Ark Linux

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**Ark Linux**

Ark Linux installer
Website:	www.arklinux.org
Company/ developer:	Bernhard Rosenkraenzer et al.
OS family:	Linux
Source model:	Free Software
Latest stable release:	2006.1 / 2006-08-02
Kernel type:	Monolithic kernel (modular)
License:	GPL
Working state:	Current

Ark Linux is a free Linux distribution focusing on ease of use and ease of learning, while remaining technically sane, and including current versions of all included software. Due to the similar sounding name, it is sometimes confused with Arch Linux. Ark Linux is built around the KDE Desktop.

Ark Linux is available both as a normal, installable operating system and as a Live CD.

1 Philosophy
2 Package Management
3 Releases
4 Support
5 Location
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Philosophy

The primary goals of Ark Linux are:

Being easy to install, learn and use.
Including all tools and applications a typical desktop user will need.
Including only tools and applications a typical desktop user will need -- avoid becoming "bloated".
Making installation of additional software as easy and fast as possible.
Being a technically sane development environment.
Remaining 100% Free Software and Open Source.

As a result of these goals (unlike most other distributions) Ark Linux doesn't include numerous different applications for the same task; it picks the best of breed apps.

The Ark Linux core system is one CD that provides everything the typical new desktop user will need, including an office suite, Internet access tools, instant messaging and filesharing clients.

For less commonly needed applications, Ark Linux provides add-on CDs, including Ark Development Suite, Ark Extra Software, Ark Extra Languages, and Ark Server Software (all packages on those CDs can also be installed online using apt-get) - and an online repository of contributed but unsupported software (this includes software that's free to use, but not Open Source, such as NVIDIA's 3D driver or Macromedia Flash - Ark Linux itself and all official add-ons are 100% Free software and Open Source).

Ark Linux is a free software project maintained by a group of volunteers, and is always looking for new contributors.

[edit] Package Management

Ark Linux uses apt-get and RPM, with Kynaptic (a KDE port of Synaptic Package Manager) as the graphical frontend, to manage its packages.

In addition to its releases, Ark Linux has 4 package trees:

Dockyard: Tested packages belonging to the core system.
Dockyard contrib: Tested packages that are not part of the core system, e.g. due to licensing restrictions
Dockyard-devel: State-of-art development tree (core system). Normally usable, but may break at times. After extensive testing, packages are moved from Dockyard-devel to Dockyard.
Dockyard-devel contrib: State of art development tree (not part of core system).

A standard installation receives updates and extra packages from the Dockyard and Dockyard contrib trees.

[edit] Releases

All releases are well-tested snapshots of the Dockyard tree (see Package Management above) - a default installation will update from the Dockyard and Dockyard contrib trees.

Unlike with many other distributions, there is no need to reinstall when a new release is made -- since the Dockyard tree gets updated, a user automatically gets the new release by running an apt-get dist-upgrade.

Releases have been:

Releases prior to 1.0 alpha 6 were distributed on CDs to a group of testers only, while the project was looking for free hosting. Alpha 1 was built in November 2001.
2003-01-25 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 6
2003-03-14 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 7
2003-07-04 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 8
2003-07-06 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 8.2
2003-09-16 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 9
2004-01-24 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 10
2004-04-08 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 11
2004-06-23 - Ark Linux 1.0 alpha 12
2005-03-19 - Ark Linux 2005.1
2005-03-31 - Ark Linux 2005.1-SR1
2005-08-14 - Ark Linux 2005.2-RC1
2005-09-01 - Ark Linux 2005.2-RC2
2005-10-06 - Ark Linux 2005.2-RC3
2005-12-10 - Ark Linux 2005.2
2006-02-12 - Ark Linux 2006.1 preview
2006-03-18 - Ark Linux 2006.1-RC1
2006-04-28 - Ark Linux Live 2006.1-pre20060428
2006-06-01 - Ark Linux 2006.1-rc2, Ark Linux Live 2006.1-rc2
2006-08-02 - Ark Linux 2006.1, Ark Linux Live 2006.1

For details on versions of currently included software, see e.g. Distrowatch below. (Note that Distrowatch shows all software included on any of the add-on CDs in addition to the software in the core OS; it doesn't show software included in the contrib repository though).

[edit] Support

The Ark Linux team supports its users through the forums on the arklinux.org website, and a live support system based on IRC.

[edit] Location

Ark Linux is headquartered in Oberwald, Switzerland and has contributors from all over the world.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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