I was just taking a bit of time and looked through the packages of 7.0 release. http://www.suse.de/de/produkte/susesoft/linux/Pakete_prof/gesamt.html I saw SuSE ships now with AfterStep 1.8.0. Bravo! Maybe this is not new but I just noticed this and I use AfterStep so I will be happy not to have to compile my own stuff in this instance. Now knowing that I use AfterStep I may also say that I dislike KDE and Gnome alike for being way too big, doing too many things, and hogging resources including desktop space. One of the reasons I moved to Linux was that I like to run a slim AS. I don't need desktop icons. I am fan of the command line. I still complement all volunteers for their work and will take another look at KDE with a final 2.0 release. I like to request that SuSE will ship with "Gaim" and "Licq" in the future too. It would make me happy. I just consider them the supreme of the AIM/ICQ clients. Please!!!!!!!!! I know either of the two are developed very actively and its tough to stay up to date so I understand if it is difficult to do. Now I had just one more comment. I wonder if anybody else of the SuSE users ran into this. This happens everytime I install SuSE. Everytime and I started using SuSE at 5.3 Here is what happens: I plan on installing SuSE on a machine. It will either be a workstation which will not need much network stuff except the usual ethernet modules and routing configuration. It will need NFS/NIS client and then of course the usual workstation setup of X and a windowmanager. Otherwise it will be a server which will not need X at all, because, well that is how I like it. It will though need a lot of network stuff because it does all the grind work like firewall, masq, Apache, mod_xxxx, NFS/NIS client, Samba, LPRng, ipv4 modules. Amazingly this usually fits into 400 megs. Now in either of these cases when I install, I pop the CD in and want to install from scratch. Then I sit there and get frustrated. I look at the 7 or so choices of "Installs" from default to workstation to network to all. None of them suit or fit me. Now this is no big problem except I am curious if I am the only guy out there who thinks _all_ of the default choices given by SuSE stink. =) If I chose just the default I get plenty of stuff but it may be missing this certain network package of course. It also will install X even though I don't need it on the server. So I end up going through all directories and check. If I chose the network default though it will install about 80% of the network packages. Just because I want a install cut for a server doesn't mean I want all network packages. I also end up going through all directories and check. I KNOW I can create my own setup and save it on floppy I just feel SuSE could remedy this problem I have and maybe many others too. I sometimes spend half an hour selecting and deselecting packages because SuSE's defaults are either too slim or too thick. Why do you have to include 5 or 6 news readers with the network install??? Here is what I would propose. 1. SuSE takes close look of what is in their default installs and takes out any add-ons. There is a sum of programs which have been found to be unique and cuting edge and proven. I like to just see them included and not hidden among all the other stuff. It would be helpful if there was default installs lets call them 'slimmy jimmys' which are kept lean. Then at least I only have to search for additional components and not also for packages which I need to deselect. 2. SuSE creates more default installs and increases the choices we got. e.g. Network - slim, network - sleak, network - fat I hope you get my point. 3. SuSE totally revamps the way we install things and creates a menu like selection process. (I like the 'menuconfig' choice for the kernel.) Menu |----Graphics |----X y/n \-----KDE y/n \----Gnome y/n \---Xapps \------this app y/n \------that app y/n |----Network |-----server y/n \----dhcp y/n \---samba y/n \--nfs y/n \-nis y/n |-----client y/n \----dhcp y/n \---samba y/n \--nfs y/n \-nis y/n |----Editors \---emacs y/n \--vi/vim y/n \-pico t/n \ed y/n |---Libs \---Glib2 \--qt \-qt2 \others (One note: Just because we select things this way doesn't mean it cannot as well autoselect needed packages for a certain piece of software.) I hope you see where I am going. I like to see it similar to the way we select kernel stuff when compiling our own kernel. 'make menuconfig' anybody??? =) I just feel I spend too much time selecting and deselecting things. Last word before the flames arrive. I _understand_ I can always save a configuration to floppy. An improvement to this though may keep many SuSE users from having to have a floppy always for each install they do. mk The LAST thing. Please include 'Mailman 2.0' http://www.list.org when it gets out of beta. It seems to be more intuitive and easier to handle (for users and admins) than Majordomo. ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/support/faq