[LUG] SuSE 6.2

[Robert Callaghan <norm at termisoc.org>]

As I bought a boxed-set of SuSE 6.2 over the summer I figured it was about
time I did something with it.

So - last night I gave it a spin.  Should you want it this is my review of
it:

I like the install procedure.  SuSE 6.2 AFAIK only has the option to
install using the text based YaST 1.  
(Side note: I did install (quickly) SUSE 6.3 a day or so back and I was 
not impressed by the graphical install.  There was little choice, no
information on what was going to happen, I could not select what packages 
I wanted to install (there is a lot of stuff that I will never use that I 
want/need to remove. I tend to do this at install). 
For the "home user" the graphical system would be ok.  You can sort out 
all the packages and stuff later - it is just not how I like it)

Anyway.....
RedHat (I've not tried any other dist yet (but I do have some cover disk
version of Corel linux at home)) could learn a lot by having something
this useful.  The partiting is very easy (although I could not see a way
of it creating a partition in the free space (but this could be due to the
state of my hard disk last night.  The redhat install mangeled my
partiton table (see rant later!;> )

When it comes to selecting the packages I like the way that SuSE does it.
The options it comes with (standard, minimal, multi-media, etc....) are a
good range of what you can do (better than RedHat's options IMHO).
BUT - what I really like is the ability to select "best fit" install
option, change the packages that it installes and then save the custom
install to floppy.  I know that you can make a kickstart disk for RedHat,
but it (AFAIK) is only sutible for whole-disk installs.  Not very good for
a multi-boot system (like mine).

I think that the way that the package info is presented (when selecting
the packages) isgood - but my complaint is that some times you get the odd
bit of random german (I know the words "yes" and "no" in german and that
is it) and the information about the package is 1) not always there 2) not
that useful.

Installed without any problems.  Found my modem!!!  :-)   (as it is a PCI
modem and getting a PCI modem to work under redhat is more trouble than it
is worth I am looking forward seeing if it actualy works (I would of done
it last night - but as I didn't finish playing with SuSE until 5am I
thought that it could wait! :> )

Ok - so most of the above has been a pro-suse (and a small anti-redhat).
It's not all good.
As of yet - I have not managed to get my mouse working under it  :-(
(this is very easy to do under redhat (ie - it just works! :) )).
I've not had chance to test anything to do with the sound as of yet (again
- it was very late last night) so I can't comment on that.
The one big thing I have against it is the amount of carp that it installs
(or tries to).  I selected to install the system as a "multimedia" install
(I can't remember exactly what it is called).  I then spent some time
removing all the bits that I am *never* going to use (to be fair - I think
I should of picked standard install and added the rest) and adding a lot
more of the networking and security stuff (my two big areas of interest).

There are lots of bits I not has chance to do to it yet but I like the
look of it.

/me goes off to find the other copy of 6.3 I know of in plym.

Rob

Oh yeah - the rant about RedHat and my HDD partitions.
The redhat install really does like to bugger them up.  Windows NT, Win9x,
DOS, OS2 all need the partitions link chainsto be in the a specic order
(I can't rember if it is the order they are created in or in the order on
the HDD).  Anyway - according to the help file of partiton magic ("some
version on Linux fdisk do not order them (the partitons) properly" (ok -
not an exact quote.  This was at about 2am)).
My question is this - WHY?  WHY does redhat see the need to work against
other operating systems?
The installing of redhat on my system (using it to create the
partitons) totaly buggers the partitons up.  And yet SuSE was able to do
it all (and more) without a problem.
ho-hum.
</rant>

I've written enough.
-- 
Robert Callaghan (norm at termisoc.org)
PGP FingerPrint: B29E 6BB5 B4F0 38D8 CCA9  3BEB EDF0 0A36 9732 7173

"Well, what else were you expecting?"

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