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?
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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:2008-06-03
Member since:2005-07-13
Don't forget that openSUSE is one of the few retail shrinkwrapped linux distros on the market. You can buy it in a box, with a manual and installation support. Might seem a bit archaic in this day and age, but some people still go for that...
A stripped down CD versus a full DVD wouldn't play as well in that scenario.
Member since:2005-12-02
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.
DVD's are extremely useful for that. One such country is the US actually where about 40% can still not get high speed internet and have dial-up as an only option. I am talking home users here of course and not business users.
Member since:2006-06-28
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.
There was an openSUSE survey sometime before regarding the preferences for DVD and CD. And majority (by a large margin) of the openSUSE users download DVDs over CDs.
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.
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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