openSuSE 10.2 Is Here!

[DavidMD]

Hello, everyone.

I realize that I am not telling anyone who uses SuSE Linux anything new, especially if you had problems with Version 10.1, but openSuSE 10.2 is out and, if you have a slow Internet connection, vendors of Linux discs already have it in stock.

Good luck -- and please keep us informed!

Thank you, in advance!

Cordially,

David

[MkIII_Supra]

and the laptop is running great no issues.

Problem is with my desktop. I can't seem to find viable KDE repositories so I can re-install KMediaFactory! Which I had with OpenSuSE 10.1. And I was in the process of creating some DVD's with KMediaFactory for x-mas gifts.

Other than that, so far so sweet. I notice a bit more pep out of my older system (desktop is a Duron 1.2GHz CPU) and other than no longer being able to play .WMV's or some other formats, even though I followed the Jem Report oh well, par for the course and no surprise to me anymore.

The fonts are far more crisp and clear in 10.2 compared to the earlier SuSE's I have run so another bonus. The new SuSE menu is kind of hard to get used to at first and if you don't like it, it's easy to convert back to the stock KDE style. I don't use Gnome so couldn't tell ya about it.

Beagle is blazing now, it's almost like having a Mac! I haven't tried suspend to disk yet with my main PC, with 10.1 it worked but it would kill sound and the only way I could get sound back was to do a complete reboot. So I will try that and update my post.

Cons -


Pros - Faster (is it KDE or is it SuSE?)
The updater is most definitely faster!
Fonts look great
Beagle hauls tail
Interface seems more clean, crisp
Menus are a bit to get used to but very easy to use and pack a lot of info in a small area.

Info - KDE repositories

With the repositories you will need to break the urls like so:
repos.opensuse.org/ - first line
KDE:/KDE3/openSUSE_10.2/ - second line

For some reason if it isn't like that it won't work. I read somewhere this was resolved, guess not.

Overall, another win for SuSE.

[betamaxman]

Works great for me as well, beryl was an easy install, and best is yast seems fixed.
However the grub gui installer is a tad different and on my sata/ide machine it kept placing grub to hda instead of sda even though scsi is first in my boot order. Easy enough fix though just annoying.

[DavidMD]

Hello, betamaxman and MkIII_Supra!

I am glad that openSuSE is working well for you!

I have ideological problems with Novell's patent agreement with Microsoft, so -- after over four years of installing SuSE Linux exclusively -- I have decided to switch to Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 ("Etch") as my "main" Linux distribution.

Unfortunately, "Etch" obviously missed its 4 December release date, and an article on DistroWatch speculates that it won't be released until January -- so I'll do a 'Net install of "testing."

Incidentally, for people who want the ninety (90) days of installation support and documentation of SuSE 10.2, and are willing to pay for them, they can order the retail boxed set directly from Novell. One needs to search for "openSuSE 10.2," however, on the Novell Web site, and not "SuSE Linux." Even the box containing the DVD, CDs, and documentation is labeled openSuSE 10.2.

For whatever reasons, Novell did not release SuSE 10.2 with any fanfare. There was, for example, no official press release announcing this much-anticipated release (after the problematic 10.1 release).

Again, I am very glad that everything is working well for you with open SuSE 10.2!

Cordially,

David

[asarch]

Does anybody knows the repos for the "forbiden" packages?

[blackbelt_jones]

Before I discuss suse10.2, I want to mention that SUSE10.1 was finally fixed. When the remastered version came out, a mere six weeks or so before the release of opensuse10.2, I found that it performed quite well for me.

Both 10.1 and 10.2 featured worthwhile improvements to YAST, the big comprehensive administrative tool that makes SUSE SUSE. 10.1 made it easier to add installation sources to the package manager by allowing the whole url of an online repository to be installed at once, (instead of requirung that the domain name and the directory be added seperately) and by making it possible to add sources from a local hard disk in the form of an .iso file

Opensuse 10.2 features some nice progress meters for YAST, which is welcome beause YAST can easily become bogged down with collecting all the information from onloine and local sources that it needs to function, and it can be genuinely helpful to have a graphic that tells you that it's actually working, especially if you're running an older computer, like I am currently. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how well SUSE has always performed on an older computer... the one big exeption is YAST, which most users won't have to run very often, after the initial setup.

I had a few problems with the Packman online repository for 10.2. Certain packages that are supposed to be there just aren't. My best guess is that this problem is caused by heavy online traffic after a brand new release. In the case of fluxbox, I got around the problem by compiling from source. In every other case, I replaced the missing rpms with packages from the packman repository for SUSE 10.1, which I downloaded and installed individually, and they worked just fine.

I have actually installed opensuse 10.2 on three different partitions, so I can fool around with it to my heart's content. One is a text mode system, the second is a minimal graphic system (fvwm is the name of the Window manager, I think, basically a fancy version of twm) and the third got the the woks... kde and gnome have both been installed, though I usually use fluxbox as a Window manager.

[DavidMD]

Hello, blackbelt_jones.

Before I discuss suse10.2, I want to mention that SUSE10.1 was finally fixed. When the remastered version came out, a mere six weeks or so before the release of opensuse10.2, I found that it performed quite well for me....

Thank you for bringing up this point. Novell -- regardless of what one thinks of its agreement with Microsoft (or the fact that Microsoft approached Red Hat first, which "is neither here nor there") -- responded very promptly to the problems with SuSE 10.1. In fact, Novell took the time and effort to remaster openSuSE 10.1, while not taking the same action with the retail version of SuSE Linux 10.1 (for which people paid).

...Opensuse 10.2 features some nice progress meters for YAST, which is welcome beause YAST can easily become bogged down with collecting all the information from onloine and local sources that it needs to function, and it can be genuinely helpful to have a graphic that tells you that it's actually working, especially if you're running an older computer, like I am currently. I think a lot of people would be surprised at how well SUSE has always performed on an older computer... the one big exeption is YAST, which most users won't have to run very often, after the initial setup....

I started using Linux, and installed SuSE Linux exclusively over four years ago, back when it was SuSE Linux Professional. I have not upgraded the computer on which I have always run SuSE, which installed and ran much faster than Windows XP Professional when I was dual-booting. (I am adding more memory, new hard drives, and a 3-D video card to this computer, but it will still have a 2.0-GHz, Pentium-4 processor without hyperthreading.) SuSE Linux, despite its wealth of offerings and features, runs very well on older machines!

...I have actually installed opensuse 10.2 on three different partitions, so I can fool around with it to my heart's content. One is a text mode system, the second is a minimal graphic system (fvwm is the name of the Window manager, I think, basically a fancy version of twm) and the third got the the woks... kde and gnome have both been installed, though I usually use fluxbox as a Window manager.

Your idea of setting up openSuSE 10.2 on three separate partitions with three separate environments is an excellent way to test SuSE 10.2, blackbelt_jones -- and I am sure that we will benefit from your efforts. (In addition, I hope that you are enjoying your technical endeavor!)

Speaking of FVWM, I tried it very early when I started using Linux, printing out all of the documentation from the FVWM Web site. (Mastering the scripting is the key.) The amazing thing is that, with some effort and aptitude (which I lacked four years ago, and probably still lack) one can make FVWM look and behave just about any way one wants, and there are some wonderful themes available! I don't think that FVWM will convert you from fluxbox, blackbelt_jones, but I do plan on re-exploring it -- although my initial plan is to try XFCE as my default desktop environment. (I was also intrigued by FVWM because I am an ailurophile -- "cat lover" -- and the FVWM Web site is worth a visit if you are fond of cats.) Now, I am really off-topic!

Please keep us posted on your work with openSuSE 10.2, blackbelt_jones. Your posts on SuSE Linux are always very detailed and informative, and I very much appreciate your contributions to JustLinux.

Thank you, blackbelt_jones!

Cordially,

David

[asarch]

Ok guys, is Saturday December 16th, 4:05 hrs UTC, I've finished my installation and I have these issues:

• How can I enable anti-aliasing fonts?
• How can I switch from GDM to KDM and viceversa?
• Isn't that great the penguins Grub boot splash?

[leonpmu]

Antialiasing should be accessable from the kde control centre and to change to kdm enter yast -> System -> sysconfig editor -> Desktop -> login manager -> change to kdm

[DavidMD]

Greetings, asarch.

Congratulations on your successful installation of openSuSE 10.2.

Have you run into any problems (minor or major) with openSuSE 10.2?

Again, congratulations and thank you, asarch!

Cordially,

David

[service88]

I started using Suse with the 9.0 release. My current system is running Suse 10.1 and I have managed to get everything running except for audacity. Could someone please try audacity in 10.2 and let me know if it works? If if does I might have to upgrade. Thanks

[blackbelt_jones]

Ok guys, is Saturday December 16th, 4:05 hrs UTC, I've finished my installation and I have these issues:

• How can I enable anti-aliasing fonts?
• How can I switch from GDM to KDM and viceversa?
• Isn't that great the penguins Grub boot splash?

I don't even know what anti-aliasing fonts are, but if no one comes up with a better answer for switching desktop managers, I'd try looking in YAST under system/sysconfig editor.

Oh, never mind; I see you DID get a better answer.

[MkIII_Supra]

I started using Suse with the 9.0 release. My current system is running Suse 10.1 and I have managed to get everything running except for audacity. Could someone please try audacity in 10.2 and let me know if it works? If if does I might have to upgrade. Thanks

4 hours ago to do a little mixing for my DVD files.

[asarch]

Ok, let's go step by step. First of all

Greetings, asarch.

Congratulations on your successful installation of openSuSE 10.2.

Thank you very much.

Have you run into any problems (minor or major) with openSuSE 10.2?

As a matter of fact, just a couple of them:

• Is a little bit slower than 10.1 from GRUB screen to the login screen.
• On the other hand, in the morning my battery ran out of power and when I reboot the screen penguins did not appears.

Again, congratulations and thank you, asarch!

Cordially,

David

Not mention. Anywhere, anyplace, anytime...

See you DavidMD and happy hacking!!!

[asarch]

Speaking of good things:

One thing it *REALLY* shoked me was that is is *VERY* fast to install its packages.

I downloaded the DVD ISO and selected all the packages (which is about 1700 or more) and the installation of packages it only took half an hour. OMG

On the other hand, the eyes of the chameleon on the K menu of the KDE enviroment it follows the mouse pointer ala xeyes program.

P.S.

I don't even know what anti-aliasing fonts are, but if no one comes up with a better answer for switching desktop managers, I'd try looking in YAST under system/sysconfig editor.

Oh, never mind; I see you DID get a better answer.

Not to worry man, thanks a lot anyway.

See you and happy hacking!!!