| Basic information (questions and answers)

What is openmamba?
Started on January 2007, openmamba is a project aimed at creating a community for the development of open source software with the design guidelines of an up-to-date GNU/Linux system in mind. Development covers low-level parts like the Linux kernel, the GNU compiler, base tools and libraries up to the high-level parts like graphical desktop interface and a wide range of application from office to multimedia to games.

Is it a GNU/Linux distribution?
Yes, openmamba is also the name of a fully featured GNU/Linux distribution for desktop and servers.

Which distribution is it based on?
openmamba has its root in QiLinux repository and took the form of an autonomous distribution in early 2007 when QiLinux public updates availability stopped.

Can I install it on my computer?
Yes! If you have a PC compatibile computer (32 bit Intel i686 and compatible architectures), or an Intel based Mac you can install it from the livecd. See the install page for instructions.

I have a PC with a 64 bit AMD processor, can I install and use openmamba on it?
Yes, altough a 64 bit optimized distribution of openmamba does not exist yet, you can install and use it without pain in 32 bit mode.

Is it possible to upgrade from QiLinux to openmamba?
Not any more. The upgrade was introduced in the beginning because openmamba didn't have it's own installation yet. Upgrading now is not supported and generates a lot of errors, so use the livecd instead to perform a full native installation.

What kind of software packaging is the distribution based on?
openmamba uses RPM as the package manager and apt for packages installation and upgrades from repositories. Synaptic tool is available for installations and upgrades from the graphical desktop.

Can I install RPMs packaged for other distributions?
It is not convenient for open source software, the best thing is to repackage it for openmamba. On the contrary, commercial software packaged for other RPM based distributions (RedHat, Suse, Mandriva) mostly works, thus compared with other distributions there are no limitations on the quantity of software you can run on openmamba.

What is the desktop based on?
The desktop is based on a recent release of KDE on top of Xorg. The modern and popular compiz tool for 3D desktop effects is enabled when supported by graphic hardware and driver. Proprietary video drivers (NVIDIA and ATI) are supported as well as open source drivers as a choice.

What is the audio management based on?
openmamba uses the JACK (Jack Audio Connection Kit) low-latency audio server with the Linux kernel real-time capabilities thus producing a high quality sound that is suitable for professional purposes like music production and live performances.

Is it a commercial project?
No, altough the openmamba GNU/Linux system was created and is sponsored by mambaSoft, it is entirely an open project. This means that any of its components, including the scripts used to create the distribution media and maintain the repositories, are released under an open source license. mambaSoft reserves the possibility to use the openmamba related web sites for commercial advertising of itself or third parties with the purpose of financing this project.

Can I have professional support?
Yes, mambaSoft provides the support you might need to install and use openmamba for your own business or the business of your company. For more details on professional support see the open source support page.

I'm a developer and would like to work on this project...
Fine, we are activating a series of facilities for developers such as:

- a private repository hosted at our central servers to let you develop your own branch of the openmamba distribution applying any changes you like
- a mailing list for your own repository
- an e-mail redirection address in the openmamba domain (such as your-name at openmamba dot org)
- a web FTP area where you can put your own homepage at openmamba.org and host your open source projects

You'll get all this for free as soon as an automated registration form will be available on this site. Your own sub-distribution will be publically available just like the openmamba head distribution.

I can't wait, can I start participating to the project right now?
Yes, we appreciate your help and collaboration at this early stage! Just write us at info@openmamba.org and we'll provide you what you need to develop.

This is not a project of mine, so why should I spend my time working on it?
You can install openmamba plus your branch on your computers to have with no cost your own customized distribution, mostly maintained upstream and available to anybody in the internet. Also if you contribute to the head of the distribution that work will always be available to you and the whole community. So you first get benefit from your own contributions.

I'm not a developer but I like the project, can I be of any help anyway?
Sure, GNU/Linux development covers also many non technical fields. Work on graphic art, documentation, translations, administration and more is needed. Just write us at info@openmamba.org telling (if you know) what you would like to do to contribute to the growth of this project.

How are openmamba packages organized?
openmamba packages are currently grouped into the following repositories:

- the devel trunk repository contains the whole main distribution
- devel-contrib is a branch of the devel repository with updates and additions coming from contributors
- the personal developers repositories, where any developer can make it's own modifications and fixes to openmamba

How is openmamba spelled and what is the font used in the logo?
It is a single word (no spaces) with all letters in lower case. Like in the logo it is possible to write "open" in green and "mamba" in black (e.g. openmamba). The font face used is free mono with little modifications.

I have a question on openmamba but I haven't found an answer on this page, what can I do?
Write us, we will gladly consider your questions and give you feedback.