Red Hat Linux 7.2

The most substantial innovation present in Red Hat Linux 7.2---which is based on the Linux 2.4.7 kernel--is a new file system called ext3. An improvement on the reliable ext2 file system that's long been standard in Linux, ext3 is a journaling file system. A journaling file system keeps notes on what it's doing with data in the file system--it logs all of its read and write operations. This decreases file system downtime because after a crash, error-checking utilities (like fsck, which must run after an unanticipated shutdown) need not inspect the entire file system--they can look just at those regions that were being manipulated at the time of the problem. This saves enormous amounts of time, particularly on large volumes of 50 GB or more.

By design, ext3 is backward and forward compatible. You can take an ext2 volume (a volume used to store accumulated data, say) that was created under an old version of Linux (Red Hat or otherwise), and mount it as an ext3 volume under Red Hat Linux 7.2 and enjoy the protection of journaling. Conversely, you can take a volume that was created as ext3 and remount it with no problems (though also with no journaling) as an ext2 volume. By switching to ext3, you gain a valuable new feature and give up none of the reliability of ext2. It alone is worth the upgrade if you run a large file system or if you require especially high availability and can't tolerate long fsck cycles.

Another substantial improvement reflected in this version: GRUB, an improved boot loader that replaces the old standard, LILO. (Both bits of software follow the Unix tradition of naming utilities with goofy acronyms: LILO is LInux LOader, while GRUB is GRand Unified Bootloader.) GRUB serves the same purpose as utilities like System Commander, which allow you to select at boot time from among several installed operating systems. Unlike LILO, GRUB allows you to choose to boot pretty much any installed operating system, including FreeBSD, OpenBSD, OS/2, and any version of Microsoft Windows. It's a handy utility to have on a workstation, though you can opt for LILO if you prefer.

Other improvements have more to do with increased hardware support--many more network interface cards and printers are recognized--and general refinements in the user interface (this release uses GNOME 1.4 and KDE 2.2.1). A handful of new utilities make life easier for users and administrators, chief among them the Nautilus file manager. Nautilus does a decent job of displaying local and remote files intuitively--it makes it easy to manage the contents of an FTP site, for one thing. Another graphical tool makes it easier to manage user privileges. As has always been the case with Red Hat Linux, version 7.2 ships with a load of goodies that includes the Mozilla 0.9.2 browser, the Apache 1.3.20 Web server, and the StarOffice 5.2 office productivity suite. Anything else you want, you can easily download and install. Software installation is particularly easy thanks to the long-popular Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) file format for distributables, which this operating system naturally supports.

True enough, you can download Red Hat Linux 7.2 in its entirety from Red Hat's corporate site, and if you have a high-speed connection to the Internet the time required for downloading may not be too forbidding (the download--if you get just the two CD-ROM images required to install the operating system with no frills--is about 1.3 GB). But if you buy the boxed product, you get the installation CD-ROMs, the complete source code, a lot of documentation, and a slew of ancillary software. Plus, you get 30 days of online (not telephone) technical support--enough to get you through any installation hassles.

Red Hat Linux 7.2 represents a significant improvement over its predecessors. The ext3 file system improves system reliability, and a lot of minor refinements increase the product's quality of "fit and finish." It's a worthwhile upgrade, and a better way than ever to get into Linux for the first time. --David Wall

Amazon.com Product Description
Red Hat Linux 7.2 takes ease of use, reliability, and security to the next level. New GNOME 1.4 with the Nautilus file manager provides a cleaner, more intuitive interface, while graphical tools make administration easy. Updates from Red Hat Network keep systems current and secure. With expanded device support, security, and tools, Red Hat Linux 7.2 is the Linux standard built for technical workstations. Red Hat Linux 7.2 gives you a complete version of StarOffice 5.2 and Loki game demos. Basic Red Hat services are included to help users get started.

However, with Red Hat 7.2, it seems that the barriers linux is facing to enter the desktop market will finally be shattered. Red Hat has always been one of the most easy of the linux installations. Its installer it just a bit tougher than Mandrake Linux's installer.

Apart from the installation, the actual OS also seems to be pretty stable. I run it on a comp which is never shut down, and it seems to be taking the punishment pretty well, with now slowdowns or whatever. (Dont try this on Windoze OS's).

The applications supplied with this OS are numerous and you should just go along with what the default is, unless you want to have some fun tweaking around with your OS. Red Hat's installer manager (RPM) is currently one of the best (Debian is supposed to have a better one, I never tried it).

This edition is very suitable for the desktop user, if you are tired of feeding Micro$oft every two years.

There are only two problems with this distribution, one with Red Hat and one with Linux in general.

The problem with Linux is still the lack of a good office suite. Koffice tries and Star Office somewhat succeeds. But both are not as robust and well designed as Microsoft Office. Sun is supposedly coming out with Staroffice 6.0 this year. The beta of that was very impressive but a bit buggy. Lets hope Staroffice 6.0 ends the drought of the office applcaiton.(I am also wondering when IBM will develop a port of Lotus Smartsuite to Linux, their commitment to Linux seems pretty small till now, without this important contribution.)

The other problem, and this one is with Red Hat, is that it is a very bloaty distro. There are so many usless apps that duplicate the function of each other, that you sometimes get confused about which one to use. For example, take a look at the listing of browsers supplied - Netscape, Mozilla, Galeon, Konqueror. I know linux is a matter of choice, but so much choice is confusing. The average Joe would be scared right away when he takes a look at 3 installation CD's. Win2k just takes 500 mb on its own. Red Hat 7.2 can take upto 3GB. Of course, most of that is applications, but still there is no justification for so much material. I really wish that some day app developers for linux, will collaborate with each other and try to build one good product, rather than each person making his own version of the one application.

Lets say, there is still some way for Linux to go. At the same time it is my OS of choice.


The Best There Is   January 14, 2002
10 out of 13 found this review helpful

I just recently installed this distro on my box at work and again on my home box and I couldn't be happier. Installation took about 40 minutes, and was the easiest that I have ever seen. When I started out with Linux, I decided to use Caldera's eDesktop 2.4, and was pleased with it, but RH 7.2 makes it seem quite old-fashioned and out of date. Unlike with OpenLinux, RH 7.2 got my sound card to work as soon as it was installed, and the X Windows system was configured practically automatically, unlike with Caldera, where I had to play around with XF86Setup and lizardx quite a bit. I even managed to get a higher resolution than I have with my Windows ME OS, which resides on a separate partition at home. The default boot loader, GRUB, worked so well with both OS's that I uninstalled Partition Magic as I felt that I did not need it anymore. For the people who are not overly fond of the command line, this is a perfect distro, as pretty much everything that you can do with the command line, you can also do with the GUI tools that are provided with this distro. Although an experienced Linux user, I did not even have to read any of the instructions prior to installing and all of my hardware (except for my WinModem) was detected at startup. My old trusty Rockwell hardware modem works fine with it though. The KDE 2 desktop is clean and crisp, Konqueror works as fine on the Web as it does on local files and KOffice has all the productivity tools that anyone could want, and behind it all are the tools that any old UNIX user will find necessary in a server. The only things that I actually had to configure was my Internet connexion (and even that was done mainly through GUI tools) and import my config files to get my shell and rc commands for some apps to get them working the way I wanted them to. On my web servers at work, the web services were extrememly easy to configure and have been running fine ever since I upgraded. So far this is the best version of Linux that I have ever come across and will be using it from now on.


Amazing potential   April 25, 2002
D. Hunter
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

Linux is what people wanted out of Windows... that being stability.

WinXP started off pretty stable, but as I add more software, it keeps having new problems and it feels like the updates never stop. So when I need to get some critical work done, I swing over to Linux. Linux feels a bit like a step back graphically for most Windows users (Red Hat doesn't have MEs or XP's slick looks), but I haven't been able to kill Linux yet... It tells me when it doesn't like what I'm doin', but the only problems I've encountered were done through my own toying with hardware configuration files.

Linux has a lot of options Windows doesn't, and the command-line option IS preferable for old DOS jockies like me.
KDE is a good GUI, but it isn't nearly as as advanced as XP or MAC O/S 10.1. I'd say Linux is more of a workhorse. The games for Linux are very behind the times, and it's standard processes can be confusing for those new to it. The capabilities this O/S offers professionals is amazing, however.

I'm starting to like Mozilla better than MS Internet Explorer, and after I get the hang of it, I know Linux is probably going to be first choice booting up. I'll probably always have Windows running on a seperate PC, or partitioned with Linux, as Windows does support the widest range of software.

Still, be aware; If you just bought a brand-spankin'-new PC, and think that your GeForce 4 and Audigy sound-card configurations are going to be a walk in the park, you're wrong. In most cases, you'll be hunting down drivers on the internet, and trying to figure out how to compile your kernel.

All in all, Linux is a great O/S, but the learning curve is steep. Don't feel bad if you're a long-time Windows user, and feel like a dumb newbie again with this O/S... I've spoken to many people about it... you're not alone!


Linux is for PC pro's only   December 16, 2001
William Bratton (Kent, WA United States)
9 out of 19 found this review helpful

Wanted to avoid Microsoft. Did Red Hat 7.2. Death trap for anyone expecting user friendly software. (...) This IS NOT FOR CASUAL USERS. It's great in theory (free software), but it needs to be re-built to equate to MS user friendliness. Users need knowledge of DOS language. It's cheap, it's good...but because it's cheap, there is virtually no customer support. There is no money to provide support. You are on your own. EXCEPT for the wonderful 60 day support that Red Hat gives you. Look closer please....that's TWO (2) questions in a sixty day period. After two questions, you give 'em a credit card number. I spent 8 hours on the phone with "experts" just to establish an internet connection. They were unable to get me an e-mail account. I was just supposed to do without that. The e-mail thing doesn't work with ATT Broadband. That system "is not supported". This stuff is sold in mainstream stores. It shouldn't be. It cannot be used, in any way, by the average user. 20 years from now, it will put Microsoft out of business, but not now. Now it's nothing but trouble.