OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. - Page 2

Arup · 07-16-10, 10:10 PM

Thanks Sean_W for the instructions on nvidia, my first linux distro in 1999 was SUSE 8, I have been exclusively on Ubuntu after the release of x64 version but have been trying out SUSE in between just to see their progress but wasn't too satisfied, the packaging still needs improvement but this latest version is truly a huge step ahead. They eliminated HAL in Gnome version but not in KDE. The Gnome is quite polished even though SUSE is KDE centric distro. Runs quite fast and boots as fast as Ubuntu due to HAL being eliminated. Packaging still has long way to go, for instance Skype is not on their repos even if you enable the non free and pakman ones. So if you download it from Skype site and install it, it wouldn't run until and unless all the dependencies are satisfied, this means going to the forums, googling and then installing the dependencies one by one. Whereas in Ubuntu, all you do is enable partner repo, skype gets listed in Synaptic or Ubuntu software center, just click and install, all dependencies are pulled in by the excellent Debian packaging system used on Ubuntu. Good to see VLC repo included, in case of Ubuntu, we have to add C.Korn's ppa and pray it gets updated. The VLC repo would mean latest VLC when its released, definitely a good idea. As for nvidia/ATI install, the X Swat PPA method in Ubuntu is the best of all the distros out there, just enable update and install latest drivers, its automatically updated, no kernel grub mod, no nouveau blues, nothing to do.

Sean_W · 07-17-10, 07:58 AM

Ubuntu is easy because they're make it like that for the desktop user and bend-over backwards to do so. Generally, purely FOSS distros don't care for making it easy for binary drivers, they just package them.

openSUSE used to have the NVIDIA driver on their update system, so it was easy to install. I have no idea way they have changed that, but when packages come out for 11.3, it's just a case of 1-click install off the webpage.

You'll just need to wait for the repos to fill up, since 11.3 has only just been released.

EDIT: I have the NVIDIA proprietary driver installed just fine by the exact instructions I put up, so I can confirm it works. The only down side is that you need to recompile the driver every time Novell updates the kernel.

Sean_W · 07-18-10, 03:55 AM

Oh dear. Did I scare you guys off?

Arup · 07-18-10, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_W

Oh dear. Did I scare you guys off?

Ha ha ha not me, works fine with nomodeset, packaging is headache, even for dev package, you need to install them one by one, in debian/ubuntu, all you do is apt-get install build-essential and everything is pulled in. Even for Skype, every package has to be installed separately. Same for Flash. pakman is a disappointment, older mplayer packages and there is no ppa for getting new ones, otherwise very nice polished gnome and kde, the later rocks once you got nvidia installed.

Sean_W · 07-18-10, 05:38 AM

Yes I know about Ubuntu but it's meant to be for noobs.

You just need to tick those three packages( I said in the instructions) and GTK2-devel (if you need to compile some theme engines)and you're set-up for compiling as it brings the deps in.

Flash is installed via the update YaST system and it works just fine. Skype is proprietary so you'll have to wait for the openSUSE 11.3 packages to be built on the build service or pacman. Doing the nomodeset is easy, it's just a case of adding it to the kernel line, which YaST has a UI for it.

Arup · 07-18-10, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_W

Yes I know about Ubuntu but it's meant to be for noobs.

You just need to tick those three packages( I said in the instructions) and GTK2-devel (if you need to compile some theme engines)and you're set-up for compiling as it brings the deps in.

Flash is installed via the update YaST system and it works just fine. Skype is proprietary so you'll have to wait for the openSUSE 11.3 packages to be built on the build service or pacman.

Ubuntu can be used by anyone, noobs or experienced ones, I compile most of my programs in Ubuntu including mplayer, ffmpeg, x264 etc and others.

Since SUSE was my first Linux distro in 1999, I am well aware of its install routines but I wish they would make the packaging a bit better, otherwise their laterst offering is very good.

Sean_W · 07-18-10, 05:50 AM

Yep, Ubuntu is mainly targeted at new users and switching Windows users but yes of course experienced users can use it.

There is a third party openSUSE 11.3 NVIDIA driver repo but I'd wait for the official one. Fedora's rpmfusion package the NVIDIA driver quicker then this!

BTW, Boot and login is a lot faster now as well I've noticed. I see they're still reliant on HAL. I installed the DVD version.

My desktop is set-up how I want it.

Desktop

Sean_W · 07-18-10, 11:42 AM

Damn, I forgot about zypper commands. You just need to paste this command into the terminal.

Code:

sudo zypper in kernel-devel gcc make

Arup · 07-18-10, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean_W

Yep, Ubuntu is mainly targeted at new users and switching Windows users but yes of course experienced users can use it.

There is a third party openSUSE 11.3 NVIDIA driver repo but I'd wait for the official one. Fedora's rpmfusion package the NVIDIA driver quicker then this!

BTW, Boot and login is a lot faster now as well I've noticed. I see they're still reliant on HAL. I installed the DVD version.

My desktop is set-up how I want it.

Desktop

KDE is reliant on HAL, gnome isn't so gnome version is HAL less and boots as fast as Lucid, boot time was a bane in earlier SUSE and thats gone now.

Sean_W · 07-18-10, 01:58 PM

Yeah but I installed off the DVD and openSUSE being still reliant on Qt in their installer has kdelibs installed and HAL and I picked GNOME.

21 second boot with the NVIDIA driver binary(Default KMS is slightly faster) and I have a boot splash screen as well.

07-18-10, 06:20 PM

Finally had time to install this and went with the DVD installer myself and the KDE desktop on my Dell XPS m140.

First impressions -

Easy to configure, install was a snap. All hardware including my Logitech wireless working out of the box.
Easy on the eyes, beautifully polished. Makes Win 7 look a bit stale.
As customizable as any distro I've tried so far, intuitive and polished.

A couple of cons so far too.

Lack of mp3 support requires importing "untrusted" keys, Packman, which I remember seeing before and if I'm not mistaken is relatively well trusted.

Not really a con, but as far as KDE has come I think I still prefer Gnome.

I think I'm going to lean this install up a bit and get my memory usage down a bit, use the OS for a while and see how it sits with me. I do have to say it's pretty sweet so far.

Thanks for the heads up on it Sean_W.

Sean_W · 07-18-10, 06:49 PM

If you let Phonon use the Gstreamer backend, you should get MP3 support because the Gstreamer fluendo codec is fully licenced. Amarok 2 uses the Xine backend by default, if I remember rightly.

Banshee uses this by default so you get Mp3 playback by default out of the box.

07-16-10, 10:10 PM	#13
Arup Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 122	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Thanks Sean_W for the instructions on nvidia, my first linux distro in 1999 was SUSE 8, I have been exclusively on Ubuntu after the release of x64 version but have been trying out SUSE in between just to see their progress but wasn't too satisfied, the packaging still needs improvement but this latest version is truly a huge step ahead. They eliminated HAL in Gnome version but not in KDE. The Gnome is quite polished even though SUSE is KDE centric distro. Runs quite fast and boots as fast as Ubuntu due to HAL being eliminated. Packaging still has long way to go, for instance Skype is not on their repos even if you enable the non free and pakman ones. So if you download it from Skype site and install it, it wouldn't run until and unless all the dependencies are satisfied, this means going to the forums, googling and then installing the dependencies one by one. Whereas in Ubuntu, all you do is enable partner repo, skype gets listed in Synaptic or Ubuntu software center, just click and install, all dependencies are pulled in by the excellent Debian packaging system used on Ubuntu. Good to see VLC repo included, in case of Ubuntu, we have to add C.Korn's ppa and pray it gets updated. The VLC repo would mean latest VLC when its released, definitely a good idea. As for nvidia/ATI install, the X Swat PPA method in Ubuntu is the best of all the distros out there, just enable update and install latest drivers, its automatically updated, no kernel grub mod, no nouveau blues, nothing to do.

07-17-10, 07:58 AM	#14
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Ubuntu is easy because they're make it like that for the desktop user and bend-over backwards to do so. Generally, purely FOSS distros don't care for making it easy for binary drivers, they just package them. openSUSE used to have the NVIDIA driver on their update system, so it was easy to install. I have no idea way they have changed that, but when packages come out for 11.3, it's just a case of 1-click install off the webpage. You'll just need to wait for the repos to fill up, since 11.3 has only just been released. EDIT: I have the NVIDIA proprietary driver installed just fine by the exact instructions I put up, so I can confirm it works. The only down side is that you need to recompile the driver every time Novell updates the kernel.

07-18-10, 03:55 AM	#15
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Oh dear. Did I scare you guys off?

07-18-10, 05:38 AM	#17
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Yes I know about Ubuntu but it's meant to be for noobs. You just need to tick those three packages( I said in the instructions) and GTK2-devel (if you need to compile some theme engines)and you're set-up for compiling as it brings the deps in. Flash is installed via the update YaST system and it works just fine. Skype is proprietary so you'll have to wait for the openSUSE 11.3 packages to be built on the build service or pacman. Doing the nomodeset is easy, it's just a case of adding it to the kernel line, which YaST has a UI for it.

07-18-10, 05:50 AM	#19
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Yep, Ubuntu is mainly targeted at new users and switching Windows users but yes of course experienced users can use it. There is a third party openSUSE 11.3 NVIDIA driver repo but I'd wait for the official one. Fedora's rpmfusion package the NVIDIA driver quicker then this! BTW, Boot and login is a lot faster now as well I've noticed. I see they're still reliant on HAL. I installed the DVD version. My desktop is set-up how I want it. Desktop Last edited by Sean_W; 07-18-10 at 06:19 AM. Reason: Image

07-18-10, 11:42 AM	#20
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Damn, I forgot about zypper commands. You just need to paste this command into the terminal. Code: sudo zypper in kernel-devel gcc make

07-18-10, 01:58 PM	#22
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Yeah but I installed off the DVD and openSUSE being still reliant on Qt in their installer has kdelibs installed and HAL and I picked GNOME. 21 second boot with the NVIDIA driver binary(Default KMS is slightly faster) and I have a boot splash screen as well.

07-18-10, 06:20 PM	#23
grey_1 Guest Posts: n/a	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. Finally had time to install this and went with the DVD installer myself and the KDE desktop on my Dell XPS m140. First impressions - Easy to configure, install was a snap. All hardware including my Logitech wireless working out of the box. Easy on the eyes, beautifully polished. Makes Win 7 look a bit stale. As customizable as any distro I've tried so far, intuitive and polished. A couple of cons so far too. Lack of mp3 support requires importing "untrusted" keys, Packman, which I remember seeing before and if I'm not mistaken is relatively well trusted. Not really a con, but as far as KDE has come I think I still prefer Gnome. I think I'm going to lean this install up a bit and get my memory usage down a bit, use the OS for a while and see how it sits with me. I do have to say it's pretty sweet so far. Thanks for the heads up on it Sean_W.

07-18-10, 06:49 PM	#24
Sean_W Registered User Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,438	Re: OpenSUSE 11.3 Released. If you let Phonon use the Gstreamer backend, you should get MP3 support because the Gstreamer fluendo codec is fully licenced. Amarok 2 uses the Xine backend by default, if I remember rightly. Banshee uses this by default so you get Mp3 playback by default out of the box.