Red Hat Linux 6.0 offered a huge improvement in the installation and configuration of the fledgling operating system. The new Red Hat Linux 6.1 release continues this line of improvement by offering a graphical user interface (GUI) to the installation and configuration process. Even with these changes in mind, there were a few rough edges in the installation. Chief among them was booting the upgrade from a diskette. But contacting technical support (provided free for 30 days) by phone was a pleasurable experience to counterbalance the hassle. Each time, the wait was less than 20 seconds, and a knowledgeable, helpful technician stayed on the line until there was resolution.
(A point about troubleshooting the installation. From the several choices provided, if you encounter problems, choose the Custom install, text option. It is the most reliable and often resolves problems encountered with the new GUI installation.)
Once you get Linux installed, setting up local-area networking is straightforward. There is a Wizard-like approach for setting up a connection to an Internet service provider (ISP). The system boots into the XFree86 X-windows clone, unless you choose during installation not to boot into a GUI environment. The Red Hat Package Manager makes the installation of add-on software packages e xtremely easy. You can survey the packages available on a CD, with a mouse click get an overview of the programs, and with anothe r mouse click install the software.
The Red Hat Linux 6.1 release includes Sun's Star Office 5.1, which provides a full suite of productivity software, including a d atabase application and a presentation package. Also included are two CDs of workstation and power-tool applications. These last two CDs will be particularly useful to developers and Web site administrators.
With this release, Red Hat Linux has moved into the realm of a true end-user operating system. While it is not for everyone, it i s more accessible to a wider audience than ever before with enough bundled software to make it truly useful. --Robert Franklan d
