openSUSE is Novell's community-focused version of its SUSE Enterprise distribution. With a dynamite installer and a solid KDE desktop environment, it's one of contenders in the running for best Linux desktop. Just be ready for a steep learning curve.
Introduction
If you follow Linux distribution history much, openSUSE and Fedora seem to have started from similar paths. Fedora was created as a community-owned, free offshoot of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and openSUSE has taken the same approach to the SUSE Enterprise distribution. Red Hat and SUSE have long competed with each other in the enterprise space; Fedora and openSUSE have taken on a similar rivalry as community-focused platforms.
The openSUSE project's home can be found at http://opensuse.org. From there you can download the latest release of the distribution in a number of forms, but the main choices are a set of CD images or a single DVD image. While you can download directly from mirrors using HTTP or FTP, by default openSUSE's download page will set you up to use a BitTorrent source which, depending on your bandwidth speed and the current load on the mirrors, might be faster than a direct HTTP or FTP source. Alternatively, you can also purchase a boxed openSUSE disc set from the website or local resellers.
When you boot the install disc, one of the first things you will notice is the fun animated boot screen. Small animated penguins move up and down and side to side across the screen, which makes for an entertaining introduction to the distribution. From there you can choose to start the installer, upgrade a previous release, or boot into a rescue mode (so be sure to keep the install disc around for later).
One of the traits the SUSE and openSUSE project is best known for is Yast. Yast combines all system configuration tools into a single interface that has both good and bad points. On the positive side, once you conquer Yast's learning curve for a small set of tools, you should be familiar enough with it to configure the rest of your system's settings. If you like tweaking your system to suit just your tastes, Yast provides you with a wide array of options. On the negative side, that learning curve is pretty steep, and Yast can overwhelm you with the number of options you have even for simple things.
| Price to Value | Rating  |
What's Hot:
It's hard to beat the free price for openSUSE, considering the amount of software included on the disc. Plus, openSUSE includes programs like AppArmor that you won't find in other free Linux distributions.
| Installation & Setup | Rating |
What's Hot:
I've always personally liked the SUSE approach to an installer and the new openSUSE installer is no exception. It expertly manages the balance between creating an easy-to-use installer for beginners and providing experts with the ability to tweak any and all settings. The installer essentially scans the system and attempts to automate as much as possible, and then presents you with a quick report of what it has done for you to accept. Beginners can just click Next, while experts can go to a second tab in the interface to tweak just about any installation setting they could want. The installer also provides a checklist down the side and a progress bar when you get to the unattended section, so you can easily see how far you are along and how far you have to go.
What's Not:
While it's nice to see the progress bar and checklist during the long portions of the install, it would be better if all of the question-and-answer sections of the install were moved to the front. That way if you need to leave to attend to something else, when you get back the install will be ready to use.
| User Interface | Rating  |
What's Hot:
While many other distributions have standardized on either the Gnome or KDE desktop environments, openSUSE offers you the choice of either during the install. This allows you to try out both and decide which side you take in this long-standing desktop feud. Having said that, KDE has long been the default desktop of SUSE, and in openSUSE it is the desktop environment that is the most mature. One advantage of the KDE desktop environment, at least to some users, is its focus on configurability. Just about every setting you can imagine on the desktop is configurable, although openSUSE does a good job of creating a flashy default desktop.
What's Not:
The tabbed menuing system may take a little getting used to before you can find the programs or settings you need. While attempts have been made to make the Gnome and KDE desktop environments look similar, the Gnome desktop is definitely less mature. The interface in general has a steeper learning curve than in other distributions.
| Security & Privacy | Rating |
What's Hot:
openSUSE ships with a Novell tool called AppArmor to aid in security. AppArmor reminds me in some ways of the NSA SELinux project in that it tries to manage application access and controls through the use of profiles. As a user, you can configure and add new profiles for it to monitor, and AppArmor is designed to help protect even against unpatched exploits. In addition, openSUSE enables a firewall that blocks all incoming connections by default.
What's Not:
Both AppArmor and the firewall tools are complicated, or at least have a steeper learning curve than you might expect. Some users might be tempted to disable one or both instead of trying to figure out how it all works in order to grant new access.
| Package Management | Rating |
What's Hot:
openSUSE uses its monolithic Yast tool for configuring all systems, including package management. openSUSE has a large number of packages to choose from and the install DVD makes them available to you, which can be handy if you are on a metered or slow Internet connection.
What's Not:
The packaging tool is needlessly complex and separated from the update tools so that while Yast ultimately launches both tools for installing software and updating packages, the interfaces for both are separate and different.
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Suggested Features
Move all of the installer questions so they occur together, and the installer would be just about perfect. Perhaps offer a simpler version of Yast (or simpler versions of common administration tools, particularly the package manager) for new Linux users.
Conclusion
Linux distribution choices are in many ways about personal tastes, and openSUSE is a distribution to consider, particularly if you prefer a KDE desktop. If you are a new user, be prepared for the potentially overwhelming number of options to tweak, and the steep learning curve of the main administration tool Yast. Once you get past that, however, you will find a solid distribution with an active community. When you compare the initial ease of installation with some of the longer-term difficulty in administering the installed system, my conclusion is that you get an overall average Linux desktop distribution worth trying out, provided you also try out some of the alternatives.
Related Products
SUSE, KDE