Rating: 
Summary: An easy change from Windows
Review: I just bought and installed Linux on my Dell laptop and couldn't be happier. I was having constant issues with my Windows XP to the point where I could not be on the computer for more than a few minutes before it locked up. Not being technically inclined, I was a little worried about installing Linux. However, the installation program recognized every hardware component and the printer. There was no problem with accessing the internet or having to download any drivers. I have not used the other companies versions of Linux, but SuSE worked just fine for my system. There has yet to be a problem with the system, and all my Word documents converted over. I completely removed Windows XP, so I don't how the partitioning or having both systems on the computer performs. But I am glad I made the change.
Rating:
Summary: An easy change from Windows
Review: I just bought and installed Linux on my Dell laptop and couldn't be happier. I was having constant issues with my Windows XP to the point where I could not be on the computer for more than a few minutes before it locked up. Not being technically inclined, I was a little worried about installing Linux. However, the installation program recognized every hardware component and the printer. There was no problem with accessing the internet or having to download any drivers. I have not used the other companies versions of Linux, but SuSE worked just fine for my system. There has yet to be a problem with the system, and all my Word documents converted over. I completely removed Windows XP, so I don't how the partitioning or having both systems on the computer performs. But I am glad I made the change.
Rating: 
Summary: SuSE 8.2: Good Product, Lousy Support
Review: I liked the SuSE 8.2 Linux, and I still use it until I upgrade to 9.0. However, I was very disappointed with their support. I was given conflicting answers, one person told me that they would give me special attention (because of a screw up on their end, and then I was given the third degree when I asked for the help. I hope that Novell will help them with Support.
Rating:
Summary: SuSE 8.2: Good Product, Lousy Support
Review: I liked the SuSE 8.2 Linux, and I still use it until I upgrade to 9.0. However, I was very disappointed with their support. I was given conflicting answers, one person told me that they would give me special attention (because of a screw up on their end, and then I was given the third degree when I asked for the help. I hope that Novell will help them with Support.
Rating:
Summary: Instalation a breeze on a notebook! There IS life after MS!
Review: I used the DVD instalation on my laptop and I can't begin to describe how easy it was to install. And stable too might I add! All the necessary drivers were ALL installed as required without askig you tons of geek-tech questions. Network, Internet, E-Mail, Lan, whatever the case, it all worked with minimal configuration! The online update utility worked like a magical charm and in a matter of minutes, the entire OS was updated! I have had other version of SuSE and yest it is my personal Linux distro choice. 2 thumbs up for the underdogs? Perhaps. Tons of off beat programs included; some good, some weird, some useless... Two manuals included, user guide and administrator guide. Haven't realy touched the user guide as it's mainly for using the various included software titels. The Admin guide is a little vague at times and I found myself going to the book store for more info. There is life outside of Windows!
Rating: 
Summary: I'm a little disappointed
Review: I'm a longtime SuSE user. I've been using SuSE since version 5.x. The only reason I bought 8.2 pro was for the directory encryption, which according to the SuSE.com website is new for version 8.2. I couldn't find the documentation for it, so I posted a message to the support mailing list, and got not one single response. I eventually figured it out myself. It appears that this is nothing more than loopback encryption (which has been around since version 7.3) which if my assessement is correct, makes me wonder what else is renamed and not necessarily "new".
Rating:
Summary: Wish I could buy those Loki games!
Review: I've been a user of SuSE Linux since 7.3, but this is the first time I felt I had to really speak out for Linux.SuSE has done an INCREDIBLE job of making Linux end-user accessible. Out of the box, SuSE Linux supports a wide variety of hardware and includes a TON of applications, including the openoffice.org office suite (which is essentially "Star Office 6" without the database program.) Changing hardware is a snap! I've upgraded a video card and sound card and SuSE picked them up in a snap. It works just as well as Windows XP in that regard. And unlike Windows, there is no ridiculous "product activation" nonsense! As I change hardware often, I got very tired of dealing with Microsoft to reactivate something I legally purchased and paid for. Also, none of SuSE's included programs transmit private data back to some scheming, untrustworthy company. Just try that on your favorite monopoly's bloaty media player program for example... And the new KDE user interface is beyond fantastic! Text is no longer jagged, the interface is more intuitive than Microsoft's "Explorer" (more customizable, too), and the screen savers alone are worth the purchase of this OS. And provided you don't use the NTFS file system (though you can still use Windows NT, 2000 Pro, or XP Home/Pro), you can have Linux peacefully co-exist with Windows, if you come across a Windows app that won't run under any of Linux's emulation programs. (I use Win4Lin, Wine, and WineX) Games like Unreal Tournament 2003 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein are also made natively for Linux. And they run much faster under Linux than they do Windows. (this is the other reason why Windows is called "Windoze", "winbloat", et cetera.) This time I'm vocal, bumper stickers and all. SuSE is definitely worthwhile, especially if you're tired of those ... 'blue screens of death'. SuSE has done a smashing job. Now if I could find the Loki ports of several games I have in Windows format (like SimCity 3000, Civilization Call to Power, Descent 3, et cetera...)
Rating:
Summary: Worked like a Champ!!!!
Review: I've installed this distro on 3 seperate computer and each one worked perfectly....including the internet access on all 3. Online update works perfectly, supported everything I had without even a hic up on any of the 3 computers I've installed on. I like the simplicity of YAST for stalling/removing/updating software and configuring the desk top was a snap on KDE which comes loaded along with GNOME. I don't have a bad thing to say about SUSE 8.2 but ALOT of good things. My friends are running it now too.
Rating:
Summary: Best Linux Yet and Easy to Use
Review: I've used several linux distros over the years, and the SuSE 8.2 is the best I've seen, and by far the easiest to install and use. I use it dual-boot with Windows 2000 (install win2k first, then SuSE, use the GRUB boot manager). It took several hours to get win2k up and running, networked, etc. but only took about 45 mins to get SuSE fully installed and up and running. I didn't have a single install problem with SuSE, not one. For comparison, I did have several problems with the win2k install, and these were tricky to solve. Once installed, I found SuSE very easy to use. Its a far cry from the old days when you had to spend hours just to get basic programs installed and up and running. You do need to know a few basic *NIX skills like such as creating directories, changing permissions and group assignments, untarring/unzipping files, etc. but if you know these you'll be fine. The default KDE is a great desktop and is easy to use. Its not quite as easy as win2k, but very close. Most programs that are available on win2k are available for linux, but there are many more available for linux that are not available for win2k (and most are free for linux). Using YAST2, you can easily install programs that come with SuSe: just search for the package you want to install, click on the checkbox, and then install it. It will tell you what CD(s) to put in, and then you're off. The online updates for security patches, etc. worked just fine. I did download the newer Mozilla 1.4 and Netscape 7.1 browsers off the web, and found they worked flawlessly at the many sites I visited (including commerical sites and banking sites). The bottom line is that I found SuSE 8.2 almost as easy to use as Windows 2000, but with far more capability. Given the great programs like Star Office now available for linux, I find little reason to use ms windows these days. And I don't have to worry about all those viruses and nasty windows security problems that seem to pop up all the time with ms products. I would like to point out that whether linux works for a person or not depends on what hardware is being used (most linux problems are driver problems), so try to use common/widely available hardware when possible. Probably the people that give bad reviews here had some of this incompatible hardware.Also, there are still many programs that will run only in windows, and if you're one of those people who must use those programs, then you better stick with windows. You can run some windows programs on linux using WINE and VMWare, so you might want to test and see if that works for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great Distro for a New to Intermediate User
Review: If you can install Windows, then you can install this. The YaST2 installer was one of the easiest that I've ever used - I quickly had my system installed and running without ever consulting the directions once. This is the fourth distro that I've decided to play with (Mandrake, Red Hat, and Debian being the first), and IMHO I think it is the most end-user ready. If I had to give one complaint, it would be that I could not find an option during the install to select a non-graphical login, but that is mere cosmetics. I don't ever see this replacing my FreeBSD server, but it will make an excellent development/day-to-day work machine, plus it doesn't terrify my non-techie girlfriend.
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