I'm thinking about installing SuSe Linux on my laptop. Is anyone running it? If so, how do you like this distro?
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SuSe Linux - Anyone running it?
- Thread starter Rod
- Start date
JHolmes763
Drinkin' the koolaid
Any reason you're choosing SuSe over the other choices? Just curious, I don't run any of them full time.
WhiteAshes
Orbis non sufficit
I'm curious to know, too. What sorts of things do you use your laptop for? Are you looking for a GUI or are you a command line kind o' guy?
All five of my companies are strictly Mac for desktop and laptops, and the Slackware distro for all the servers in my two data centers and for the boxes we colo in third-party DCs. So for me, I've got a GUI on my laptop and I just fire up a terminal window and ssh to wherever I need to be. I'm very command line except for e-mail and browsing, so that works well for me.
I'd thought about getting a Linux-based laptop for me from Emperor, but with OS X for GUIs and Slackware for servers I didn't want to add another distro.
Slackware is rather lean. I like that. And the install is very straightforward. But it's strictly for command line-based servers in my environment, so I've no experience with any GUIs.
All five of my companies are strictly Mac for desktop and laptops, and the Slackware distro for all the servers in my two data centers and for the boxes we colo in third-party DCs. So for me, I've got a GUI on my laptop and I just fire up a terminal window and ssh to wherever I need to be. I'm very command line except for e-mail and browsing, so that works well for me.
I'd thought about getting a Linux-based laptop for me from Emperor, but with OS X for GUIs and Slackware for servers I didn't want to add another distro.
Slackware is rather lean. I like that. And the install is very straightforward. But it's strictly for command line-based servers in my environment, so I've no experience with any GUIs.
Just read good things about SuSe so I thought I'd try it out.
Too bad Apple won't open up OSX to the PC world. They'd increase market share dramatically if they did that. Oh well.
Too bad Apple won't open up OSX to the PC world. They'd increase market share dramatically if they did that. Oh well.
WhiteAshes
Orbis non sufficit
If it's more for intellectual reasons than practical reasons, I'd say "Go for it!" 
The primary issue with laptops is that the hardware -- video cards, CD/DVD, etc -- is peculiar/particular to each model. So installing a Linux distro on a laptop can be fraught with issues. You'll pro'ly spend a lot of time scouring the web hunting down appropriate drivers. If your laptop is a fairly popular model you may want to see if others have done the install on it and what issues they encountered. That's why I had been considering acquiring a laptop from Emperor Linux: they've dealt with the oddities already and have everything installed and working properly.
The primary issue with laptops is that the hardware -- video cards, CD/DVD, etc -- is peculiar/particular to each model. So installing a Linux distro on a laptop can be fraught with issues. You'll pro'ly spend a lot of time scouring the web hunting down appropriate drivers. If your laptop is a fairly popular model you may want to see if others have done the install on it and what issues they encountered. That's why I had been considering acquiring a laptop from Emperor Linux: they've dealt with the oddities already and have everything installed and working properly.
moki
el Presidente
I've yet to find a variant of Linux that I'd bother with -- especially on a laptop.
Yeah, it's just for fun, nothing long term. SuSe won't install, so now I'm moving on to Ubuntu.
WhiteAshes
Orbis non sufficit
I decided years ago that my personal universe had to be a Microsoft-Free Zone. I've got the final say in my companies, so they're Microsoft-Free Zones, too. Since I've not written an operating system since the late 1970s and Linux was so complete and stable for mission-critical server environments, it was a real easy choice. Fortunately, I have no need for a GUI in the Linux environment. But Slackware has never let me down. :thumbs:
moki
el Presidente
I don't run any Microsoft software either (Windows included of course), except for occasionally Microsoft Office.
But I've still yet to find a Linux distro that doesn't make me want to hurl.
WhiteAshes
Orbis non sufficit
You using Macs? Suns? What would you like to use Linux for? I mean, what motivates you to look at Linux in the first place?
So what we are talking about is operating systems?
Linux would be some kind of FREE operating system. Most likely not a good idea for some one like myself with little computing know how.
WhiteAshes
Orbis non sufficit
Sorry. Yes, Linux is a free operating system. While it is characterized as simple to install, people with little or no experience with personal computers are perhaps not the best audience.
mysterea
New Member
Ubuntu's been good to me.
Rob
Rob
I don't know what happened, but Ubuntu won't install either. Seems that SuSe screwed up my partition, now I have to fix it.
mysterea
New Member
...which means possibly wiping the disc, and everything else on it.. fuggers!
I've heard good things of Suse, but dont know a ton about it. I've only had experience with Mandrake and Ubuntu =(
It might be worth a shot to try some other format tools? I don't know of any specifics for Linux based formatting outside what comes on the CD and the Rescue CD, might want to give that a shot if you haven't already, it's basically a standalone OS that runs from the CD.
I've also had some luck with Perfect Disc (Windoze only)
Hope that stuff helps!
Rob
I've heard good things of Suse, but dont know a ton about it. I've only had experience with Mandrake and Ubuntu =(
It might be worth a shot to try some other format tools? I don't know of any specifics for Linux based formatting outside what comes on the CD and the Rescue CD, might want to give that a shot if you haven't already, it's basically a standalone OS that runs from the CD.
I've also had some luck with Perfect Disc (Windoze only)
Hope that stuff helps!
Rob
jgohlke
My other hobby
About a year ago I went through a several month effort to install Linux on a 1 year-old Toshiba laptop. I tried the (then) current version of Suse, Ubuntu and Fedora. I spent between 1 and 3 weeks with each install. The installation process was pretty straightforward (with Ubuntu being the easiest). Ubuntu also handled updates the best.
Wireless support was critical (we run a WPA encrypted wireless network at the house)and none of the distros supported it well. I was able to get it working on an open network, but was not successful in getting it working with encryption. At the time, all three flavors of Linux required special Windows drivers to support wireless and then special Linux apps to support the Windows drivers. I got stuck in "rpm-hell" with Fedora...Ubuntu handled this much better. At the end of the day, I never did get it to work with any of the distros. I bailed before I had to recompile the kernel.
I've heard that the new version of Ubuntu now supports (natively) WPA encryption wireless LAN.
In the end, I bought an Apple Macbook. While I really like the OS and associated software, their hardware support is pretty awful. My laptop has been in for hardware service twice in 3 months (for the same problem). I won't turn this into a diatribe against Apple, but whoever created their customer service process has obviously never had to use it. It's worse than Dell.
For my next computer, I'm seriously thinking about going "open source" for everything. I'm pretty much completely off MS products at home after 20+ year relationship with MS, I've had it. I want the 3 years of my life that I spent screwing around with software that didn't work back! I'm tired of being a beta-tester for big companies. At least if I'm testing some new software for the open source community, it benefits everyone, instead of making just a few people rich. My "home" computer needs are pretty basic. The only real hangup at this point would be iTunes (I have an iPod).
Good luck Rod, let us know how it works out.
Wireless support was critical (we run a WPA encrypted wireless network at the house)and none of the distros supported it well. I was able to get it working on an open network, but was not successful in getting it working with encryption. At the time, all three flavors of Linux required special Windows drivers to support wireless and then special Linux apps to support the Windows drivers. I got stuck in "rpm-hell" with Fedora...Ubuntu handled this much better. At the end of the day, I never did get it to work with any of the distros. I bailed before I had to recompile the kernel.
I've heard that the new version of Ubuntu now supports (natively) WPA encryption wireless LAN.
In the end, I bought an Apple Macbook. While I really like the OS and associated software, their hardware support is pretty awful. My laptop has been in for hardware service twice in 3 months (for the same problem). I won't turn this into a diatribe against Apple, but whoever created their customer service process has obviously never had to use it. It's worse than Dell.
For my next computer, I'm seriously thinking about going "open source" for everything. I'm pretty much completely off MS products at home after 20+ year relationship with MS, I've had it. I want the 3 years of my life that I spent screwing around with software that didn't work back! I'm tired of being a beta-tester for big companies. At least if I'm testing some new software for the open source community, it benefits everyone, instead of making just a few people rich. My "home" computer needs are pretty basic. The only real hangup at this point would be iTunes (I have an iPod).
Good luck Rod, let us know how it works out.
mysterea
New Member
There *is* iPod support through Winamp 5.2+
You can also get the specific plugin here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mlipod/
In order to see your device it'll show up in the list (where internet radio etc are) as an ipod.
Then the only thing left is to unlock your tunes if you've got 'DRMed' media.
I used this for about 6 mos, it worked ok, but I did need to 'reset' my ipod twice during this period. I use my ipod constantly so that's a pretty good ratio of error.
~R
You can also get the specific plugin here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mlipod/
In order to see your device it'll show up in the list (where internet radio etc are) as an ipod.
Then the only thing left is to unlock your tunes if you've got 'DRMed' media.
I used this for about 6 mos, it worked ok, but I did need to 'reset' my ipod twice during this period. I use my ipod constantly so that's a pretty good ratio of error.
~R
moki
el Presidente
Primarily Macs. As for looking into Linux, I'm a software developer. It's fun to be able to tinker, and tinker I have. Every year or so I grab some new distros to see where they are at. It's amazing how behind the curve Linux continues to be, at least from the standpoint of day to day usability (and of course, native applications).
If all you're going to do is surf the web, read/write email, and perhaps have fun dinking around, then Linux is great. However even then you'll run into issues with documents not opening properly (OOo has a way to go), and if something does go wrong on your machine, odds of the less technically minded people being able to fix it are slim.
If you're a software developer and/or technically minded person who enjoys having to "fix their own ride" then Linux's appeal would be clear.
moki
el Presidente
I'm curious, what hardware issue have you been having? As for fixing whatever it is, you can just bring it in to any of the Apple stores, or Apple will also ship you a box to send the computer to them for fixing, and ship it back, both free of charge. What bad hardware support did you encounter?
I'm curious, because I had an issue with my MacBook's DVD drive getting stuck -- they fixed it the same day for me at the Apple Store.