I find Mandrake to be better suited to newbies than SuSE actually. The one true benefit I see in SuSE is that they inlcude EVERYTHING a newbie could want. Crap loads of games and desktop programs mostly. Real server software is often lacking or in some warped version from what I see on Debian or RedHat systems which bothers me somewhat. I'm not saying SuSE doesn't do a good job, just that I don't think it is really that user friendly for new users. Also a lot oft he packages I suppose are missing can be found from SuSE's ftp site but usually not in the English directories which is somewhat annoying to me as an English speaker. I have no problem w/ buying from a foreign company but if I do I expect equal support. Bandwidth IS cheap. My cable modem can upload/download faster than the T1 I use at work (not quite as fast as the T3 to most sites) and is only $20/month including free cable channels.

Don't forget that bandwidth is not cheap for everyone! But for people who are fortunate enough to have a good fast download connection then they should of course be able to benefit from that. Other people (such as me!) will most likely be in the situation of rather spending money on CD's than on telephone calls. The one problem is that you can (at least in the country I live in) only buy Suse CD's in Suse packages (or sometimes on magazine covers...). But that is a debate that arises here boringly often (I plead guilty).

I have no profit with SuSE or any other distro making money but I hope they don't forget what and who is giving them something to sell. I absolutely do not think Linux distros have any right including non-free parts into their distros. I don't mean they can't include Wordperfect, demos, etc but that anything they contribute should also be open source.

I agree.

SuSE has done fairly well with some of their projects as have RedHat and Mandrake. Debian just rocks and Caldera just sucks. I hope SuSE can continue to offer their fine distro here in the US as it'd really be a pain to have to switch so many machines to a different distro. :)

*^*^*^* Have the courage to take your own thoughts seriously, for they will shape you. -- Albert Einstein

On Thu, 8 Feb 2001, Michael Long wrote:

...

The following rant comes from a recent convert from Windoze.

SuSE puts together a software package that even a newbie can install in a relatively short period of time. I chose SuSE when looking at distributions because of the large collections of applications that it came bundled with. It is true that I can go out on the web download these programs for "free" (is bandwidth really free, not to mention the time to configure and install each package.)

SuSE makes it easier to learn linux because the more advanced skills such as using tar and rpm ... yes there are those of us out there that are that ignorant :) ... can be learned over time after the system is up and running with a web browser, email client, and word processor. Keep up the good work SuSE. If linux is going to become mainstream then training and ease of use is critical. Long live the Penquin and the Lizard.

There is nothing wrong with making a profit. After all if your household didn't make a profit how could you afford to go out to the local retaurant, movie theatre, or buy the latest piece of computer hardware :)

I do feel bad for those who have lost there jobs but usually a loss such as that can lead to bigger and better opportunities. Good Luck to all who were downsized!!

-end of rant-

Mike

...

The software that Suse distribute was 99% written by people who wrote it for free and have released it under the GPL or similar license.

You buying Suse distribution does not give anything back to them.

Suse did not create Linux/GNU. They package it and include configuration facilities that they did write (and are not GPL'ed). I am not aware of any software packages that Suse have contributed back (X11 video drivers maybe ?).

It is very sad for the Suse people who lost their jobs. This can happen to anyone working for a profit-hungry company. If this event has one beneficial side-effect it may make people realise that Suse is not the cuddly darling bunch of techno-geeks kindly contributing to world improvement that some people on this list seem to think they are.

Suse GMBH is a hard-nosed bunch of businessmen seeking to maximise bucks at minimum cost.

I sincerely hope the people that Suse have just shoved on the pavement gets jobs soon. Their technical Linux expertise should not make that difficult.

My 2 pennyworth.

Cliff

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