Installtion in SuSE 11 is quick, painless, and easy. It's definitely better than 10.3. When doing a 10.3 install using the 'patterns' method to select which programs I'd like to install, trying to change it around was an exercise in frustration. Dependancies were not handled very well, and I gave up on trying to install anything but the base system. This reminded me of trying to install SLES 8 years ago. Thankfully, installing SuSE 11 was much easier. It quickly suggested a partitioning setup that I modified easily-- it seems that the basic concept behind the partitioner hasn't changed much since I installed RedHat 9 years ago-- and then it asked me to choose KDE 4, KDE 3.5.something, or Gnome 2.22. I chose KDE4 and it then gave me the summary screen. I've read several reviews where this summary screen is seen as a negative. I totally disagree- this screen tells me everything I need to know! I'm sure an automated installer similar to M$'s is seen as a bonus in the Linux-for-newbs camp, but come on! Linux is about exploration, learning, and geekiness! Yes, I can see the benefit for giving these people a simple install to help them take the leap, but a) not everyone is a newb and b) even newbs can learn and progress- I did! Once you get into the corporate world, they want customization options (I should know- I work in IT), and the more you can do during the install the better!
*Steps off soapbox*
Sorry bout that. Linux can elicit some pretty emotional responses from me. Now, back to the installation process. After reviewing the summary screen, I decided I wanted to install a couple different packages. I selected the 'Software' section, switched to 'pattern' view, and proceeded to review what packages would be installed. On the left it gave me a list of patterns and on the right it listed each package within that pattern, giving me the option to install individual packages if I wished. I was able to select a couple packages that I wanted to install, clicked Next, and the installer gave me a list of packages it would install to resolve dependancies. Easy as pie! With SuSE 10.3 I would often get packages crap out on me during installation, and the whole process could take two hours easy (from an ISO image onto a VM via Fusion). Open SuSE? I was up and running with a fully-operating KDE 4 desktop in under an hour. Quick and easy.
The OpenSuSE team has made some concessions to the L4N (Linux-for-newbs) crowd. During the actual installation the installer let me choose between a 'screen show' (default choice) that listed the latest features and more detailed feedback on the installation process. The installer defaults to auto login with the user you create during installation, and also defaults to use for root the same password as your user. I'm not a big fan of either of these, but at least the options are clearly visible- in 10.3 it defaulted to auto login and if there was a way to avoid that during installation I didn't see it. The whole installater received a makeover with a dark grey/green theme that looks really good. Personally, I don't see why people complain that this installer is still too complicated. They seem to be addicted to the Ubuntu-style of installers, which are too streamlined. In the end, I think the SuSE 11 installer is a good compromise between the customize-everything roots of Linux and the current trend of Mommy-hold-my-hand distros. *Puts on flamesuit*
Well, it's 1:21 AM. I'm gonna stop here for the night. If anyone actually reads this before I continue, there's more to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment