Suse

[mack_1964]

hey everyone whats up? anyways i have always wanted to get into linux and i saw this suse kit at bestbuy pre loaded with all of the goodies etc. now i know liinux distros are free but this one is pretty foolproof and i was wondering if it would be worth the 60 dollar purchase.

[kage]

What all is included in it? I would say its worth the money if it includes multiple install disks, manuals, etc.

Suse generally costs around $60-$80 depending on where you go (bestbuy, staples, etc). Not all linux distros are free, but for $60 you're pretty much paying for any manuals/tech support that it might come with, any extra is going to support the suse community, which is supporting the linux community, never a bad thing.

[JoeC0180]

I'd say it is worth the $60 dollars. I haven't used suse myself but have heard alot of good things about it. The boxed version also comes with a good sized manual to help you out with everything.

[modmidget]

You can get the 5 CD Suse 10.0 set here for $7.50 + shipping:

http://www.linuxonline.biz/index.php?cPath=138_83

Of course, they will not come in a big box with manuals. I bought Mandrake 10.1 (6 CDs) form this company and it cost me less than $14.00 including shipping.

[JoeC0180]

If you are going to to order them from that company you might as well download and burn the disks frome www.opensuse.org yourself. All you are going to get is 5 CD's you paid someone else to download and burn for you. You wont get any manuals or tech support.

Actually, if you have broadband, downloading a distro might be the way to go. If you are like most people you will probably not stick with the first distro you try. Maybe you should download it and then if you really like it and plan to stick with it, just make a donation to the suse project. Or if you decide suse isnt for you and switch to another distro you really like, you could just make a donation to that project.

[modmidget]

I have downloaded the "free" SUSE offering from LinuxISO.org (version 9.1). It was a 1 CD version they called SUSE Personal Edition. Novell (the owners of SUSE) had removed a large number of the applications that come with the retail version and they made it nearly impossible to install any additional programs in the Personal Edition. After 3 or 4 weeks of trying to install additional programs I got fed up and threw SUSE in the garbage can. Then I went to the link I provided above and purchased Mandrake 10.1 Professional with the Power Pack for $10.00 + shipping. It is a 6 CD set that includes around 2000 programs. I'm very happy with it.

The link to opensuse.org even states that their download version is not the complete package. Here is the link: http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tip/16015.html

Novell is not much different that MicroSoft. They are in the business of making money by selling their operating systems. If someone wants to pay $60.00 to $80.00 for SUSE that's great, but I like Mandrake a whole lot better. I've never needed a manual and I get all the tech support I need from Cybertechsupport and Linuxquestions.org.

[renegade600]

If you are interest in suse linux and you are a virgin when it comes to linux, I would strongly suggest getting the box set for the first install, then after that just do the download thing for upgrades. The manuals and stuff that comes with the cds is a great resource as you learn. That is what I did.

[JoeC0180]

It looks like the 5cd set you can buy off of that site is the same 5cd's you can download off of opensuse.org

http://www.linuxonline.biz/product_i...roducts_id=351

First sentence, second paragraph down says this is the version lauched by the openSUSE project.

The only programs that are left out are those which the source code is closed. The only area this will probably hurt you in is playing videos and music. The codecs and programs that are ommitted can be easily found and downloaded through yast, apt for rpm, and I believe there is another program for suse that is pretty good at installing packages and there dependencies.

However you decide to get it mack_1964, you wont regret trying out linux. Good luck with it and make sure you let us know how it goes!

Joe

[modmidget]

JoeC0180 made one very good suggestion in one of his posts:

"Actually, if you have broadband, downloading a distro might be the way to go. If you are like most people you will probably not stick with the first distro you try. "

I have downloaded and tried 3 or 4 distros and finally decided Mandrake was for me. I downloaded Knoppix and installed it on my hard drive (you don't have to run it from the CD). Knoppix was OK but I was looking for something more. I tried SUSE 7..2 and 9.1 but didn't like either. I downloaded Debian but couldn't figure out how to install it (I think it's better suited to Linux Gurus). I also looked at Mepis but didn't really care for it either. But hey, there are LOTS of users out there who will swear buy any or all of these distros. Before you spend $60.00 and lock yourself in to one distro you should test drive some of the free ones.

[SirCave]

Originally Posted by mack_1964

hey everyone whats up? anyways i have always wanted to get into linux and i saw this suse kit at bestbuy pre loaded with all of the goodies etc. now i know liinux distros are free but this one is pretty foolproof and i was wondering if it would be worth the 60 dollar purchase.

There is also a "LIVE" cd version for SUSE you might want to consider before spending your hard earned dollars on a distro you may or may not like. There are serveral distros you could download and try for free with the "LIVE" version here. That way, you could just run the cd without installing the OS, test it and decide which distro is best for you. Then you could decide whether or not you want to spend the cash or just download a freebie. Either way it turns out, you won't go wrong with this more robust OS.

[sho-dan]

hello
i did the same as renegade600, i got suse pro 9.2 (free/gift)

[mack_1964]

hey guys thanks ive been gone for awhile. anyways i just got my new pc all set up and built and i am planning on installing linux on it tonight. thanks again

[DaveQB]

How did it go ??

I have tried many distro's over the years [started with Red Hat 7.2]

I have been a long time Mandrake user, but was always annouyed in its slowness compared to other distro's. So i constantly dabbled around to find that Mandrake+speed distro. To me thats been SuSe 10.0. A great GUI Admin tool like Mandrakes but the whole lot with some speed to it [not as fast as Gentoo [Kage] though]


Grab the Evaluation DVD. It includes all your codecs, flash java etc. Install it and it 'simply just works'

[mack_1964]

ummm it didnt work. i think im going to try mandriva right now... just a question i put a hd from an old tivo directly into my comp[only one]. do i need to format it or something?