versions should be available for ease of set up. Redhat RPMs exist for almost everything. Although I compile sendmail, apache, and other server software, when I was learning - binary versions were a great boon.
Redhat: 4
Solaris (i386):4
Mandrake:4
FreeBSD: 2
Standards - Jumping from one version or release of an OS should not significantly alter the file hierarchy or standard install location of packages - although you can not blame the maker of the OS for changes to other’s software.
Redhat: 3
Solaris (i386):4
Mandrake:3
FreeBSD: 3
Support - There should be many help pages, forums, online manuals.
Redhat: 5
Solaris (i386):4
Mandrake:4
FreeBSD: 1
It is just my opinion from the \*nixes I’ve played with.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/4 "2001-04-14T04:34:12Z")
Hm, now let me say I’ve never had a problem with Mandrake. I switched to it about version 6.2 ( I think) and never looked back. Red Hat seems to have some proprietary elements, and Mandrake just runs fine.
That said, I havent’ played with any of them in awhile, I don’t have the HD space.
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### Author:  [@bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobo)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2001, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/5 "2001-04-14T05:19:31Z")
**part 1:**
linux distributions are all fairly similar on performance (please don’t reply with \ can do \ faster than \.)… yes I know, redhat does some things better than slakware, which does some things better then mandrake, which does some things better than SuSE, which etc, etc, etc, \… effectively linux by any other name will be as cool…
but to get back to the OP… RH-vs-mandrake… mandrake does do some things a lot better than redhat, but the average user (and even the average developer) can’t notice the difference (especially in today’s world of gigahert cpus)… but one thing that RH does have over mandrake is the installation and hardware support, almost everything just wakes up and works (to an extent… more specifically a greater extent than mandrake)
but they’re both cool as hell…
**part 2:**
lexi… what are Solaris and BSD doing in that list…
linux!=unix
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### Author:  [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/6 "2001-04-14T15:55:26Z")
I just added solaris & BSD as benchmark items.
I put Solaris in there as a comparision to to standard unix. And BSD as an alternative to linux - due to its popularity as an alternative.
Perhaps I should have stated in what scope they were added to the list.
> [@](#):
>
> bobo:
>
> part 2:
> lexi… what are Solaris and BSD doing in that list…
>
> linux!=unix
Re the linux!=unix - when you are discussing the kernel and the architecture - that is true - BUT \*nixes including linux look pretty well the same from a user standpoint.
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### Author:  [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2001, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/7 "2001-04-14T20:30:17Z")
As long as we’re on this thread, I’ve got a question to ask – I don’t want to start a new thread, after all.
Is there any Linux distribution that offers support for the Matrox Millenium G450 video card? I built my own computer at work, and being a closet geek, wanted to go dual-boot. About halfway through the install with Mandrake, Best Linux, Storm Linux and Caldera, the video would get either _very_ jittery or just plain scrambled. Never experienced that with a Linux install before, expecially considering that Matrox cards are generally supported by just about every OS out there.
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### Author:  [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2001, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-hat-vs-mandrake-linux/61766/8 "2001-04-15T04:10:20Z")
Somewhere slightly off thread - I think REdhat would be the best bet - The [hardware.redhat.com](http://hardware.redhat.com) page at [http://hardware.redhat.com/redhatready/html/us/xchipsets.html](http://hardware.redhat.com/redhatready/html/us/xchipsets.html) list:
Matrox
XF86\_SVGA - MGA2064W (Millennium I), MGA1064SG (Mystique), MGA2164W (Millennium II) (PCI and AGP), G100, G200 and G400
mga - MGA2064W (Millennium I), MGA1064SG (Mystique), MGA2164W (Millennium II) (PCI and AGP), G100, G200 and G400
I don’t see the 450, but you can install without x support and install X later and test to see if the 450 runs as a 400.
There are sites that list linux drivers out there if you want to get into some more difficult dabbling.