Rating: 
Summary: A rocker of an OS
Review: A superb release from SuSE, no more excuses not to move to Linux. With its sophisticated near-mac-like KDE interface, and it's hands-off installation which is hardly worth mentioning SuSE is quickly becoming a major pain for MS and other Linux houses. Some cool additions: 1. YaST now has an automatic dependency checker much better than the half-baked one found in 8.1. It will track RPM packages installed subsequently, even ones not included in the distro, and report dependencies on those as well, which is quite handy. What's more, on-line updating can now be set up as a cron job to reach out to the server of your choice at the time of your choosing, check for available updates and download and install them without user interaction. 2. The best Office Desktop product on the market -- CodeWeavers' Crossover Office that supports all MS Office products, templates, macros, etc. 3. On the security end, in addition to the usual SuSE Firewall-2 packet filter and YaST security-settings interface, both of which are quite good and very easy to configure, 8.2 also includes a kernel module called "secumod" which will tighten file and directory permissions, creation of (and follow permissions for) symlinks and hard links, set trusted paths for users, hide processes, restrict access to devices, and so on. Previously, only the module source was packaged, making it a bit tricky for novice users to deal with. 4. As usual, SuSE 8.2 comes with the usual overwhelming plethora of applications, games, office suites, utilities, development tools and clients. A neat search utility is a boon of course. 5. The pro distro includes the 2.4.20 kernel, GCC 3.3/glibc-2.3.2, XFree86 4.3, KDE 3.1.x, GNOME 2.2, Java 1.4.1 and OpenOffice 1.0.2, and quite happily, Ximian Evolution and Apache 2.0.44 plus a vast selection of utilities and applications, all for the irresistible price of $.... 6. Kde 3.1 is almost worth the price of admission on its own; And a word about the font-installer interface in KDE Control Center which is now significantly simplified, and both anti-aliasing and pixel hinting are fully functional now with no need to tweak FreeType. The interface can be made to look like mac or windows. 7. From my perspective, I found my nVidia card supported out of the box so I imagine its now possible to get 3D acceleration and 24-bit color even at a screen resolution of 1600x1400. 8. Multimedia support is now superb with KMPlayer, a KDE front-end to MPlayer which handles virtually every video format so long as one installs all the codecs which are available at the MPlayer Web site. There's MainActor for video editing, Audacity 1.1 for sound editing with MP3 and Ogg Vorbis, and pretty much every open-source rip/burn utility, mixer and media player in existence. 9. Security is also improved. Whenever a user logs in for the first time, KDE prompts them to set up GnuPG with a very simple GUI front-end that any novice can use with ease. It handles everything from key generation to signing and importing, and includes a tray applet that makes it a snap to encrypt the contents of the clipboard. Importing keys and sigs to KMail also could not be easier. There is also a new, permissions-based scheme enabling admins to restrict user access to numerous functions and so prevent them causing mischief (KDE says this will get a handy GUI front-end in version 3.2). 9. KMail now supports S/MIME and PGP/MIME, and as usual defaults to turning off HTML rendering. Perhaps in hopes of discouraging novice users from enabling it, each HTML message begins with a boxed alert thus: "Note: This is an HTML message. For security reasons, only the raw HTML code is shown. If you trust the sender of this message then you can activate formatted HTML display for this message by clicking here." It's a good idea but it needs a toggle so it can be shut off. One tires of reading it fifty or sixty times a day. All in all, what a superb upgrade from SuSE and highly recommended even for Mandrake and RH users.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the best Linux yet!
Review: As long as I've owned my computer I've been using Windows. Recently I was told Linux could allow my computer to run as a server so I thought I'd try out. I'm pretty open minded (obviously I'm not an apple advocate) developer so I like to try new things with computers and sames make mistakes on purpose of something of learning the best ways and worst ways to get something good going. Of course I'm still learning about Linux, but I have tried numerous distributions of Linux and my conclusion is that SUSE Linux is the best one I've used!
I am so used to using Windows, so the new file structure was hard for me to get used to, but the more I use it the more I see how great SUSE. The installation of SUSE is a tad more complicated than other versions of Linux. Luckily there is a default system that is determined at run time. This usually works best for everyone, but be very careful to have some idea what do before installing and of course back it up. In my case I am running SUSE Linux 8.2 Professional on an x86 machine. In contradiction to the comments about a FAT32 drive I am running a dual boot. Windows XP formatted as NTFS (NT file system) and and the other partition is formatted as the native Linux format. A third partition was created automatically according to a slice made during installation that was used for swap space. It took up just a tad more space than XP (hard to believe), but it comes with every program you can think of (maybe too many). Both SUSE and Windows XP work great together even with the NT format. Its much easier to use if you use Windows to partition the hard drive by installing Windows first and then leaving a leftover for linux. What I liked most I guess about SUSE was the ability to update online without having to do it manually, YAST (the control panel), and the ability to run as a server. I did have a few problems with automatic update checker, but there was usually more one way to do something which was good enough for me. I was also discouraged that unlike windows where press ctrl+alt+delete when some program doesn't shut down properly there is no way to stop a program without logging out and then logging back in or restarting. Lucky it didn't happen very often. I guess the thing I hated most was that sometimes when trying to install the graphical appearance of the installation (that's all I can call it) without break down making it impossible to finish installation. So there were times w hen to shut the computer off during the middle of installation, restart the computer, and start a new Linux installation. Usually this happened because I left the installation screen sitting too long. I have tested PHATLinux, Red Hat, and Mandrake. I liked SUSE the best.
Rating:
Summary: Suse Linux 8.2 great of online work
Review: Best part of Linux is that it's such a small percentage of all operating systems, nobody messes with writing much in the way of viruses, spywear, or other such junk for it. Same with the built-in browser. So it's safer online. But it does come with a firewall. I got online fast with both my laptop and desktop hooked up via a router. Printers were recognized and worked fine too. Have had some problems with the burner and DVD player that I haven't solved yet. Best part of all is that if you run a dual Windows-Linux OS, Suse Linux will let you drop and drag files from Windows into Linux.
Rating:
Summary: Haiku Review
Review: Build the frozen time.
Free the lizard within your
Yearly listening.
Rating:
Summary: SuSE 8.2 - Review of wireless on laptop
Review: Greetings All,
If you are reading this, then you know what is up.
My laptop, a PC Club OEM system about 18 months old, runs SuSE 8.2 like a dream. I dual-boot it with WinXP, for I am a geek. I have an Orinoco wireless nic, and setting it up and surfing was a snap (especially not needing to edit a half-dozen files).
The only trick was setting my default gateway in the Yast2/routing configurator. I have been playing with SuSE since 6.1, and Linux in general since RedHat 5.1, and I am stoked that things are moving forward quickly and efficiently.
Read the other reviews for hardware/software critiques.
I do networking and SysAdmin work for a living, and love to get that tcpdump-ing & ethereal going... Kudos to SuSE and their find manuals.
-Lance 20030530
Rating:
Summary: SUSE is for me
Review: I am again pleased with SUSE with the newest release of their brand of Linux. A soundly quality product with many bonuses. The installation is easier than ever (installation with SUSE was always among the best). It works great with my wireless network, unlike many other distros which I have tried. Setting up SUSE Professional as a network server is relatively easy, using it for a desktop OS is even easier. I highly recommend it. Out of 8 distros I have tried over the past 3 years, SUSE provides a much better product than the others. SUSE 8.2 works great on my Compaq Presario 12XL410 Laptop too (which is also set up with a wireless NIC). This came as somewhat of a surprise as I have been having a multitude of problems getting Linux on this laptop for over 2 years. SUSE 8.1 and 8.2 both work on this laptop just fine with no problems installing or operation. SUSE has included a firewall program called Firewall2 that is nothing less than superb. It is incredibly secure setting it up during install right out of the box. With a bit of additional tweaking you'll have an exceptionally secure network connection to the internet. Downloading patches or security updates is an integrated function of SUSE Professional 8.2 and works quite well. Also, updating the the distro (such as going from Samba 2.2.7 to 2.2.8a) is just as easy as any Microsoft product.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent purchase!
Review: I have been dabbling with RedHat since 1999, and while I am comfortable enough with GNU/Linux to solve some basic problems, I'm not what you'd call an expert. I've always been somewhat dismayed by the amount of post-install work I had to do to make RedHat work on my machine, so I was eager to try something new. I decided to purchase SuSE after having used a previous release as a grad student, and I am thoroughly impressed with it. Installation is a breeze, especially if you have a DVD drive and can use the two DVDs to install. I only have a CD drive, so I had to switch out the five CDs, but this is a minimal inconvenience. Installation is quick if you accept the "default" configuration, but if you're planning to scrutinize the list of packages (as I did), plan to spend at least half an hour just going through the list and deciding what to keep and what to leave (there's a TON of packages). Once you do this, the actual installation is quite fast. I did the install twice because on the first try I had YaST place the / partition on some free space on my first hard drive (/dev/hda) so I could use all of the second hard drive (/dev/hdb) for /home and swap. The resulting system ended up being VERY slow, and I'm not sure why. So I re-installed everything onto /dev/hdb, and it works fine. SuSE has put a lot of thought into its distro, and it really is worth every penny. It looks slick (I used to be a GNOME follower, but I am thoroughly happy with KDE 3.1), and it performs just as well as it looks. I particularly like how well the automount works, something I could never quite get right in RedHat. When I log in now, not only does SuSE automatically recognize all of my Linux drives, it also automounts all of my Windows drives as well. Maybe RedHat 9 does this well, but I could never make the previous versions work. Of course, as with any Linux distro, your mileage will vary according to your hardware. But for my 3-year-old system, SuSE has turned out to be an excellent purchase.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent purchase!
Review: I have been dabbling with RedHat since 1999, and while I am comfortable enough with GNU/Linux to solve some basic problems, I'm not what you'd call an expert. I've always been somewhat dismayed by the amount of post-install work I had to do to make RedHat work on my machine, so I was eager to try something new. I decided to purchase SuSE after having used a previous release as a grad student, and I am thoroughly impressed with it. Installation is a breeze, especially if you have a DVD drive and can use the two DVDs to install. I only have a CD drive, so I had to switch out the five CDs, but this is a minimal inconvenience. Installation is quick if you accept the "default" configuration, but if you're planning to scrutinize the list of packages (as I did), plan to spend at least half an hour just going through the list and deciding what to keep and what to leave (there's a TON of packages). Once you do this, the actual installation is quite fast. I did the install twice because on the first try I had YaST place the / partition on some free space on my first hard drive (/dev/hda) so I could use all of the second hard drive (/dev/hdb) for /home and swap. The resulting system ended up being VERY slow, and I'm not sure why. So I re-installed everything onto /dev/hdb, and it works fine. SuSE has put a lot of thought into its distro, and it really is worth every penny. It looks slick (I used to be a GNOME follower, but I am thoroughly happy with KDE 3.1), and it performs just as well as it looks. I particularly like how well the automount works, something I could never quite get right in RedHat. When I log in now, not only does SuSE automatically recognize all of my Linux drives, it also automounts all of my Windows drives as well. Maybe RedHat 9 does this well, but I could never make the previous versions work. Of course, as with any Linux distro, your mileage will vary according to your hardware. But for my 3-year-old system, SuSE has turned out to be an excellent purchase.
Rating:
Summary: runs great-novice here
Review: I have been using MS windows forever. I decided to gradually switch to Linux and I found suse 8.2 pro install on my dell laptop a breeze. And I have not had any problems with anything. All hardware from networking to digital camera to printer to scanner work beautifully.
Rating:
Summary: The Linux you need!
Review: I have tried various Linux Distros on my computer for the last year or so now, but always gone quickly back to windows.Every distro has either tried to crash my system or fought with windows, and I never found one that I felt was worth the trouble. SuSE has finally ended the dry streak! It installed gracefully and easily alongside my Windows XP, set up its partitions without a problem and has been easy to use since then. The YaST utility for controlling and modifying settings is excellent and intuitive and will help you overcome most if not all of your hardware heartaches. The Professional edition includes 5 CDs and 2 DVDs for easier installation and has thousands of useful packages included. The GRUB boot loader works like a charm and didn't bother Windows XP a bit, something I can't say for RedHat.Also unlike RedHat, SuSE Linux WILL play mp3 files.
All in all this is a fine Distro, and will definitely a great place to start if you are still trying to find your way in the Linux world. Heck, I'm writing this from SuSE Linux!
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