Another year has just started and with it comes a clutch of new Linux distro releases, among them the somewhat predictably named Mandriva Linux 2009.

As with previous versions, the 2009 implementation of Mandriva Linux is predominantly designed for desktop rather than server use. As such it can detect and handle most desktop hardware straight out of the box, including wireless notebooks and the latest breed of lightweight 'netbook' devices.

Another plus is the ability to integrate easily into mixed Windows/Linux networks, added to which Mandriva Linux is easy to install, simple to learn and a good starting point for those new to the open source platform.

The Mandriva Linux kernel naturally gets updated in this release (to 2.6.27) while the default KDE desktop is upgraded from KDE 3 to 4. More specifically, you get the latest KDE 4.1.2 implementation which includes numerous performance and interface enhancements together with a number of new applications, including Dolphin file manager, Okular document viewer and Dragon media player.

Get the latest Dell Coupons and other computer coupons at CheapStingyBargains.com.

No special video hardware is needed to run KDE 4, but the new interface does take a little getting used to so the older KDE 3 desktop is still there for those who need it. There's also a Gnome (2.24) implementation and LXDE, a lightweight desktop designed, primarily, for use on low-powered netbook PCs.

Talking of which, the hardware support for the Asus Eee PC introduced in the last release has been extended to include all of the latest Eee models plus a number of others, such as the Acer Aspire One and MSI Wind.

Moving onto the desktop, Mozilla Firefox 3 is now the default browser with the OpenOffice.org office suite similarly updated to the latest 3.xx release. Both sport a range of new features including new OpenOffice import filters to cope with Microsoft Office 2007 file formats, plus support for the Open Document Format (1.2) specification and collaborative editing of spreadsheets.

For our review we downloaded the Mandriva Linux One edition which we ran from a bootable Live CD before later installing to hard disk. The Live CD is a good way of evaluating the software, but because you're running from CD it can be slow and you can't save any changes between sessions.

The hard disk install went smoothly with a new look installer designed to help newcomers follow what's going on, added to which any unwanted libraries and files previously left behind can now be removed during the process. The Mandriva Control Center, too, gets a new look and feel and getting the software to work the way you want is generally a lot simpler with this release.

And that's about it for the 2009 product, apart from slightly quicker boot times and a few extra utilities, including a resource-light e-Book reader and Google Gadgets for Linux, both included as standard in the free-to-download Linux One edition. A PowerPack edition is also available (€49) which comes with lots of extra bundled applications and licensed codecs, with a Flash edition (€44) on a bootable USB stick yet another option.

A new KDE 4 desktop is the most obvious change in Mandriva Linux 2009, but there are others including the latest Firefox and OpenOffice.org releases. Installation and management tools are simplified and there's extensive support for netbook devices in this desktop-focused Linux distro, which is a good choice for both Linux newbies and seasoned users alike.