Suse 9.2
Warrior
Scotland
The Linux forum seems slow, lets see if I can liven it up a bit. Just installed suse 9.2 after running 9.1 for over six months. First impression is that not a whole lot has changed, new kernel 2.6.8.24-3, KDE is at version 3.3, with no sign of 3.3.1 via the online update so far, now 3.3.1 sorted out a few bugs so I hope suse comes up with the goods soon. Gnome is at version 2.6. The Firewall is now ON by default after the basic install (tip from SP2 methinks) and Open Office is updated as well.
I noticed a few sites online wanting to install a plugin? Seems Java is not running in Mozilla or Firefox by default, in fact I later found the plugins were not even installed. Go to YaSt add / remove programmes and click to install Java plugins LOL, easy fixed.
Gwenview is a new app, much like the XP fax viewer in Windows and works very well. Games, same stuff as 9.1, but the new SuperTux is installed by default, I love these old style games.
Internet stuff
Kopete (messenger clone) is now great, and can connect to AIM, Gadu, Novell GroupWise, ICQ, IRC, Jabber, Messenger, sms, Yahoo. There is also a sperate Gaim client for your use.
Firefox and Mozilla can be added, but I could not find Thunderbird on the CD's?? Thunderbird is on the Suse FTP server, a new 0.9 version for 9.2 only. I also have Kbear for FTP, a little buggy but works well enough for everyday use.
Xfree has gone and Xorg takes over as the xserver in 9.2, so far I have not see any advantage in the change though the ability to have transparent windows looks really cool, need to see how this is set up?
Multimedia
Same stuff as 9.1 although Real Player is now at version10.1 and works well, even within Firefox and Moz. Kaffeine the video player is buggy with me, if I close it while a mpeg is running I can still hear the sound from the vid?? Bad Bad Bad. Amarok the CD music player is a gem, runs real nice and you can copy and paste music files into the playlist. K3B burns all your CD and DVD stuff, and now seems to work with both. Most of this stuff is KDE based there are many other apps in the Gnome stable as well, but I prefer KDE.
So is 9.2 worth the update from 9.1? NO, everything in 9.2 can be downloaded from the Suse server, the only exception is the Kernel, and I have heard mixed reports on X.org running on 9.1. KDE 3.3.1 has been out for 9.1 for a while and is now stable.
For those that like running P2P and Torrents, Suse is well supported, LimeWire and Azureus are fantastic and rock solid. In fact as far as distros go, Suse is one of the best supported for updates, apps etc. I have come across, Guru and Packman's sites are always up to date, and updates can be downloaded via APTGET.
Anyone else running 9.2? First impressions?
I noticed a few sites online wanting to install a plugin? Seems Java is not running in Mozilla or Firefox by default, in fact I later found the plugins were not even installed. Go to YaSt add / remove programmes and click to install Java plugins LOL, easy fixed.
Gwenview is a new app, much like the XP fax viewer in Windows and works very well. Games, same stuff as 9.1, but the new SuperTux is installed by default, I love these old style games.
Internet stuff
Kopete (messenger clone) is now great, and can connect to AIM, Gadu, Novell GroupWise, ICQ, IRC, Jabber, Messenger, sms, Yahoo. There is also a sperate Gaim client for your use.
Firefox and Mozilla can be added, but I could not find Thunderbird on the CD's?? Thunderbird is on the Suse FTP server, a new 0.9 version for 9.2 only. I also have Kbear for FTP, a little buggy but works well enough for everyday use.
Xfree has gone and Xorg takes over as the xserver in 9.2, so far I have not see any advantage in the change though the ability to have transparent windows looks really cool, need to see how this is set up?
Multimedia
Same stuff as 9.1 although Real Player is now at version10.1 and works well, even within Firefox and Moz. Kaffeine the video player is buggy with me, if I close it while a mpeg is running I can still hear the sound from the vid?? Bad Bad Bad. Amarok the CD music player is a gem, runs real nice and you can copy and paste music files into the playlist. K3B burns all your CD and DVD stuff, and now seems to work with both. Most of this stuff is KDE based there are many other apps in the Gnome stable as well, but I prefer KDE.
So is 9.2 worth the update from 9.1? NO, everything in 9.2 can be downloaded from the Suse server, the only exception is the Kernel, and I have heard mixed reports on X.org running on 9.1. KDE 3.3.1 has been out for 9.1 for a while and is now stable.
For those that like running P2P and Torrents, Suse is well supported, LimeWire and Azureus are fantastic and rock solid. In fact as far as distros go, Suse is one of the best supported for updates, apps etc. I have come across, Guru and Packman's sites are always up to date, and updates can be downloaded via APTGET.
Anyone else running 9.2? First impressions?
0
Comments
Really, I just changed in order to get a few extra packages and the ability to be able to compile my own apps. Suse, in their infinite wisdom, neglected to include GCC and the required dependencies within their Personal edition of Linux (and I'm not experienced enough with Linux to be able to download & install GCC and all the required dependencies without the use of an installer/updater such as YaST).
Little did I know that GCC wasn't included until I went to compile an optimized version of the SETI@Home CLI client and it told me "Hey dipshit... NO GCC available"
GUI-wise, Suse 9.2 Pro is just as fast as Suse 9.1 Personal on this old box (T-Bird 1000 Slot A, 256 MB RAM, 100 GB HDD, GF2 GTS).
All in all, for a Linux n00b such as myself, Suse is suprisingly easy to install & configure. After having to run through an NVidia driver installation manually & editing X script files on RedHat & Mandrake, the auto-installation through YaST was a godsend.
However, for my intended use (an efficient OS to run a SETI farm on top of), Suse 9.2 is working wonderful.
Is it a compelling upgrade from Suse 9.1? Well, if you're running the Personal edition and need access to the developer packages, then it makes sense to install the new edition. Otherwise, keep what ya got.
For new users or those thinking of making the jump to Linux, the free 9.1 personal is amazing, no ftp downloads to install, they get an ISO to burn and keep - cool move on Novell's part. Have phun with your Linux box