Yet another review of OpenSUSE 10.2. "I'm very disappointed in it. It hasn't changed much. It still is one of the best desktop Linux solutions available, its configuration tools are brilliant, its Gnome desktop is great and uniquely designed but the quality of its package manager is simply unacceptable. If you've ever used APT before you can't decently consider using this." Update: Another. Update2: One more.
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2006-07-12
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I have to say that I really like the look of the slab menu in the SUSE releases. Hopefully this is something that can be shared between distros.
It's a shame if the package management is as poor as the reviewer insists. Hopefully the mentioned delay in adding the repositories can just be put down to the rush to download the ISO's.
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2005-12-28
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The same here. The OpenSuse packagemanager works flawlessly.
I installed from the mini-CD-iso and right at the beginning of the installation I had the chance to deselect this whole ZMD Enterprise ... stuff as well as AppArmor (for I do not need it). OpenSuse suggested a corresponding and lighter OpenSuse packagemanagement tool and I chose it.
Then I installed Windowmaker, Gnome and KDE programs, but avoided to install anything that needs mono.
So far, OpenSuse 10.2 works great. Now I have the chance to replace my Suse 9.0 and Suse 9.3 installations with a new Suse.
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I admit, I haven't tried SuSE in a while. I'm just curious, is the process for selecting a remote server to install from still a pain like it was a few versions back?
The last time I tried installing SuSE from a remote server (as one would do FreeBSD, Debian, etc.) it was a complete joke. I hope it has gotten better because downloading 20 CDs or 4 DVDs (a bit of hyperbole on my part) just isn't a very good option and is the main reason I haven't bother with SuSE lately.
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For me it worked.
If you choose the internet installation (I installed via network/DHCP starting with the mini-CD-iso), you should know the IP address of the server and the name of the corresponding OpenSuse directory.
Since I live in Germany I downloaded the OpenSuse packages from a server within Germany: ftp.gwdg.de (Göttingen) with the IP address 134.76.11.100, the needed directory is /pub/opensuse/distribution/10.2/repo/oss.
And do not forget to deselect the ZMD Enterprise Updater and to choose the OpenSuse Updater for a painless installation.
You will find more information here:
http://en.opensuse.org/Released_Version#Internet_Installation
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2006-06-28
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OK, so they fixed the bugs with the package manager crashing but haven't improved speed any?
I'd love to know why it takes 15-30 minutes to add a repository to YaST, while it only takes 5-10 seconds with SMART.
I think the SUSE devs should just say "fu*k it" to the YaST package manager and just use SMART as the official one.
It is at least one trillion times faster. It also allows you to use repositories with some broken dependencies without nagging you to death.
Awesome!
Edited 2006-12-11 22:15
Member since:2005-07-24
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I haven't read the article. But package managers that just hang or give cryptic errors (like Python tracebacks... hello Yum?) and don't have the ability to time out in a reasonable time and try another mirror leave a bad impression with users. Fixing said behavior should be a high priority, but it doesn't seem to get much attention. Not a sexy enough problem, I guess.
Member since:
2005-07-06
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The OpenSUSE updater in conjunction with YAST and/or SMART work just fine. I added sources in less than one minute. On install...just take the default "enterprise" mangagment out and put the openSUSE in....problems solved.
The reviewer doesn't know what he is talking about. I'm sick of "linux reviews" as they seem to be written by ignorant dolts.
SUSE 10.2 has so far, for me, been the most flawless distribution I have ever used (but only on day three so far).
Member since:2005-07-06
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The reviewer doesn't know what he is talking about. I'm sick of "linux reviews" as they seem to be written by ignorant dolts.
yast --install <package> isn't that different from emerge <package> or apt-get install <package> or pacman -S <package>.
If the repos are set right.Sure once having used apt-get and emerge it's you're a bit spoiled.
Though you allways have to set the repos/mirros:
/etc/make.conf (Gentoo,mirrors)
/etc/apt/sources.list (Ubuntu,Debian,repos and mirrors)
OpenSuSE asks during install wether you want to add an update source,and it adds one for you.Though OpenSuSE could some more mirrors around the globe.You are heavily depending on your geographical location.
10.2 is what 10 and or 10.1 should have been and beyond.A good nice looking professional distro suitable for day to day use with a woking updater/installer (zmd,YasT).
Here in Europe i have an abundance of fast Ubuntu and Gentoo mirrors.That combined with emerge and or apt-get is "addictive".Superiour repos with a lot of packages.
Though both Ubuntu and Gentoo still don't have multi-arch (installing 32-bit apps alongside 64-bit) support such as Fedora and SuSE.And you are forced to chroot&co.
Whatever your mileage is i guess.Still 2007 id going to be very interesting from an OS enthusiasts perpective :-)
Member since:2006-02-15
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/etc/make.conf (Gentoo,mirrors)
Not necessary. I don't have anything such in my make.conf and it works just fine without.
Though both Ubuntu and Gentoo still don't have multi-arch (installing 32-bit apps alongside 64-bit) support such as Fedora and SuSE.And you are forced to chroot&co.
Actually, you can run 32-bit apps alongside 64-bit ones under Gentoo just as in other distros. And no, it doesn't require chroot.
Just thought to point out some errors..
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Not necessary. I don't have anything such in my make.conf and it works just fine without.
Unless you want a local mirror in Europe (your graphical location) and not a server in the USA or far east.
For syncing it's recommended to add eu to the rsync line in /etc/make.conf (again depending on your geographical location) because the default setting is rsync.gentoo.org
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2005-07-12
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2005-11-05
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FWIW, here is my own review of OpenSuSE 10.2. Obviously I've based this on expert familiarity with Linux (I've read "Linux for Dummies" cover to cover) and a painstaking review process over many minutes er I mean days:
"* It's dog slow
* The package manager sucks
* No Nividia 3D
* The new KDE menu is a let-down
* Novell has sold out to Microsoft
* I'm not switching distros for this"
If anyone sends me 200 bucks, you're free to print this in-depth analysis. I mean, plenty of other "reviewers" are saying roughly the same, so even though I haven't yet actually installed OpenSuSE 10.2, I must be right, right? Hell, I'll even throw in a picture of myself as a good ole boy with a shaggy dog for you to print above the article. You can say I'm a consultant in innovative environmental technologies - between you and me, this means I get to mow the lawn and have far too much time on my hands. ...
Hmmn, OpenSuSE 10.1 runs superbly here using the Smart package manager, the excellent packman and guru repos and a customized kernel. No reason to think 10.2 won't be even better. I've yet to read any negative reactions to 10.2 for which there aren't workarounds and some of the criticisms made are downright untrue. Sheesh, these reviewers. Take them too seriously and you'll probably never run a Linux distro again.
Member since:
2006-01-28
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Every time I try to open a CD-ROM on my laptop, I get the following error:
"A security policy in place prevents this sender from sending this message to this recipient, see message bus configuration file (rejected message had interface "org.freedesktop.Hal.Device.Volume" member "Mount" error name "(unset)" destination "org.freedesktop.Hal")"
I obviously did not implement this security policy and was not asked to approve it. Since this appears to be on by default, this means that most users will be completely flabbergasted as to why they can no longer read their CDs.
I thought this might be related to AppArmor so I disabled it but I am still unable to read CDs. I googled for this error and it appears that the net is full of people with this issue. The error came in after HAL became the default way to mount removable media.
Anybody has a way to fix this on Suse 10.2?
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I have installed OpenSuse 10.2 twice.
Both installations show no cdrom or dvd entry in the /etc/fstab.
But OpenSuse has detected the devices. Although I did not realize this error in the beginning I could burn CDs with Gnomebaker. No error occurred.
So, you have to add the /etc/fstab entries, e.g. /dev/hdc (...) /dev/dvd or /dev/cdrom or/dev/cdrecorder ord /dev/dvdrecorder. For the rest I copied the entries of the /etc/fstab of my parallel Sarge installation. After that you should create the mountpoints unter /media (e.g. /media/dvdrecorder) e.g. with mc manually.
By the way, even Yast does not show the entry "cdrom" in its hardware section, it is missing.
Member since:
2005-07-06
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OpenSuSE could make installing cups-pdf more user-friendly then the guide:
http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/17636.html
On gentoo it's just emerge cups-pdf && chmod +s /usr/lib/cups/backend/cups-pdf and add the cups printer via http://localhost:631
On Ubuntu it's pratically the same as the gentoo part.
Member since:
2006-12-09
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If you know your way around, this actually is one of the best distros I've used so far. I have it installed on three computers + on vmware. Some bugs and quirks: problems with the dvd repo, ZEN, K3B and vmware.
But those nags can be circumvented (sometimes a reboot helps, sometimes reverting to yast when zenworks updater errors out). Tip: be sure to install findutils-locate" from the outset (I can't believe why it is not selected for install by default no matter how many patterns you choose). Otherwise a commands like updatedb and locate are lost.
All in all, a very polished distro. Add a few extra repos (rbos, pacman, nvidia), and look for local ftp servers instead of going with the suggested suse repo downloads during install. Also, don't install totem-plugin, but look for the Mplayer + mplayerplug-in here (http://packman.links2linux.org/package/mplayerplug-in/18013).
The software installer names 4 dependencies, but when you've enabled the extra repos (incidentally, they also give you Eclipse), you'll manage. Jem Matzan must have been in a hurry, but his page (http://www.softwareinreview.com/cms/content/view/60/) on 10.2 was helpful too.
If you come across gnomevfs errors during first use of vmware workstation, try this: http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=516807. You have to shuffle some libpng thingies, and you're set.
I still think Ubuntu Edgy is the best around, but as far as polish and look-and feel is concerned, OpenSuSE is a close second. The apt-repos for Ubuntu are unbeaten (and so is community help).
I wish SuSE had something similar for the command line. I know there is apt4rpm, but that crashed my rpm database once beyond repair on SuSE 9.3, so that's not for me. You can also do yast -i from the CLI, but you still get too many bells and whistles for my liking.
I prefer the gnome Main Menu app to the new kde taskbar. As for smart-gui: It's fast but I don't see any premium value in using it.
If only Canonical would have bought SuSE (Mark is still trying to pull that off, I guess) .....
Now I have to try compiz or beryl, so I'll see if my opinion changes.
Edited 2006-12-12 09:10
Member since:2006-06-28
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Some bugs and quirks: problems with the dvd repo, ZEN, K3B and vmware.
Well it may not representative but on amd64 i had no problem at all with installing vmware.No need for the any-any-update patch.
Setting the following param for growisofs in k3b :
-use-the-force-luke=bufsize:16m (serious) might help.
The apt-repos for Ubuntu are unbeaten (and so is community help).
That's true.
Member since:
2006-06-19
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