There are a few things you'd most probably want to do before you start using the system. First of all you might want to include the Lenny repositories and run an apt-get dist-upgrade. This will update your system to the latest packages in the Lenny repositories. You can also include Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu or Ubuntu Studio as they are all binary compatible (Google-search for Linux Standard Base) but the Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Kubuntu repositories would be useless as the Lenny repositories already have the required software in later versions. \

Then you might want to configure Compiz-Fusion and Emerald. They are not enabled by default, and they need manual configuration. Head to Applications-->System Tools-->Compiz Fusion Icon. Then right-click on the Compiz icon on the panel and adjust the settings in the settings manager and install an Emerald theme. Once you are done, select the window decorator to be Emerald and the window manager also to be Emerald. Then reload the window manager and you are done. Now set Emerald as the default window manager to retain the settings. You need to install the ATI or NVidia drivers manually, if you have those chipsets, because they are not included by default.

Performance

Ah, here comes the big test. And Parsix passes it beautifully. I have quite a powerful processor, a 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4 'Prescott', which happens to support SSE3, but everything else about it is crappy. Just 512 MB of RAM and a rotting old Intel 865 chipset with integrated 82865 G Graphics make it an average system. Above that, I have no swap partitions and no swap file. And Parsix works faster then DOS here. To tell you the truth, I've tuned Compiz to use the most processor heavy effects and I'm using a very compositor-happy theme, and the system is as responsive and as smooth as anything. With only 55 per cent memory usage at full load and negligible processor usage, it's racing faster than an Fl car.

Nothing has even remotely slowed down or crashed, as yet, and that's after almost 10 days of use. This is beginning to be too good to be true. Maybe I'm overreacting after my particularly nasty experience with openSUSE 11, but Parsix is a hell of a performer.

The judgement day

The following scores (out of 10) are what I give to Parsix (compared to Ubuntu 8.04 LTS):

1. Performance: 9.5 vs. 9

2. Reliability: 10 vs. 8

3. Usability: 7 vs. 4

4. Looks: 8.75 vs. 6.5

5. Included Software: 7.75 vs. 7.5

6. Configuration Tools: 5 vs. 5

7. Multimedia: 7.75 vs. 3

8. Overall: 9 vs. 7