The promise of an operating system with a different heritage was why I started challenging myself with Linux last fall. It hasn't been a completely smooth road, but there are moments when I can really see the promise of Open Source software just as I see the promise of beautiful day when I catch a sunrise like the one on the right.
Reality can be a little different. I have a Dell Dimension 4700 which has had Suse Linux as one of its operating systems since last fall. It's been through Suse 9.2 and 9.3.
I actually did a brief comparison of Suse 9.3 and Apple's 10.3 operating system in a post this spring. Some of my original success with Linux was chronicled in the article, "Heterogeneous Success."
Recently I also installed Suse 9.3 on a Windows laptop. I chronicled that experience in "Suse Linux 9.3 on a Dell Latitude 610." I've also taken some time to experiment with both Ubuntu Linux and Xandros Linux.
In spite of all this effort, I am still really a novice at Linux so my comments should be viewed in that light.
I first installed Suse 10.0 on the laptop. The installation was a snap. There were absolutely no snags. It is worth noting that the Dell Latitude only had 9.3 on it for a couple of weeks before I did the 10.0 upgrade. There really were no problems with the exception that I haven't taken the time to nail down whatever issues are still remaining to make the wireless card perform correctly. I hardly use it in a wireless environment so it isn't a burning issue with me especially since I have it set up to be able to dual boot into Windows XP Pro. My son, the Linux guru, did get the wireless to work, but he didn't take the time to create a permanent solution. However his efforts prove it will work and, Thanksgiving is coming. Making my wireless Linux laptop work will be one of those things I hope to get done when he visits home.
The only other remaining issues that I have with Suse 10.0 on the Dell Laptop is the track pad seems too sensitive and I can't seem to make a mouse work when I add an external monitor and keyboard. Other than that the installation on the laptop is very solid with no serious issues.
The installation did not go nearly so well on the Dell desktop which had been through Suse 9.2 and an upgrade to Suse 9.3. In fact after a number of tries, I just formatted the Linux drive and put a clean installation of Suse 10.3 on the Dell Dimension. This wasn't as big a problem as it might seem.
I'm mostly an IMAP or webmail user so it was just a matter of downloading the mail from the server and uploading into Evolution my addresses.
Getting printing going was a lot easier than when I first started fooling with Linux. I don't know if that is because Linux is getting better or I'm a little less clueless these days. Last year I ended up using a CUPS server on my Macs. This year the network printer almost configured itself.
The one thing I lost that I'm having trouble with is my server settings. I'm having trouble reconnecting with my OS X server. That wouldn't be such a problem but each time I try, I'm stuck with a little server icon on the desktop which I have yet to figure out how to get rid of easily.
So far I find the Beagle desktop search more helpful than Apple's Spotlight.
The Dell desktop, once it got the clean install, has performed flawlessly with the exception of my challenges in connecting to my server. I blame myself for that no the Suse Linux.
I'm a real fan of the Gnome interface, and I think it is getting better and better. It's a great clean interface of which a lot of other operating systems should take note.
Right now the only thing which remains a challenge for me on Linux is high quality native printer drivers for my Epson printers. Everything else I can live with easily. I'm very web centric so giving me Firefox covers most of my needs. Using Flickr, Writely, Furl, Kiko, and Typepad keeps me from getting too excited about a vast array of applications. That means I haven't banged on Open Office enough to really comment at length.
I still find Evolution to be a very good email package. I did have some trouble initially on the 10.0 install with one IMAP email account but I managed to work it out just playing with the settings.
I think Novell has done a very good job with the Suse 10.0 release. I probably had less serious problems with the installation than I did with Apple's Tiger. However, networking Macs is much easier than networking Windows or Linux machines so there is still some distance to go before declaring victory.
I'm sure that a good deal of my networking problems are my lack of knowledge. I did get it to work last fall, and very little has changed on my network. I'll be looking forward to my eureka moment when I figure out my mistakes.
As long as someone doesn't want to print exceptionally high quality photographic images with one of the more expensive printers on the market, I would highly recommend almost any of the Linux systems I have used. Suse is my favorite distribution with Ubuntu a close and free second. The only caveat is if you have a Windows and Mac network where you want to add Linux to the mix, you should make certain you have some readily available talent.
At this point I'm probably done paying for Linux upgrades. The systems I have are very capable and now that the Beagle search engine is built in, and I have found Nvu for my web design work, I'm a pretty happy Linux camper. I expect after my son comes home and helps me tweak a few things, everything will be running as it was intended.
As I dig deeper into Suse 10.0, I will post more experiences
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Update
This morning I just noticed that eWeek has posted reviews of Suse 10.0 and the latest release of Ubuntu at "Upgrades Lift Ubuntu and SUSE."
The review gives both distributions a positive nod. I'll have to go out and update my Ubuntu machine to be able to comment on the latest Ubuntu release.
Hey, you're inspiring me to convert my ultramobile notebook into a Linux 'puter ;) I'm more of a KDE fan though, I've always found the KDE desktop environment to be more seamless than the Gnome desktop. Plus, I find that KDE has better tools to manage wireless networks and so on.
Sean.
Posted by: Sean Pecor | November 02, 2005 at 06:25 AM