OpenSuSE 10.3 - Review - Part 1 - Installation...

Finally I did download the DVD of OpenSuSE 10.3 and installed it on my computer. The configuration of the test machine was :-

• HP nx 6110 laptop
• 512MB RAM (DDR)
• Intel Pentium M (centrino) 1.6Ghz processor
• 2MB L2 cache memory.

The DVD booted into a very cool and refreshing looking welcome screen. Then I began the installation. The DVD however had a default video resolution of 800X600. My screen has 1024X768 resolution. And because of this, I was not able to see the installer of SuSE, YaST. I rebooted and selected the video mode to 1024X768 and it worked seamlessly.

Then I was asked some typical language selection questions and stuff. Then I was surprised to see that I was able to add the OSS and NON-OSS repositories before the start of the installation. I clicked the option to add the repositories. Then I was asked to configure the networking. The network manager detected both the wireless and lan cards on the laptop, but showed them as disconnected from the motherboard. It warned me not to proceed. But I knew that the cards were connected and I proceeded. And it worked fine again.

The next step was partitioning and software selection. The default partitioner scheme was good for me. Use the existing Linux partitions (root and home for SuSE 10.2) after formatting and then mount windows partition. I selected some additional software from the manager and proceeded to install.

The installation went pretty smooth. I was asked to chose a desktop environment. I selected gnome as I prefer it over KDE. But I am going to get KDE 4 once it's available. Another addition is XFCE is on the DVD. No problems encountered. The additional packages from the repositories were downloaded and installed. An addition made is that, you can view the release notes while the system is being installed. An upgrade from previous version.

Then the user configuration and root password setting was done. After that I was asked to configure networking and online update configuration. As the networking was already done for adding repositories, the installer just checked if I was still connected to net by downloading the release notes. Then the online update repository was added and I proceeded with the update.

After that the system configuration screen greeted me. Bluetooth was disabled. When I clicked on enable. The installer said that I did not have some essential S/W for Bluetooth. And that the installer will have to install the S/W. I clicked on install and the installer installed the S/W. One thing to note here is that, the S/W was not on the DVD but on the repositories. And so I dreaded the parsing of files as in 10.2 version of SuSE. But, as promised by the team of SuSE, the parsing of files is no longer required.

The package manager is improved a lot. It took literally 30 seconds to find the S/W on the repository and download it (I have 256kbps connection and in the 10.2 version, it used to take about a minute and half).

After that, I was shown the release notes and the the new system booted. The visual effects are great. Some new additions have been made. But for that stay tuned till the next part, Desktop - First look is published.
Total points for the installer :- 9/10

Pros :-

1. The installer is quick.
2. User friendly.
3. New features like adding repositories are very good.
4. The ability to download additional S/W after installation, for system configuration is very good.

Cons :-

1. The H/W detection is still not very good.
2. Too many options can confuse new users. A newbie friendly installation should be provided.

Screenshots :-

( I was not able to take screenshots during the installation process. Once I get them, I will put them here).
(you can enjoy the screenshots of the distribution on the official openSUSE website).

Aditya Shevade

OpenSuSE 10.3 :- Gnome 2.20 Sneak peaks...

The new release of OpenSuSE... The 10.3 version comes with (will come with) Gnome 2.20. And SuSE developers have added a verity of things to the new release.

1). The World Clock (on the left) that allows you to keep track of the worldwide time.

2). Tomboy comes with a Note Synchronization feature that allows you to synchronize all your notes on the PCs that run Tomboy.

YaST2

YaST2 is now integrated with Gnome and comes with a cool new look and feel.

Desktop Improvements

In the past, extensive usability studies in the SUSE usability lab lead the GNOME team at SUSE to re-design the GNOME menu and panel. The result was SLAB, a new menu for GNOME. After further testing in openSUSE 10.2 and SUSE Linux Enterprise 10, a few additional changes were made to the menu that improve usability, ease-of-use, and of course top it up with a polished and professional look that gives you a better desktop:

Read the full news here...

Aditya Shevade

OpenSuSE 10.3 RC1 KDE LIVE CD.... my first experience.... a short review....

I am using the RC1 KDE LIVE CD release of Novell's OpenSuSE 10.3. And I hate to say, impressive though it looks, I am not much satisfied with it.

System Used:

• HP nx-6110 notebook.
• 512MB DDR RAM,
• Pentium M - 1.6GHz.

Maybe it is because of the Live CD or maybe because of KDE (I use gnome otherwise), but this release, which is supposed to be almost the final release, not an RC, is not what I had in my mind.

The things began with the CD unable to configure the X server. It was not able to recognize the screen resolution. Then, I manually gave the resolution and booted into the system.

I was welcomed by a very good looking welcome screen. The looks are killing. But, when the system started and I was trying to view the installer, I was greeted by an error saying that KDE returned with an error regarding 'su'.

I have been using OpenSuSE 10.2 on this very system for about 9 months now, and never experienced anything of this sort. To add to the problems, the OS cannot recognize the scroll zone of the touchpad.

I will give it another try, but if the final release is going to be like this, then SuSE is loosing it's touch. It may well be dipping low. BUT, I will have a go at this LIVE CD again and then will return with more. Till then, let me enjoy (???) this new release...

For more info, visit the announcement regarding this release.

Aditya Shevade

Pulp Fiction...

Before a few days, I was just browsing through the site IMDb. And I came across their top 250 list. And saw that there is a movie named Pulp Fiction on the 5th number. I read the synopsis and felt that the movie might be good. (Of course... being 5th on that list means a lot). So I decided to watch it.

I watched it today. And I cannot say if I loved it or not, but I liked it. Worth watching more than once for sure. It's weird in it's own perspective. And that was what I liked in that movie.

I was searching for a movie similar to Frank Miller's 'Sin City'. And this was one which went close to it. But Sin City is a classic and that is another story. As far as Pulp Fiction is concerned, it's a crude movie in somewhat comical way.

The theme of the film is related to lives of 4 people. A gangster, his wife, two people working for him and a boxer who kills his opponent in a match.

The movie has been given 'A' rating for a reason. There are more than 250 uses of the word, Fuck and other variations. There are a lot of things related to Drugs. Then there is violence. But nothing has been exaggerated in the movie. Everything gels in perfectly.

My recommendation is, you must watch the movie at least once. And I am sure you will like it. My rating, 'A-'

Aditya Shevade