A new major release of Novell's community-supported distro openSUSE 11 is now available and can be downloaded from the mirrors. Linux Format has a hands-on look at the new installer, SLAB menu and Compiz Fusion, and weighs up whether the distro can fight competition from Ubuntu and Fedora. Is this the start of a new era for SUSE?
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2008-06-03
Sorry, I didn't consider Fedora, probably because I haven't used it either. I currently run Ubuntu and Vector Linux. I've also tried PCLinuxOS and the new PC/OS 2008. The biggest of these is around ~1GB.
I'm not bashing OpenSUSE, I just want to know what is contained within.
Edited 2008-06-19 16:41 UTC
Member since:2005-07-06
The DVD versions contain add-on packages that you would have to download separately on Ubuntu or VectorLinux.
4gb is standard for a DVD install of either Opensuse, Fedora, Mandriva and yes, I have also seen a Ubuntu 6.10 DVD, but I think this was put together by Linux Format magazine.
The idea of a full DVD is that people with slow internet connections can install the system, then browse the packages that are not installed by default.
Member since:2006-10-11
OpenSUSE is "old school" like Debian (4.0 comes on 3 DVDs) and Fedora (1 DVD), they strive to provide choice in a single, offline-capable package. The trend to provide only a small preselection of software on one CD and get the rest over the internet is rather new, maybe 5 years or so.
Member since:2005-07-06
I'm not bashing OpenSUSE, I just want to know what is contained within.
SuSE has always been the 'kitchen sink' distribution. As far back as I remember, SuSE was always sold with over 6cds with lots of applications. I guess it was one of those things they could leverage over other distributions.
Why do they continue it now there is a trend towards single strip down cd's, and use of the internet? I assume that the dvd is still quite useful for those who wish to give out free dvd's in countries where internet connectivity is unreliable.
As for why you were moderated down? there is alot of inter-distribution rivalries, so I guess your comment could have been viewed by some as being an attack on OpenSuSE - that, and the fact that if you wanted to see what was on the dvd - a list of the packages on the dvd is actually listed on their website.
For the record, I didn't mark you down - I don't do that sort of thing, no matter how irritating the post or the poster may be.
Member since:2008-06-19
Member since:2006-12-05
openSUSE, Fedora, etc. can be thought of as more like repo-on-disc type distros. They ship with a large number of software on a CD, most of which don't even get installed. So large, chances are the next time you think "hey, I wanna install program X," you don't even have to go online (unless you want the latest version): it's probably on the disc. They also allow you to select during install which desktop environment to use (ie. KDE or Gnome) and *only* install that desktop. Distros that fit on one disc usually have one major DE per disc.
Basically, these extra-large ISOs just contain a lot more software and can allow greater flexibility with a single (though much larger) disc. I personally prefer distros that are on one to three CDs myself; those tend to get the useful software vs. wasted space ratio down nicely.
Also, there are installable live CD versions of openSUSE, which IMO have a much better-tweaked final install. Fedora also has a similar setup.
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently."In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies."The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.
Member since:
2008-06-19
Why do you say its 4x the size of other distros?
Fedora-9-x86_64-DVD.iso 4066110 KB or 4G
Fedora-9-i386-DVD.iso 3496758 KB or 3.4G
ubuntu I don't think has a dvd, so hard to compare. Though I think the opensuse live-cds are on part with all the rest. Not that they can get much bigger than about 700/750?