Mageia forum

For example non OS: A hammer is the best to get in a nail. Could use a screw driver, but that is not the best tool for the job/task. I came across examples of media kits here and there while trying to structure my thoughts on this, and it actually helped me frame the question better.
Comparing Mageia to other distros in the same category (not for example against pfSense - one of many distros designed for connection sharing), what jobs/tasks is it the best at?
Thank you

daily work

it's a jeep.

Hi trpted and welcome to Mageia.

tough question.

Desktops - you can install just one or all available from the repos together.
There are few bugs that interfere with daily use that are are caused by the interaction of multiple desktops.
So, if one day you feel like a change from XFCE to Cinnamon, you just need to choose that desktop at login, (if you have already installed it).

Upgrades. You can use the Classical Installer DVD image [burnt to DVD or USB] to upgrade your installation.
You can then use the same image to upgrade other units with different desktops without imposing a large bandwidth requirement on those units, as all the major desktops are included in the image.
Or you can use the same image to create a fresh install.

System Management. Mageia installer offers root and user to be present.
Personally, this is a more secure option than sudo.
The Mageia Control Center groups together under one umbrella all the system management.
If you need the power of the command line that is also available
PPA's are not available, all repo packages are official - web of trust.

Hello, trpted (et al)...

I think Alf might be showing his "age" and "bias" - a 'Jeep'. Perhaps he's American, or Canadian - or perhaps even Australian. Perhaps a "vet". (Of course, if he were English he might have referred to a "Land Rover".) Having said that, Jeeps were very robust, and were made to undertake all sorts of tasks (sometimes odd tasks, sometime off-road, sometimes heavy lifting) requiring a sturdy vehicle. Perhaps - given the EU orientation of Mageia - a "Unimog" might be a better comparison? Not sure. Funny that Unimogs never took off in a big way though.

No matter what, Alf was exactly right in the sensibility of the comparison. Mageia(5) is a workhorse. (Although that might be taking it way too far back!) Mageia(5) goes and goes, and goes and goes!

From my own perspective I could ONLY load (MODERN) Mageia-5 on my OLDE PC as a workable Linux (as I have explained before elsewhere). I use mine as a networked desktop, with officeware.

Mageia-5 is robust and configurable. Here's an example. Today, my (modern) LG LCD monitor (the only modern component) failed to start. Power gone! So I removed it, and plugged-in an Acer LCD screen - and the system booted normally (ie without any changes to the existing system config). Why? I don't know "why", but Mageia(5) does that kind of thing.

The Mageia Control Centre (MCC) also means the whole system is totally configurable from one place - and that is more than handy.

(P.S. None of that is bias. Mageia-5 works for me.)

Regards,
aka boombaby

Mageia is the Swiss Army Penknife. The only thing it doesn't have is a hammer, but you could add one if needed without breaking it. But like a penknife used wrongly and you can cut your fingers, or use it wrongly you can break it. A good all-round workhorse. In other words Mageia is not designed with a single application in mind, but many.