28 Jan
2006
28 Jan
'06
19:03
Moin moin Am Sat, 28. January 2006 17:27 schrieb Maged Hussein: [...] > > On 1/28/06, email.listen@googlemail.com <email.listen@googlemail.com> wrote: > > Am Sat, 28. January 2006 16:01 schrieb Maged Hussein: > > > Hi list, > > > > > > I'm currently thinking of a way to make OpenSUSE available to much more > > > audience (specially windows users). > > > My target is to attract more users and developers to Linux platform > > > (making it easy for them to make the switch). > > > Upon testing many distros, I found that SUSE has the most windows like > > > experience to Windows users PLUS a very intuitive admin interface for > > > linux power users. > > > > > > The easiest way is to distribute it within a Computer magazine that > > > all PC users can access. > > > > > > I thought of three approached to accompish this tasks (given that I > > > have only one CD to include): > > > > > > 1- One CD with just necessary packages to start with (SLICK does a good > > > job in this) > > > [This way will bring many hassles to windows user [installation with > > > windows- hardware not detected - modems support,...etc] > > > > > > 2- Make a live CD for OpenSUSE > > > [I found only a DVD version of it + I Found that you can use it as a > > > READ ONLY [not like debizn based Live CDs]] > > > > > You may know that from time to time most every Linux publication offers > > live cd's as install cd's. So did German Linux Magazin, e.g. 2/06 > > OpenSchool Server (based on NOvell Enterprise Server9) and Linux Magazin > > Special Edition, 01/2006, Novell Enterprise Server 9. > > So often this is done py a publisher not by the distributions itself. And > > I would bet that they will do so for openSESE 10.1. > > Do you have links to these publications ? Shure, pardon me, forgot them in my posting... Linux-Magazin 2/2006: http://www.linux-magazin.de/Artikel/ausgabe/2006/02 (IMHO the OpenSchoolserver is one of the best choices for small office / home servers you will find.) Linux-Magazin, Special Edition 1/2006: http://www.linux-magazin.de/Produkte/lms_2006_1.html (It's a DVD not a CD, a mistake I made in my last posting) > Do I need Novell approval (tademarks,logos ...etc) for building such a cd? > I have already done the same with Red Hat 2 years ago and I have to cahnge > alot of packages to aviod violations with Red Hat EULA. > A question also came to mind is updates , Does the above publications fit > well with YOU or you have to maintain it yourself ( a lot of pain here). Now wee are comming to another point. In your initial posting you've been asking for openSUSE giveaway CD's for advertising purposes. Now you are talking about full featured distribution support for Enterprise Server and OpenSchool Server, aren't you? You can't expect full and free of charge update suport for a test version of Novell Enterprise Server or even OpenSchool Server. Except you belong to those who are working for free and want everyone to do so too.(<sarcasm>or live in slavery...</sarcasm> ;-) > > > 3- Make a vmware image of OpenSUSE with packages relevant to audience. > > > [This approach will eliminate HW support, modem support [vmware can use > > > NATing to hadle this], installation support] > > > There is some packages that essential to Windows user but I don't know > > > what is the obligation if I included them within the vmware image > > > namely: > > > - RealPlayer > > > - Acrobat Reader > > > - Flash > > > - Java > > > - All dependednt parts on them. > > > Of course one can update from yast repositories once installed but > > > Internet Connectivity will not be available to some users. > > - Using VMWare will bring a lot more problems you might expect. It is > > _very_ tricky to offer VMWare images for all kinds of Hardware > > combinations which could be found out there in the wild. From a technical > > point of view I would rate this as a unresolvable problem. > > > > - Last but most, I would assume that using VMWare images will bring a > > bunch of legal problems according to the use of VMWare. (If not I would > > expect that there should still be a lot of those 'official' images.) > > We have to compromise here, If we go to linux native installations , alot > of support needed to sustain such traffic. > Think of a windows user who needs a win app, he will have to restart to go > back to windows to access it and probably will never go back to Linux > (Vmware helps make switching between linux and windows very easy). > You are right that VMWARE player might have issues with some hardware but > helping this category would be easy (LUG, VMWARE Knowledgebase) even > providing a native SUSE Cds will be valuable to them. Hhhm, I would prefer another sollution. An openSUSE installation which uses the old win partition as an vmware image or even a $WINE-foo which may run some of the apps from a win partition... > > Regarding legalities of vmware images, I don't know about distributing the > images itself but for the player check > http://www.vmware.com/download/eula/player_distribution.html > > > > I am looking for your help to make the right path. > > > > Hhm, may be there is another solution which might be discussed: > > > > FreeNX / NoMachine Account(s) > > > > Like http://cosmopod.com/ it might be an idea to offer FreeNX Accounts on > > an openSUSE machine (mostly for Windows Users who don't want or fear an > > installation or live system). So you 'only' need to have a FreeNX Client > > for Windows for this. > > I haven't seen any distribution yet which offers this service. > > It is a great idea to consider , we need to see its prerequists. You will need at least one full time admin for such a machine (assumed: 1000 users) or in other words 40.000EUR/year only for the admin, plus hardware (appr. 25.000 - 30.000EUR) plus energy, housing, ..., ..., (5.000EUR) So we are talking about approx. 50.000EUR/year. :-) > > > I said 'Only' (quoted for beeing a bit ironicall) because it will need a > > real big iron server for this but on the long run it might be cheaper than > > producing Live CD's again and again for every new openSUSE Version. > > > > But contrary to cosmopod.com it should only offer temporary accounts no > > long time accounts. This because limitating the number of accounts to > > handle and to lower the needed hardware resources. regards, Thomas p.s. please would you be so kind and check your quoting (> > text) for your next answer? It took me half the time to fix your broken quoting for this posting... If you need help doing this feel free to ask.