They _do_ answer questions, when you ask a question theyr'e obliged to answer, end in most cases they also answer the questions that are outside the scope of "installation support".
Well, i will not repeat myself here. I am reflecting my experience.
I actually recommend Suse to people btw.
Oh, strange.. I have recommended to a very few people to continue using MicroSnot Windows - I don't think that makes me neither a better person nor a worse one. Recommendations on operating systems should be based on need and useability, not on personal preferences and personal experiences with the manufacturer...
Well, to spell it out. I recommend it to people looking for a Linux distribution for a particular reason. Personal experiences with the manafacturer are very important. They are one of the few protections against hyperbolic adverts.
I am not complaining about the price, I am complaining about the Personal/Professional strategy. It creates a line for bean-counters to count more beans, not to reflect the richness of Linux/GNU distributions.
It does not. I support quite a few users that have absolutely no need for the bells and whistles of the professional package. Usually, I find myself spending up to two hours of support time stripping down the professional package to suite their needs, whereas they would have saved a lot of hassle by choosing the personal package to start with.
If you say so.
How many basic users ( f.ex. moms, dads, aunties, uncles et al ) do you know, that have requirements for programming languages beyond sh/perl/python ?
This is Micosoft thinking. We know what is best for you.
The printed manual is very good .. I suggested to Suse, politely, that in all honesty they should define the terms of their support on the Box they sell it in. It is buried in the manual what it is. For example, if you re-compile your kernel, you do not get support.
If you look at the picture of the SuSE box found on http://www.suse.de/en does it not say in large print "[6,9]0 days of installation support" ?
Notice the word "installation". It has the same meaning as when you go out and buy yourself a new car. You get a service contract, but they still won't wash'n'wax your car, nor will they empty your ashtray. All deviation from a basic standard installation path is outside the scope of basic installation support, and thus it requires an extended support contract. This is how you make money on free ( beer ) software, and it's exactly by the 'guidelines'.
Ok and does your uncle, aunt and mummy (to use your example) know what basic installation support means ? The example of buying a car, no, I don't expect them to empty the ashtray, but I do expect to get out of first gear.
I am quite happy for Suse to so whatever they like. I have a choice to buy it or not, of course. But since I use it I have also the right to comment on their business practises and the misleading marketing. I have paid for that right.
Of course you have the right to comment, but by exercising that right, you must also be prepared that others may see things differently, and even be ready to accept that you migh have been wrong.
I hope I havn't upset you too much :-)
You haven't upset me at all. And I am delighted that others have had a more positive experience of Suse at the level we are talking about. I don't expect everyone to agree with me. Just consider this, I use Suse as my main desktop machine. So I do have some positive things going for it! This is not rally about the technical merits of Suse distributions. It is about their business practise. Cliff