Submitted by When you’re done installing OpenSUSE 10.0, your desktop system is not complete. You still need support for Java programs, MP3 audio files, and browser plugins for Macromedia Flash, Adobe Acrobat, RealPlayer, and Windows Media Video. You may also want to add support for playing DVD videos on your computer. Here’s how to effectively make the open source version of OpenSUSE 10.0 into SUSE Linux 10.0.
Hacking OpenSUSE
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Fitting title, and incredibly true: you have to spend hours hacking Linux, any distribution, to make it do what you want. This is much unlike Windows or Mac OS X, which are both ready for desktop use.
Build a computer someday and install windows instead of buying a turn key , then come talk …
If you buy and install SUSE 10.0, for example, you don’t have to hack anything.
Windows does NOT come with Flash, Adobe Acrobat, RealPlayer support either.
The only thing it does support after a default install
is WMV, MP3, and possibly Java. (Unless you prefer to use Sun’s JRE).
Actually, if you think about it, if you download the SUSE 10 (non-opensource) one, you get all this pre-installed anyway. This goes against your argument
in regards to Windows.
So there’s two ways.
(1) Download the OpenSUSE one, and manually install the stuff yourself. (as the link shows)
OR
(2) Download the SUSE one, and install it.
(Which already has everything you need by default).
And you don’t need to spend hours to tweak anything.
So it just goes to show, you are a no clue person when
it comes to Linux.
(Its obvious because of the generalisation you make.
You assume that all Linux distros are the same, when
they are clearly not. As well you don’t even know anything about SUSE)…Well done, troll.
It doesn’t come with java support. It comes with a horribly broken down, 8 year out of date, java vm that Microsoft wrote.
One thing that openSUSE and SUSE 10 does not come with, is support for file formats that are considered as possible DMCA violations. For that you have to get Packman’s RPMs, install them and then use your system. We only care about Flash, Real, etc. when it comes to web content.
With all the other things Linux has going for it, this is one area that needs to be addressed before John Q. Public can ever be happy using it. If he can’t do the things that he takes for granted in (gasp) Windows, then he will never be a happy camper.
I installed the eval version of SuSE 10 and it’s another big step in the right direction. Bootup is significantly faster and some hardware niggles on my setup have disappeared.
As advertised, MP3 playback is supported with Amarok (and RealPlayer), but other players can’t do it and encoding is missing as well. That’s because they simply added an Amarok backend (“engine”) which uses the RealPlayer’s closed-source helix library.
So Packman is still required for full MP3 support. Btw, why can Packman offer that when Suse themselves can’t?
Well, why Marillat can and Debian can’t, PLF can and Mandriva can’t…
I suppose so that the big distros can’t be held responsible.
SuSE, fedora and friends on purpose stripped away MP3-support in all apps in their distro because in the US, these technologies are patented. This means, if for example SuSE want to offer it, they may have to pay royalties to the patent holders, or they can get sued. So these apps support MP3 by default, it’s just patent trouble keeping some distros from including it. But lots of other distros support it by default (even the old redhat 7).
I’m glad there’s no software patents here in europe *phew*.
Windows XP does not come with MP3 support.
Windows XP does not come with MP3 support.
So what? Linux doesn’t even come with hardware support.
Linux detected and installed more hardware than Windows did. The only piece of hardware it didn’t install was my TV Card and Printer. With Windows XP, I had to install drivers for the TV Card, card reader, printer, wireless card, SATA driver to even start the installation, etc..
Linux’s hardware support kicks Windows ass easily. Your comment just proves that you’re an idiot.
Linux …. blah, blah, blah …. * spurt * spurt * spurt …. With Windows XP, I had to install drivers for the TV Card, card reader, printer, wireless card, SATA driver to even start the installation, etc..
Oh noes! You had to put in the driver disks into your ‘puter. OH THE HORRORS!! I guess operating a CD drive is just too complicated for the teeny weeny brain of a linux loser.
Windows XP does not come with MP3 support.
What are you talking about? Windows Media Player can play mp3s just fine and has been able to for years. What rock have you been living under?
That’s incorrect and ironic, considering the experimental OpenSUSE SLICK .iso distro comes with Win32, libdvdcss and various other technologies “out of the box”.
Actually, unfit title and totally untrue. Installing third party components and utilities hardsly qualifies as a hack. Secondly, aside from mp3 support a fresh windows install does not come with any of the indicated packages.
Notwithstanding our disagreement about the accuracy of the title, the article is much appreciated by myself and others.
I could guide any Windows newbie through the installation of the various packages described in the article. However, I might need a couple glasses of Merlot to get through this article with them – with my sanity and hair intact! That’s the unfortunate state-of-the-art with Desktop Linux. This will either change or desktop Linux will continue to languish.
The article is about SUSE Linux 10.0 OSS (aka OpenSUSE 10.0) which only contains open source packages. SUSE Linux 10.0 has some proprietary software included, for example Adobe Acrobat Reader, Realplayer, Java and Macromedia Flash. A “normal” user should use that edition.
But you’re gonna be downloading and installing those
proprietary components anyway!
Logically, that makes no difference.
Ethically, I guess it does, assuming if you prefer to
have non-proprietary on the CDs/DVD you’ve downloaded.
That depends on what version you’re using…. – the new experimental SLICK .iso comes with Win32 & libdvdcss “out of the box” – you don’t have to download either of these for this particular version.
Since when installing java, flash etc is hacking?
Get a life!
I just downloaded openSUSE liveCD. It does not recognize Orinoco PCMCIA card installed in my desktop. Any ideas how to make it work?
Thanks.
Does this DVD eval version have any difference with the OSS 5 CD’s besides having the extra propietary software? Like are the package managers broken so you can’t update or something? If not then I dont see the point in downloading the OSS version.
I’ve been wondering the same thing.
“Like are the package managers broken so you can’t update or something?”
Nothing like that. You can install every other SUSE package either with YaST or apt:
http://linux01.gwdg.de/apt4rpm/
You can use a script which makes everything extremely easy:
http://susewiki.org/index.php?title=Install-apt4suse
If you are a more experienced user, here is where you can find all the components of your sources.list:
ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/suse/apt/SuSE/10.0-i386/
Or you’ll find a ready sources.list at the SUSE apt page mentioned above.
Note that apt will make installing any codec for playing DVDs, watching media streaming extremely easy.
You might also want synaptic:
# apt-get install synaptic
You should find out that you have more than 6,000 packages available.
I also want to stress once again that downloading OpenSUSE and installing the plugins afterward doesn’t make any sense whatsoever: just download SUSE eval:
http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/downloads/suse_linux/instr…
If not then I dont see the point in downloading the OSS version.
It’s for people who don’t want any proprietary software on their machine.
It’s for people who don’t want any proprietary software on their machine.
So they made a whole distribution just for RMS?!?
Could anyone help me installing nVidia 1.0-6629 driver on OpenSUSE 10. I’ve tried with NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-6629-02.28.2005.diff.txt, but compile failed. So I rolled back to SUSE 9.3. I need this driver version to xorg RenderAccel to work on KDE.
Hi
Did you try to run YaST Online Update? I used OpenSUSE till RC1, and YaST would install Nvidia.
http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/slideshow.php?release=464&slide=2…
Make sure you install gcc, make and sources to avoid having problems with compiling. Any ways, use Yast online update to install the drivers, Suse makes a script to fetch them and install them automatically for you.
I know for a fact that pci cards based on orinoco work fine on Suse. You are probably going to need to install the non free kernel headers using Yast, and configure your card with the new network device wizard. I don’t know if this will work on the live dvd. Also some wireless devices need firmware wich are only available through Yast update… With those you will have to download the firmware using a CAT first and then you can switch to wireless.
Pretty sure though that orinoco devices does not requiere such firmware. Mad-wifi devices need the non gpl headers, and I think prism cards do need the firmware. Maybe acx too, can’t recall now
Hope this helpped.
It does not work on liveDVD. Yast is configured to use SUSE server, and I could not find anything on the DVD itself.
Thanks.
May aswell just pirate windows.
does anyone notice that the reason these programs aren’t included is because they require licencing fees.
* MP3 format is patented. Should use ogg.
* WMV is also
* DVD is also patented and mplayer is illegal in many countries.
* realplayer is insane, Should just use ogg.
with all the illegal activity that you are promoting, people may aswell just pirate windows
– Jesse McNelis
* MP3 format is patented. Should use ogg.
* WMV is also
* DVD is also patented and mplayer is illegal in many countries.
* realplayer is insane, Should just use ogg.
Quite right. I believe that open source using companies like Novell and Suse should come out with a media server version of their Linux distros using ogg Vorbis. After all, it’s only going to help them and this hoop jumping of using WMV and Real can’t go on forever. After all, you’re only supporting the people who choose to use them.
When that happens they can persuade organisations like the BBC to stream using ogg Vorbis, or even their own developed format, (people use WM just because that’s what they’ve heard) and provide total support for it. DRM and these crap streaming formats are only going to hurt Novell’s use of open source software and their business if it goes on.
As for DVDs, well, you can’t play DVDs on Windows anyway.
but on windows you can buy a legal commercial dvd player software. most likely you already have one coming with your gfx or soundcard. i have 4 legal dvd player programms which all came with some peace of hardware.
as for sound formats, the best way to solve this issue is to try to get mac and windows users to use ogg. if not all my musik was aac or mp3 encoded by itunes than i would not need those formats.
Yeah, I tried using one of the free DVD playing programs that came with my a drive. I was rather annoyed when it wanted another $20 to support surround sound. I bought the drive, I bought the DVD, I bought the sound set up, etc… Why pay more money to use that program when my DVD player which cost less then any two of the other three pieces of hardware supports it out of the box?
As for Ogg, I purchased an IAudio player that supports ogg this last time around and was really pleased with it. I open the CD using the KDE audio slave and drop the ogg folder into the music folder on my machine and then copy that folder to the player which acts as a usb drive.
Are you aware that there are people on this planet that do not live in the USA and are therefore not bound by the DMCA? Well now you are.
Could anyone help me installing nVidia 1.0-6629 driver on OpenSUSE 10.
1)press CTRL+ALT+F1 and su to root or enter your password for root directly
2)enter ¨init 3¨ ,you will get the message:¨stage 3 has been reached¨.
3) enter ¨sh <NVDIA..>¨ (substitute the real nvidia package name for <NVIDIA..>). You could also run: ¨sh <NVIDIA..> -x¨,which only substracts the source files(hint).
4) finally run: ¨sax2 -m 0=nvidia¨
(don’t forget to edit the ¨/etc/X11/xorg.conf¨ file,
under ‘device driver’ you have to change ¨nv¨ in ¨nvidia¨)
5) reboot
Could anyone help me installing nVidia 1.0-6629 driver on OpenSUSE 10.
1)press CTRL+ALT+F1 and su to root or enter your password for root directly
2)enter ¨init 3¨ ,you will get the message:¨stage 3 has been reached¨.
3) enter ¨sh <NVDIA..>¨ (substitute the real nvidia package name for <NVIDIA..>). You could also run: ¨sh <NVIDIA..> -x¨,which only substracts the source files(hint).
4) finally run: ¨sax2 -m 0=nvidia¨
(don’t forget to edit the ¨/etc/X11/xorg.conf¨ file,
under ‘device driver’ you have to change ¨nv¨ in ¨nvidia¨)
5) reboot
Could anyone help me installing nVidia 1.0-6629 driver on OpenSUSE 10.
1)press CTRL+ALT+F1 and su to root or enter your password for root directly
2)enter ¨init 3¨ ,you will get the message:¨stage 3 has been reached¨.
3) enter ¨sh <NVDIA..>¨ (substitute the real nvidia package name for <NVIDIA..>). You could also run: ¨sh <NVIDIA..> -x¨,which only substracts the source files(hint).
4) finally run: ¨sax2 -m 0=nvidia¨
(don’t forget to edit the ¨/etc/X11/xorg.conf¨ file,
under ‘device driver’ you have to change ¨nv¨ in ¨nvidia¨)
5) reboot
I think there is a small confusion. Actually I need to compile nVidia driver version 1.0-6629, with a patch NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-6629-02.28.2005.diff.txt on OpenSUSE 10. I can install this on SUSE 9.3 without any problem (Installer compiles and installs fine). But I’m getting a error when I try to install this on OpenSUSE 10 (think due to GCC 4). Any workaround to get this successfully install on OpenSUSE 10.
“5) reboot”
:):):) come on man!!!! it’s linux not “wi*dows” and doesn’t need reboot for everything.
just issue:
init 4 (or 5, depends on distrib.)
You can’t have logged in with grapically..it won’t work. You need to log in in “failsafe” mode ..IE Runlevel 3, log in as root, then run your nvidia scripts. init 5 afterwards..or init 6 to reboot and you’re done
“5) reboot”
:):):) come on man!!!! it’s linux not “wi*dows” and doesn’t need reboot for everything.
To make sure the module is correctly loaded upon boot 🙂
just issue:
init 4 (or 5, depends on distrib.)
Yes,but isn’t this thread about SuSE Linux ?
just installed Suse 10 and was realy surprised when i started gnome. it is too slow to show a background image and still move windows without *massive* jerking. i can’t believe it, im running on a 3GHz box with 1GB RAM! is this gnomes fault or xorgs fault? i have the hardware accelerated nvidia drivers installed. does anyone has some insight on this?
just installed Suse 10 and was realy surprised when i started gnome. it is too slow to show a background image and still move windows without *massive* jerking. i can’t believe it, im running on a 3GHz box with 1GB RAM! is this gnomes fault or xorgs fault?
Dunno. Have you enabled anything like composite or any of that stuff that doesn’t actually work yet? From your description it shouldn’t be that slow. Try the plain xorg drivers first and see if you still have the same problem.
just installed Suse 10 and was realy surprised when i started gnome. it is too slow to show a background image and still move windows without *massive* jerking. i can’t believe it, im running on a 3GHz box with 1GB RAM! is this gnomes fault or xorgs fault?
It’s your fault for installing that OSS bloat-ware.
gnome is dead do like majority of linux user (about 70%) use kde…
Why are you posting anonymously when you want help?
because i didn’t quit feel like creating an account just for one question. and i didn’t expect more than someone posting a link or a short explanation or a “xorgs fault” or “gnomes fault”.
something is wrong with your setup if it is slow like that, because even tho suse is the turtle of distros it shouldent be unbareable to use, check if stuff like dma is enabled through the hdparm -i , and like the other guy said xcomp will drag nearly any computer in the mud.
Helix MP3 encoder is based on a very good improved Xing encoder, and also, it is Open Source.
what does suse linux 10 ( the one u buy) have that suse eval doesn’t, from a software point of view not tech support and that sort of stuff ?
thx
http://www.novell.com/products/suselinux/commercial.html
The eval does have the freeware but not the stuff like TextMaker or Arcad.
The only issue I had was that I had to disable IPv6 because it was causing dns resolution to be very, very slow. This was also the case with regular SUSE install. Why don’t they fix this issue? It left me with a horrible first impression on an otherwise very nice distro.
Finally, the on-board sound of the Shuttle SN25P is supported. — Amarok mixes my mp3 up to 5.1 automatically !!
Why are all Suse download editions, whether eval or open, in the trashed state they are in? If you wish to download only one CD, you can if you download the iso only. If you wish to download via torrent, which is the most sensible way, you have to download all 5 CDs via torrent, requiring more than a 3 GB download. Would it be so difficult to offer one CD torrents, so people could download the CDs one at a time? Suse seriously needs to get with the program & move into this century.
Stop crying. I know for a *fact* that a torrent can pick up again where you cancelled the download, likewise, you can pick up on an FTP transmission again. And don’t tell me CD 1, or whichever for that matter, would be of any use without the others… so you got no point here.
I just downloaded and installed SuSE 10 DVD eval.Very polished release.AppArmor is a powerfull app with which you can enable and write profiles for every app you think it’s necessary.Remarkably how well SuSE 10 performs as opposed to 9.3
kudos to the devs.
“Finally, the on-board sound of the Shuttle SN25P is supported. — Amarok mixes my mp3 up to 5.1 automatically !!”
i’m so glad i bought SUSE 10.0, worth every penny for this alone!
*happy SN25P owner awaits amazon delivery*