SuSE Linux 9.3 was on a magazine DVD (CT), which I bought to try it out. The last time I tried SuSE a few years ago. I didn’t like YAST where it took quite a while to change the configuration settings, that was when PCs obviously where a lot slower than now and I also do not like the RPM format because of the dependency resolution.
I also tried RedHat and Mandrake and then changed to Debian. We used Debian at our university which also helped to get familiar with it. I am since recently using Linspire on my desktop machine.
Back to the SuSE DVD: I started the live version first. Strangely I couldn’t move the mouse pointer. I just have a simple PS/2 mouse attached. The mouse was working during the installation itself and in the installed system.
Installation
SuSEs installation seems unecessary complicated to me for a desktop distribution. There were a lot of options which could be changed. This might be useful for people with exotic hardware but nowadays most of the devices can be autodetected. I never had to change any hardware settings or add devices. Linspire and other distributions did everything by themselves.
SuSE also installs more software than necessary. I prefer to only have the least amount of software installed and install the rest myself.
FVWM and VNC was installed for example. Couldn’t it be a configuration option to install FVWM or KDE? FVWM and VNC could be installed manually if someone really needs it.
Another example is Juk and Amarok, they fullfill nearly the same purpose. Wouldn’t just one of them suffice?
Linspire is often criticised for using root as the default user. In SuSE I have to supply passwords for the root user and the normal user and I am even reminded that a password shorter than seven letters is unsafe. I wasn’t able to leave the password empty. What sense does that make? I am the only one who uses the PC.
After the installation I had no sound. My two sound devices were properly detected but arts refused to make any sound and I couldn’t find where to select the sound device arts uses. Even specifying “/dev/dsp” didn’t help.
Click and Run
YASTs software installation is nothing special. I searched for TvTime because I didn’t like the installed kdetv but there seemed to be no TvTime package. I haven’t installed anything but I assume it does its job.
I prefer dselect or Linspire’s Click and Run. In dselect I can use the keyboard to select everything and CNR really uses the graphical abilities. Click and Run connects to a web server and displays HTML pages with screenshots, user comments and ratings.
SuSE should not give away the OS for free and instead use its earnings to improve the usability.
