Most of you will need no introduction to Scientific Linux, but, as it's sort of customary for a review to give a short overview before getting started I'll do just that.
Scientific Linux is a clone of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) much like the CentOS project, rebuilding the distribution from upstream source rpms and removing and replacing the branding that vendor has applied to the installer, slides, wallpapers and whereever else in the system.
Scientific Linux is put together predominantly by CERN and Fermilabs with the help of "various other labs and universities around the world" as the web site puts it. It provides a common install base while also leaving space for site specific customisations and modifications to fit more

A couple of weeks ago I decided I needed to have at least one copy of all the major branches of Linux distributions on this laptop, if only for troubleshooting and having a reference point. Debian or something derived from it has been missing from all my machines for a while now, so with the release of "Squeeze" it seemed like a good time to put a copy back on.

I've tried Linux Mint 7 in the past, and, while nice, it wasn't for me. It was choc full of mono apps with everything from Gnome-Do to the more ubiquitous F-spot and full of somebody elses choices I did not agree with. More work to make it work my way than it`s worth.

Well, it was almost clear, plenty of people have voted for a review of the new Scientific Linux 6, and that's how it will be. Still need a bit more time though, we'll have another review before this.

It's been a bit quiet from my side because I've been busy finishing Fallout NV with almost 200 hours of game play- discounting the reloading, exploring of different avenues, going back to a previous save etc. Cool game, almost as good as the predecessor Fallout 3 with Broken Steel add-on installed. And apparently they both work well with Wine (Gold status). If you're playing it on the PC there are also cool mods available from the fan community, although some are a bit dodgy and definitely not politically correct. Apparently the aim of one is to make it look more like Return To Castle Wolfenstein. That entails lots of insignia and black clad storm troopers. The Zombie mod is fun though, although it's really just a variation of the ghouls in the game.