3. Linux applications
Both SuSE and Red Hat have a well-designed main menu. SuSE menu structure is a bit better, but for some reason they stick to applications' default names that make little sense to an unexperienced user. You have K3b, KSirc, gaim and KGet. Red Hat has omitted original titles altogether listing names like "Digital Camera Tool" in the menu. Furthermore, Red Hat is going for the best-of-breed kind of thinking by selecting just one application they see best in its field. SuSE often includes overlapping applications which is confusing. Frankly, it is not clear in Linux yet - even if Red Hat so hopes - which application is actually the best one in its category. Often you have to rely on the "second" best to get your job done since the "best" one just happens to lack a feature you need. Anyway, SuSE should follow at least Mandrake 9.1 that in the menu states both the application name and its purpose.
SuSE's default email application is KMail, but Evolution is also there. Red Hat defaults to Evolution. KMail is snappy and fast. Evolution is slower, but as a copy of Microsoft Outlook it has a taste of professionalism in its interface. Both have their annoying features, especially with multiple email accounts: KMail does not remember which account received the email when you are replying to it and Evolution keeps (still in 1.2) losing some of your account passwords every time it is restarted. Especially annoying is Evolution's attachment preview function that can not be turned off. If you get a lot of big images via email, you may not be able to save them, since Evolution FIRST tries to make a preview of every one of them using a very clumsy piece of code and easily runs out of resources before the task is accomplished. A major flaw.
Konqueror is KDE's default file and Internet browsing tool. Red Hat prefers Mozilla and Nautilus. All these applications are rather stable, but not without crashes. Konqueror seems to be slightly less stable than the others. Konqueror also has problems with some Internet sites. It does not support all Unicode characters, like Vietnamese. Nautilus is very simple to use, and its picture zoom operation is excellent. Konqueror does not zoom pictures too well. However, Konqueror is so fast to launch and operate, that even if SuSE also offers Nautilus and Mozilla, the performance factor just makes you leave them aside. Konqueror is also very well integrated to the overall system, and has several excellent features, like an in-built PDF viewer.
A big minus for SuSE is the lack of a Jabber client. There is no PSI and no Gabber. Actually, Red Hat has neither as well, but at least you can get proper RPMs from the Internet with a minimal effort.
OpenOffice.org is better blended into Red Hat than into SuSE. Actually, Red Hat has just changed the ugly default OpenOffice background gray to a lighter one, but that gives a surprisingly more professional feeling. Otherwise both include OpenOffice.org 1.0.2 with similar functionality. SuSE has clearly left KOffice, the KDE office application set, for lesser focus. As long as KOffice lacks common read/write formats with both OpenOffice.org and MS Office, it makes little sense to anyone.
Installing applications later into the system is much better implemented in SuSE. Red Hat offers a complete graphical package manager to only those RPMs that come with their own CDs. That is not good, especially when they are encouraging people to go to Internet to get the decidedly left-out applications. If you are to remove, list, or check your own packages, command line is your package manager. SuSE's Yast has a slightly strange interface, but it offers all you need to manage packages.
Red Hat's well-known hysteria regarding license issues somewhat cripples their distribution. There is no MP3 support, no RealPlayer, no Adobe Acrobat Reader. The fact that you CAN go to the Internet and get them yourself does not make this issue go away (you can also go to the store and buy yourself another distro). SuSE, a German distribution, does not take these issues as seriously perhaps because in Europe the risk to become "blackmailed" due to potential unclear patent and license issues is much lower than in the United States.
By the way, a message to Adobe and RealNetworks: please update your Linux offering to match the current grace and style of Linux distributions. You only harm your own fame leaving it like it now is.
4. Windows applications
Red Hat does not provide Wine to install and run Windows applications, but SuSE has integrated it nicely in their system. However, Wine is not released yet, and SuSE clearly acts as if their inclusion of Wine is more experimental than for serious use. User manual does not say ANYTHING about it, but there it is in the menu, anyway. Does it work? Well, yes and no. Basically, using Wine is very simple. Just download a Windows application installation package and click it in Konqueror. If you are lucky, things go as if you were in Windows. When you do it for the first time, your jaw drops. Windows application installation using Wine is actually better than installation of most native Linux applications. Wine creates proper menu entries and desktop icons, using the program's own graphics. After installation, running the program is a click away and there you go. Sadly, many applications that I wanted to experiment with, ran into unrecoverable problems during the installation even though WineHQ database lists them to be ok. These include Delphi 7, Quicktime 6 and Internet Explorer 5.5. Many smaller applications, like WinZip, installed and operated perfectly.
The promise is there, almost. I could seriously imagine that the year 2004 is the one for Linux distributions to run most applications designed for Windows. In the meantime, check CodeWeavers' CrossOver products that run on top of Wine.
5. Conclusion
Kudos for SuSE 8.2. As a desktop operating system, it beats Red Hat 9 in almost every issue. Red Hat 9 is not a bad choice, but you can get a better user experience with SuSE 8.2.
Red Hat 9 SuSE 8.2
Installation 8/10 7/10
Hardware support 8/10 8/10
Usability 7/10 9/10
Visual appeal 6/10 9/10
Applications 8/10 9/10
Stability 9/10 9/10
Integration 7/10 9/10
About the Author:
Aki Kolehmainen is an engineer working for a Finnish IT company. They are using Linux for all their activities. He can be contacted at aki.kolehmainenNO@SPAMnomovok.com
- "Introduction, KDE vs. Gnome"
- "Linux applications, Windows applications, Conclusion"
