openSUSE Project February 2009

project@lists.opensuse.org

44 participants
18 discussions

[opensuse-project] Why is this Ubuntu?
by James Tremblay aka SLEducator 16 Mar '09

16 Mar '09

I believe that openSUSE would have been just as good a fit on a netbook as this: http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=1221&tag=nl.e539 I think the reason things like this keep going Ubuntu is not that Ubuntu is better but that LTS makes Ubuntu more usable and more re-installable because its less update intensive. openSUSE 10.3 , A very likable and usable version takes almost 2 gb of updates to get to it's best. if all these updates had been rolled into a 10.3 LTS ISO it could have taken HP's breath away! It's our duty to find a way to keep the libre\free version of SUSE as close to enterprise as possible without stealing it's thunder. We have to find a blend of reliability and pioneering edge. SLED moves to slow for personal usage yet, IMHO , openSUSE seems to move to fast. -- James Tremblay openSIS Product Specialist http://www.os4ed.com CNE 3,4,5 MCSE w2k CLE in training Registered Linux user #440182 http://en.opensuse.org/education -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] openSUSE 11.2 schedule
by Michael Loeffler 15 Mar '09

15 Mar '09

Moin, openSUSE 11.1 is almost out of the door and we (coolo, aj, zonker and myself) had some discussion about the release date for openSUSE 11.2. First we talked about July '09 release to come close to an 8 months release cycle. But KDE 4.3 is scheduled for release on June 30th and probably an OpenOffice.org release will be out end of June as well - both wouldn't make it into a July openSUSE 11.2. Therfor we're now thinking about a September release. Beside of getting the most current OpenOffice and KDE in thhis would even have one additional upside. It probably would be just in front of our openSUSE conference. So the conference could be used for very a focused openSUSE 11.3 planning. But it has its downside as well. Finalization of the release would happen during the summer holiday season. To address this we we added one Beta to stretch the development time a bit. Here's what we're talking about: 2009-02-05 openSUSE 11.2 Alpha 0 2009-03-05 openSUSE 11.2 Alpha 1 2009-04-02 openSUSE 11.2 Alpha 2 2009-04-30 openSUSE 11.2 Alpha 3 2009-05-28 openSUSE 11.2 Alpha 4 2009-06-25 openSUSE 11.2 Beta 1 2009-07-09 openSUSE 11.2 Beta 2 2009-07-24 openSUSE 11.2 Beta 3 2009-08-06 openSUSE 11.2 Beta 4 2009-08-20 openSUSE 11.2 RC1 2009-09-03 openSUSE 11.2 GM 2009-09-10 openSUSE 11.2 Public Release Events to consider March 3-8 CeBIT March 8-13 BrainShare June 24-27 LinuxTag June 3-11 Akademy/Guadec Sept openSUSE conference (mid of sept) Sept Plumbers conference (around Sept 20-25) Let us know what you're thinking about this. Best M -- Michael Löffler, Product Management SUSE LINUX Products GmbH - Nürnberg - AG Nürnberg - HRB 16746 - GF: Markus Rex -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] Proposal for a community based testing team
by Alberto Passalacqua 05 Mar '09

05 Mar '09

Hello, I have thought for quite some time to the idea of building a community-based openSUSE testing team, and this seems to be the right time to discuss of it. The main idea is to create a group of stable testers to deeply test openSUSE functionalities on their machines, in order to catch annoying bugs earlier in the development stages, allowing the fixes to be done and tested again in a more timely and less rushed manner. It won't be easy, we need motivated volunteers and we have a lot to learn to do it the right way, but I think it is worth the effort, if we want to keep faith to the guiding principles, which states openSUSE aims to be "the most usable Linux distribution" (and not the most cutting edge one!). I summed up the motivations, a short problem analysis about the current status quo, and some proposal of solution in the attached slides so you can comment them (thanks suseROCKs for the slide template). All suggestions (and volunteers) are more than welcome, as well as some help from Novell people currently involved in testing/quality assurance. As I said we need to learn. ;-) With kind regards, Alberto

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[opensuse-project] openSUSE again at Google Summer of Code?
by Andreas Jaeger 04 Mar '09

04 Mar '09

I just saw some comments that a new Google Summer of Code'2009 (http://code.google.com/soc) will be accepting project proposals in a week or so. I consider last year's participation great and would like to get your feedback for this year: * Shall we participate again? * Already anybody volunteering as tutor? * Who will organise GSOC for openSUSE? Andreas -- Andreas Jaeger, Director Platform / openSUSE, aj(a)suse.de SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, GF: Markus Rex, HRB 16746 (AG Nürnberg) Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nürnberg, Germany GPG fingerprint = 93A3 365E CE47 B889 DF7F FED1 389A 563C C272 A126

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[opensuse-project] Open Support
by Andrew Wafaa 24 Feb '09

24 Feb '09

After our openly elected Board Members sent their open letter[0] to us the community there seems to have been a bit of a media frenzy. I use the term frenzy very loosely here as there was no circus, certainly nothing like that after some of the things that have happened in the past, but a definite air of FUD on behalf of some supposed journalists. Now I have made it pretty clear to many that I think journalism nowadays has taken a subterranean nose dive in quality and authenticity, with almost no investigation into the facts and an insatiable lust to turn anything into evil especially in the tech industry. We have the usual FUD merchants doing the rounds which is fine and par for the course unfortunately, but when supposed journalists start publishing FUD that really gets my goat. Let's take the open letter to the community now. As Bryen and Pascal mention, they have been approached by many both publicly and privately about what the layoffs mean for openSUSE as a project and distro. They have thought hard about the best way to answer people's questions and concerns, and I must admit I whole heartedly agree with their approach to making a public statement that is there for all to see. Let's not forget these two fine gents have no access to the inner workings and thoughts of Novell so they don't necessarily know the whole rationale behind Novell's decision (hoping there is one ;) ) but they do have a modicum of access and especially when it comes to openSUSE related items. This letter was not sent out as a pre-emptive strike to quash any questions, it was <u>in response to community members questions</u> and as such I feel it was 100% warranted. Some hacks (it much better represents the faux journalists, and their tabloid nature in reporting) feel that this announcement proves to the world that the openSUSE project is in trouble - bollocks!! These hacks also try and label Pascal and Bryen as insensitive for asking those that have unfortunately been bitten by the bullet to keep up their fine efforts within the community. Novell do *NOT* run openSUSE /we/ the community run the project, Novell run the enterprise derivative. Some of those that have been laid off have been with openSUSE for over nine years, if not longer, so it is perfectly reasonable to ask those with the knowledge to keep the knowledge pool alive and kicking. Some of those wouldn't think of doing anything other than continuing with contributing to openSUSE. No it isn't insensitive in the slightest, it shows that the Board and the community acknowledge their contributions and that they are still very much thought of as part of the community, even more so now that they are not paid to be part of it. Yes there are one or two (hopefully not more) that believe the layoffs mean they should cut all direct ties off and we as a community understand that, we are sorry to see these members leave but we will continue forging ahead. Hopefully they will return and continue in the fun. If any of you hacks want to write a story, drop the sensationalism from it, it detracts from what it is that is being said. openSUSE is rock solid with a strong and vibrant community, and one thing that I think our community is best at is acknowledging our faults and wanting to improve and make us a better distro and project. There is no fanboy blindness about us, we are honest and open. Heck we even tip hats to those projects that we think "damn why didn't we think of doing something like that". Dear hacks, if you would like to speak to the Board for clarification or to discuss or report on anything, then drop them an e-mail[1] they don't bite and they don't bullshit. Oh and dear hacks, for the love of all that is holy and righteous stop fucking misspelling our name. It is spelt, and I'll do it really slow for you, o p e n S U S E; *NOT* OpenSUSE or any other derivative!!!!! If there is one thing that really makes us want to go and chew on some Wookie ass crack it's the misspelling of our name - yes your spell checker is wrong at times ;-) [0] - http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-project/2009-02/msg00079.html [1] - board(a)opensuse.org -- Andrew Wafaa, openSUSE Member: FunkyPenguin openSUSE: Get It, Discover It, Create It at http://www.opensuse.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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RE: [opensuse-project] Open Support
by Andrew Wafaa 24 Feb '09

24 Feb '09

I don't think a list of names would be suitable, or even possible due to legal constraints. What would have been beneficial would have been some form of announcement possibly via the Board saying that there are job cuts and these will affect some of the Novell staff with a direct involvement in the prpject. Obviously once the affected staff have been advised. This is the first (and hopefully last) occurance of this and as such mistakes are inevitable. We need to take a leaf out of other big projects and be more engaging with the press/media. This will not be easy, but can and will happen. I am not defending Novell's mistakes, but I am defending openSUSE; and as Novell are part of the community they get some defence. They are like a child going through toilet training, there are accidents but with percerverence they manage to do it on their own. The crucial part is it takes leadership by example - do as we do not as we say. Regards, Andy -- Sent from a Nokia E71 Andrew Wafaa, openSUSE Member: FunkyPenguin. openSUSE: Get It, Discover It, Create It at http://www.opensuse.org . -----Original Message----- From: Martin Schlander Sent: 24/02/2009 00:00:26 Subject: Re: [opensuse-project] Open Support Mandag 23 februar 2009 20:32:11 skrev Gerald Pfeifer: > I am sure you understand that with the exception of the CEO and similarily > ranked officers no company will provide lists or other details of people > leaving, be it voluntary or otherwise. Not the least since this would run > afoul of data protection regulations. I don't understand how anybody can claim to want to build a community, and then be completely silent, when major events affecting the community greatly like these firings occur. I don't remember seing any official communication about this whatsoever, except some executive level bullshit in the press - but nothing at all addressing the concerns of the openSUSE community. A list of names would probably also be against the interests of the directly affected peopIe, but I'm pretty sure it would have been possible for someone to release some information to the openSUSE community explaining what goes on, why, how it affects (different parts of) openSUSE short and long term etc., without Novell getting in too much legal trouble because of it. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] Open Letter to the openSUSE Community
by Bryen 20 Feb '09

20 Feb '09

The following is a joint statement from openSUSE Board Members Pascal Bleser and Bryen Yunashko. ---------------------- As you may know, recently Novell made the decision to reduce the workforce in their organization in the wake of our current economic outlook which is affecting everyone globally in all sectors of life. Unfortunately, this has also impacted some members of the openSUSE Community who were employed by Novell when, earlier this week, they were laid off. We hear about layoffs every day now. Most of us have been hit by layoffs in recent times, if not personally, then friends and family. The sadness we feel for our fellow community members is just as strong and our hearts go out to them in this time. Some people have approached us publicly and privately and asked us what this means for the future of openSUSE. In fact, openSUSE is a community project driven both by Novell and the Community at large. Within this project, we make no distinction between Novell and non-Novell employees. As such, those laid off are still important and vital members of our Project, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue working with them as fellow members for the good of our community, our distribution and for Free and Opensource software at large. Our observations over the past week convince us that Novell is still committed to the openSUSE Project. It is also our observation that the community as a whole remains active, vibrant and motivated. Our colleagues employed by Novell have assured us that while there is some frustrations and disappointment, they and the company are still as committed as ever to the openSUSE Project. As we have mentioned, these are difficult times for everyone and hard decisions have been made by Novell. While we cannot speak for Novell and the reasons behind its decisions, we do take offense to those outside our community who have decided to exploit the hardship of our fellow community members in these trying economic times for their own personal gain in their misguided rants against the Project and misinterpreted portrayals to the general public. We'd like to wish our friends good luck with their respective careers, hoping they will soon find another job, and also hoping that their contributions, their expertise and their commitment for the openSUSE Project will sustain not just for the sake of it, but also and foremost, because they're our friends. Pascal Bleser openSUSE Board Member Bryen Yunashko openSUSE Board Member -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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RE: [opensuse-project] Open Letter to the openSUSE Community
by Andrew Wafaa 20 Feb '09

20 Feb '09

An announcement about what? Novell had announced earlier this year about their intentions of lay offs, granted they didnt specify whcich exact depts would be affected. Several of those that were on the receiving end of the lay offs have publicly announced what has happened on their blogs - Planet SUSE is a great place to hear/see information. Regards, Andy -- Sent from a Nokia E71 Andrew Wafaa, openSUSE Member: FunkyPenguin. openSUSE: Get It, Discover It, Create It at http://www.opensuse.org awafaa(a)opensuse.org | http://www.wafaa.eu -----Original Message----- From: jdd Sent: 20/02/2009 07:42:19 Subject: Re: [opensuse-project] Open Letter to the openSUSE Community Bryen a écrit : > The following is a joint statement from openSUSE Board Members Pascal > Bleser and Bryen Yunashko. > > ---------------------- > > As you may know, recently Novell made the decision to reduce the > workforce in their organization in the wake of our current economic I can understand this, but why without announcement? jdd -- http://www.dodin.net http://valerie.dodin.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-eic8MSSfM http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1412160445 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] final day ...
by Martin Lasarsch 18 Feb '09

18 Feb '09

Hi This is my last posting as a SuSE employee, everything upcoming is a private post. I guess you saw some blogs or read some tickers from other colleagues … Well, after 9,2 years i will finally leave the company (no, not voluntary …). It’s not really easy, especially because of all the friends i met at the company or events over the years. But life is not over ... Sorry that i can’t take care of the ambassador program anymore, sorry that we skipped the announcement/meeting on Wednesday but i guess you know now why. Delete my email mlasars(a)suse.de. If you need anything from Novell/SUSE, please use: marketing(a)opensuse.org Thanks everybody, it was really a pleasure to work with you, keep the spirit up, we might meet again in the future. I was involved in openSUSE from day 1, and i still think it’s a great project which was for sure more than a job for me. Even it sounds stupid (because it was a hell of work for many people), it was very good to end my SuSE days at FOSDEM, the best event ever! So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish -- with kind regards, Martin Lasarsch, Core Services SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5 90409 Nürnberg GF: Markus Rex, HRB 16746 (AG Nürnberg) martin.lasarsch(a)suse.de - http://www.opensuse.org -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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[opensuse-project] Feature implementation details
by Stanislav Visnovsky 17 Feb '09

17 Feb '09

Hi! As we now have openFate, it is finally much clearer what will end up in the next release. However, Fate lacks one part of the information - how is a feature implemented. I believe the best way to provide this information is using openSUSE wiki. But I did not find any structure in Wiki where it would fit. Did I overlook something or should we create e.g. en.opensuse.org/Features/... and link features from openFate to these pages? Any other suggestion? Stano -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-project+unsubscribe(a)opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-project+help(a)opensuse.org

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openSUSE Project February 2009