Description:
The latest release of SuSE Linux distinguishes itself with an intelligent, intuitive, and speedy installation routine, a cleverly designed graphical user interface, and significantly improved multimedia capabilities. Like any distribution based on the 2.4.x kernel, this SuSE Linux can serve as a nearly bulletproof platform for key network services, like file sharing, printer sharing, and mail distribution. Because of its improved user interface, though--this product makes use of the slick KDE 3.0 desktop--it's almost as well suited to personal workstation duties. The Professional edition of SuSE Linux includes StarOffice 5.2 (which supports Microsoft file types nicely) and so improves the distribution's desktop qualifications. We installed SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional on a Dell Inspiron 5000 notebook computer. While notebooks have traditionally given Linux more difficulty than desktop machines, this product installed smoothly on the testbed machine. Everything worked, including the sound card, the weird touchpad pointing device, the LCD screen, and our moderately old Xircom PCMCIA Ethernet card. The computer even went to sleep properly when we closed it (a feature that never worked right when Microsoft Windows 2000 ran on the same hardware). The only problem we encountered was with the /etc/services file, which defines the assignments of well-known and registered TCP ports. A formatting problem--a few missing line breaks--caused the setup program for the IBM DB2 database (not included with this package, but installed as a test) to fail. The problem was easily found and fixed--a quick search of SuSE-related Internet newsgroups helped--and the IBM database server then installed and ran as intended. The online support for Linux is fantastic and should get you out of most any jam free of charge. SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional is a great choice for people who want a painless installation of a feature-rich Linux suitable for desktop use. KDE 3.0 and StarOffice 5.2 make this a real productivity tool. --David Wall
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