Policies/Nomenclature
From Mandriva
This page provides the definitive naming policy for Mandriva.
Contents |
Products
Mainline distribution
General name
The mainline distribution is currently called Mandriva Linux. This has been the name since release 2006.0.
From its inception until release 8.0, it was called Linux-Mandrake, and this name should be used to refer to these releases.
From release 8.1 until release 9.2.1, it was called Mandrake Linux, and this name should be used to refer to these releases.
From release 10.0 until release LE 2005, it was called Mandrakelinux, and this name should be used to refer to these releases.
Specific release names
The different versions of the mainline distribution are called releases. There is an official method to derive the full name of any release: begin with the correct general name for the release in question, optionally add the name of the edition if you are referring to a specific edition, add the release number, and then add the nickname. So, for example, you can follow this formula to derive:
Mandriva Linux Powerpack 2007.1 Spring
or:
Mandrake Linux 9.2 Fivestar
Releases from 10.0 to 2007.0 did not have nicknames.
For releases that do have a nickname, the full name is rarely used. Most commonly the nickname is dropped to give, for example, Mandrake Linux 9.1.
For Mandrakelinux 10.2 / 2005 Limited Edition, the name Mandrakelinux 10.2 can be used in more technical and internal contexts, such as on development-related mailing lists and in internal discussions. It is also often used informally by users. However, for public communication, the name Mandrakelinux 2005 Limited Edition or Mandrakelinux 2005 LE is preferred.
For Mandriva Linux 2007.1 Spring, the name Mandriva Linux 2007.1 can be used in more technical and internal contexts. For public communcation, the name Mandriva Linux 2007 Spring should be used.
Editions
The various different distributions created and released from the same master tree for each Mandriva Linux release are called editions. The current editions are:
- Free
- One
- Discovery
- Powerpack
- Powerpack+
The Discovery edition was officially named Discovery/LX for the Mandriva Linux 2006.0 release.
The first release of One was as a separate product based on Mandriva Linux 2006.0 and not as an edition of Mandriva Linux, and it was therefore referred to as Mandriva One 2006. Releases since then have been editions of Mandriva Linux, and should thus be referred to as, for example, Mandriva Linux One 2007.0.
Edition names can be used on their own when appropriate contextually, or combined with the correct general name - for example, Mandriva Linux Free or Mandrakelinux Free 10.1 if referring to an old release. The practice of dropping part of the general name and referring to Mandriva Free or Mandriva Powerpack is strongly discouraged.
Corporate product line
The Corporate product line consists of four products: Mandriva Corporate Server, Mandriva Corporate Desktop, Multi Network Firewall, and Mandriva Linux Clustering (despite its name, this is a separate product, not an edition of the mainline distribution). The Mandriva part of the name may be dropped if it is not needed in context.
The following contractions may be used if appropriate in context: CS for Corporate Server, CD for Corporate Desktop, and MNF for Multi Network Firewall. Where needed, the release number should follow the product name, for instance: Mandriva Corporate Server 4.0, Corporate Server 4.0, CS 4.0. Extreme contractions such as CS4 (for Mandriva Corporate Server 4.0) and CD3 (for Mandriva Corporate Desktop 3.0) may be used internally or informally, but not in formal communication.
Multi Network Firewall was preceded by a product named Single Network Firewall, which may be contracted to SNF.
Other products
There are and have been several other distributions that are not editions of the mainline distribution, or part of the Corporate product line.
- Mandriva Flash is the name for the distribution on a USB key, currently available in a version based on Mandriva Linux 2007.0. It does not have a version number and should always be referred to simply as Mandriva Flash or Flash.
- Globetrotter was the precursor to Mandriva Flash, a distribution pre-installed on a bootable external hard disk. Two versions of Globetrotter were released. The first is simply named Globetrotter. The second is named Globetrotter 2.0.
- Move was the first live CD product released by Mandriva. Two versions were released. The first is named Mandrake Move. The second is simply named Move.
Packaging related naming issues
The master tree from which Mandriva Linux releases are built is split into various directories: /main , /contrib , /non-free and /non-free-restricted. These are called sections. They are further split into subdirectories containing the actual packages: /release , /updates , /testing and /backports. These are called repositories.
The sources used by urpmi or rpmdrake to retrieve and install packages may be the repositories, or they may be the user's install discs, or external repositories, or other possibilities. They are called media.
The two processor architectures officially supported by Mandriva Linux are to be referred to wherever possible as x86-32 and x86-64. However, for historical reasons, the x86-32 architecture is referred to as i586 in the mirror directory names.
