Rating: Summary: Needs to be worked on all the time Review: If you like to work on a pc or like the idea of having no applications, no standards, or just overall no functionality then Linux is for you. Otherwise, Windows XP is the best operating system out there....Why go back to command line, it is pointless. When I use a workstation I do not want to open a shell window and type commands. That is why we have Windows, to point and click. Plus, no software is available for Linux, not unless you trust some hacker community off the internet...
Rating: Summary: It just works Review: If your hardware is remotely Linux friendly (check their hardware database), this will almost leap out of the box and install itself, pausing only to fix dinner and do your ironing. Ready to get online or process words in under an hour in my case.
Rating: Summary: Really Great Linux Distribution Review: Let me say that even though I only gave it 4 stars I think this is a top notch linux distribution. I run a Intel Pentium P4 2ghz processor with 512 ram; a GeForce 2 video card with 64 megs; 40 gig e/ide hard drive; sound blaster live; netware ethernet card; a ASUS P4S533-X Motherboard...I think that's all the pertinant information. This distro loaded up great. It found all my hardware without any problems. The software management tool, YaST, is brilliant! It also doubles for online updates. It is very easy to use and very user friendly. YaST was excellent for adding or removing anything software related with ALOT of ease. Some people have complained that the "loader" screen hides all the process loads at start up, but I think this is a very weak complaint. First you can hit the tab key if you want to watch every process load at start up. Second, yes I watch the processes load sometimes...but not every single time I turn the machine on! That's coffee pouring time! So hit tab if you want to watch the processes load, but if you don't watch then who cares what it shows. That's just my opinion. The only thing I did not like was the display. Like a previous reviewer, my screen would be occasionally "moved" when I logged in. Easy to change back, but it takes a few minutes...and it is just plain annoying! Also the screen, on my machine at least, didn't look "clean". I don't know how to describe it, but it was as though it was ever so slightly out of focus. Nothing I did would fix it. I can't say whether it was my machine, operator error, or what. Everything together though it is definately one of the best distros I've tried to date.
Rating: Summary: tired of windows? Review: Lets start this out by saying I am 15, and I'm not a computer whiz..so I was worried about getting this program. But it was sooo easy to install! My computer is very old, so the second delays between downloading it turned into hours..but I let it run overnight, and it downloaded fine. There's so many programs to choose from when downloading, and its really easy to delete and install more programs from the cd. It's really great that linux can run on your computer along with windows because for some reason I can't get my scanner to run under linux..but everything else works perfectly!
Rating: Summary: Buh Bye Microsoft Review: Look at the price of this software. It's about one third the price of an upgrade to any of the evil empire's versions. Plus you get all the web browsers, email clients and office type programs you'll ever need along with this version of Linux. It all comes in the same box. Better yet, all those sobig and blaster viruses aren't an issue with this o/s. Worried about device conflicts during the install? I had exactly ZERO hardware conflicts. {Sure you're install may vary depending mainly on how new your hardware is, but with all the Linux support available you should be up and running in no time} In fact the installation was done in about an hour and I only had to reboot once. How many times do you have to reboot with microsoft's garbage?
Rating: Summary: Probably the most advanced Linux distribution Review: My first computer was running a *BSD system. Then I moved to Solaris, then to Linux, then to Windows, and now I am back with Linux again. I have worked with all Linux distributions you can put your hands on. As a matter of fact, I have been working for a European computer magazine, which topic was Linux and Unix systems. Therefore, I am an experienced user of Unix/Linux systems. Currently, I have four computers running at my place - desktop, server, laptop, and a music box. Before, I used to put a different distribution on each of these computers - Slacware on the server, Mandrake on the music box, debian on my desktop and redhat on my laptop. It was a problem - everytime there was an important bug discovered I had to update all my machines - each one using different tools and so on. This was what got me a little bit mad at Linux. What I wanted was a one distribution which I would put on all my computers, and which will be easy to maintain and use. I also did not want my distro to limit me in any way. Then I have discovered SuSE. Currently, I use SuSE 8.2 Professional on ALL of my computers, including my computer at work. This systems allows itself to be adjusted to the need of the user - it is not a server or desktop distro - it is whatever you want it to be! Also, what I really like about this system is the automatic update feature - just like in Windows. I know that some people do not like it... but I surely do! It is just because I am a really busy man and I plainly have not time to keep track of all the bugs out there. Some people might say that Linux has less functionality than Windows. Well, this is not true. The 'out of the box' Linux system has much more software then Windows and, to be honest, some of this software is of a very high quality (emacs, adobe acrobat reader, rplayer, mplayer, mp3 ripper and conventer, TV software, lots of audio software, several internet browsers - including mozilla - and mail clients - including Evolution which is an equivalent of Microsoft's Outlook). Yes - Linux is not for novices. But KDE and GNOME, GUI environments for Linux, are very easy to learn and use. My girlfriend, who does not really know much about computers, recently got a used IBM laptop and installed SuSE 8.2 Personal (with KDE as default GUI) on it. She started using it right away - without reading any tutorial or book! This is how easy it can be. Anyway... i have lots of gadgets. Color printer with duplex, digital camera, DVD burner, and so one. All of these gadgets work just fine on my SuSE desktop. Well, maybe except DVD burner which is sometimes a little bit tricky to get it going. Guys at SuSE are doing a great job. Their system could easily replace Windows... and I feel that upcomming SuSE 9.0 will be even more desktop friendly. I know some people might ask why should I pay for SuSE if I can download it for free??? And I have no answer to this question. But I know I use it on four of my computers and I have been buying SuSE since 7.1 - because it is worth it.
Rating: Summary: Best SuSE Linux Distribution So Far Review: SuSE Linux 8.2 Professional is the best version of SuSE that I have installed and used. Although it is an incremental release, it is far better and more intuitive than version 8.0; plus, it features KDE 3.1.1 (or GNOME and other windowing systems, if you prefer). OpenOffice.Org is an improvement over SuSE's previous inclusion of the outdated StarOffice 5.2. (Version 6.0 is the most current version.) In addition, OpenOffice.Org has matured into a fulll-featured, FREE office suite. SuSE's free on-line installation support seems to have improved over the last several months, although occasionally I have had a question unanswered. As usual, SuSE comes with a large collection of CD's containing "bonus software." If you have a DVD-ROM drive in your PC, it's much easier to use the DVD. Finally, SuSE detected all of my hardware without problems, simplifying installation and configuration.
Rating: Summary: Easy as pie... Review: SuSE Linux is the best looking, most feature-filled, easiest to use Linux I've ever used. I've tried Red Hat and Mandrake before going to SuSE and I've never been happier. No, I'm not a Linux expert by any means. I have a skill level in Linux equivelent to an intermidiate level user of Windows. If you're looking to make the leap to Linux as painlessly as possible, this is it. Let me warn you first: Linux is not Windows. It operates differently. You wouldn't expect a Mac to act like Windows, would you? Do you remember when you first learned to use Windows? It had a little bit of a learning curve, didn't it? Linux, too, has a learning curve. The difference is that you don't have a bunch of friends to get you up to speed as quickly. However, to use Linux, you must learn about Linux. Now, people that say they've never had issues getting hardware to work under Windows is either lucky or lying. How many times have you installed Windows, then tried to install drivers for something, only to find a nice nasty exclamation point in the Device Manager, telling you it isn't working? Yes, it happens often. The same goes for any breed of Linux. They do what they can to support as much as they can, but if you have a rather uncommon setup, chances are you'll have a few headaches. I, personally, have not had problems with either SuSE 8.1 Pro or SuSE 8.2 Pro. As far as Linux distributions go, I can't say enough about SuSE. It auto-detected everything on my machine and works without a hitch. I must say, after trying Mandrake and Red Hat Linux, I haven't had a nicer installation experience, ever. Now, there are some configurations you must do in order to get the most out of it, but that's Linux. For instance, to get HTML email, you must first configure KMail to use HTML in Settings->Configure KMail->Appearance->Profiles by selecting HTML, then you must go into your home folder and edit ~/.kde/share/config/kmailrc. You must find the section "[Reader]" and the line "htmlLoadExternal=false" and change the value to "true". Only then will you get images in HTML email. These are things you learn how to do when you use Linux. It's part of setting up your applications, sometimes. Again, this isn't Windows... Don't get scared, if you're new to Linux! Read on... Now, everyone has to do administration functions in all operating systems. SuSE provides YaST. Simply put, in the Linux world, it's the best there is. You do everything from getting hardware info, changing your hardware settings, installing software, getting online updates, backing up your system, configuring your firewall, and just about everything under the sun in one convenient, well laid-out application. It doesn't get any easier. You can do the majority of your administration needs from the graphical interface, just like Windows. Unlike Windows, there isn't a nasty Registry to deal with. Instead, Linux uses individual files that are easy to decipher and usually located in easy-to-find places like your home folder. So what if you do have trouble? Well, first off, SuSE offers installation support. However, I've never had to use it. The best way is to use the newsgroups (usenet) either with a reader like KNode in Linux, Outlook Express in Windows, or by going to groups.google.com. The newsgroup you'll need is alt.os.linux.suse. You'll get plenty of help there. I've yet to experience a problem they've not solved. Now, occasionally, you'll run into the life-hating geek that wants to push your buttons, but most are as helpful as they can be. Just don't leave a vague message. You must provide all necessary info about your problem to get a response. That is how I learned to get around in Linux. I'm probably no smarter than the average guy, so I'm quite confident that you can learn too. How much do I like Linux now that I'm more comfortable with it? Well, I have a Windows computer running XP Pro that's about a year old. Linux is on machine that is about 5 years old. Which one do I use 90% of the time? You guessed it, the Linux machine. Say goodbye to viruses and spyware and say hello to Linux - SuSE Linux!
Rating: Summary: The best commercial distro Review: The installation was quick, painless and a breeze. After a minor bit of confusion with my integrated 3D graphics chip - it disabled it by default, no big deal - the entire gig was on my hard drive in less than 20 minues (I didn't load GNOME or the games). The OS itself is fast, rock solid, and comes with way more aps than I'll ever need. My only problem relates to Linux in general in that it does not play nice with WinModems, but, seeing as how I have a dual boot with XP, this is only a minor inconvenience to me. Linux in general, and especially SuSE, manages to get better results from your hardware than Windows does, anyday. The default graphics are slick, and enough is offered, at least in KDE, in the way of personalized setting options that one does not have to stick with "the company look."
Rating: Summary: Intermediate Linux-User not pleased with Screening Capabilit Review: the only reason I give it three stars is Redhat and Mandrake and DEBIAN '/ SLACK are better The installer program takes for-ever to boot & uncompress the kernel right. and, It Messes up my monitor. I get none of the monitor problems or Startup probs in Redhat(7.3 - 9). If you want something user-friendly and good go with Mandrake or Redhat. if you need a powerhouse(server, or your advanced in DOS) go with Debian, Or Slackware. or Better yet Build your own. Why buy this ..., when you can dl the iso's for free ! if you spend money on one buy, RH and MDK
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