openSuse?

**chrispche** · November 14th, 2007

Anyone tried it? How does it compare to Ubuntu in ease of use a compatability, plus does it have as a huge repos as Ubuntu?

**x64Jimbo** · November 14th, 2007

Not to be biased, but Ubuntu's user community is second to none, and the 3rd party repositories available for Ubuntu have yet to be surpassed in my opinions. Just take a look at DistroWatch. The numbers don't lie.

**Antman** · November 14th, 2007

Originally Posted by x64Jimbo

Not to be biased, but Ubuntu's user community is second to none, and the 3rd party repositories available for Ubuntu have yet to be surpassed in my opinions. Just take a look at DistroWatch. The numbers don't lie.

I do agree that the Ubuntu Forums are very good. The Opensuse forums are good as well.

Yes, Ubuntu (based on Debian) is a good OS, but so is OpenSuse. I personally like Debian more then Ubuntu as I find pure Debian more stable then Ubuntu.
Opensuse 10.3 functions better on my laptops then Ubuntu, so it's a matter of "Use what works for YOU!"

As far how many repo packages for each distro, I'm not sure which is bigger...

**x64Jimbo** · November 14th, 2007

Debian will always be more stable than Ubuntu because Ubuntu is focusing on the latest and greatest, attempting to bring the best of the Linux world to the everyday user. Debian doesn't even come with a GUI, for starters, so it's bound to be more stable for that reason alone. The addition of a GUI brings along with it many other complications that aren't present in a straight CLI environment. I agree that you should use what is best for you. If openSuse proves to be a better option for you, then use it! That's the best thing about Linux - the freedom of choice!

**Incense** · November 14th, 2007

Originally Posted by chrispche

Anyone tried it? How does it compare to Ubuntu in ease of use a compatability, plus does it have as a huge repos as Ubuntu?

OpenSUSE is what I use, and I really enjoy it. For me, it runs faster on my laptop then Ubuntu does, feels more stable, and has a KDE environment that can not be beat. It feels very polished and well thought out. They have a live CD now, so you should just burn it and see what you think. Package management on SUSE is a bit slower then Ubuntu, but it's not a deal breaker at all. You can even set up APT if you really want it. Give it a go and see what you think. I like it more then Ubuntu, though I can not agree more that the Ubuntu community is unbeatable. Let us know if you have any questions.

**Erunno** · November 14th, 2007

Originally Posted by x64Jimbo

Just take a look at DistroWatch. The numbers don't lie.

Does that mean that Windows having a market share of 90 percent mean that it surpasses Ubuntu in quality?

After all, the numbers don't lie.

**x64Jimbo** · November 15th, 2007

No, it means that Microsoft has an unfair monopoly on the commercial operating system market, which has absolutely nothing to do with the open source operating system market. I believe that Ubuntu's numbers surpass openSuse's because of the community surrounding the distro, not the quality of the product. Even if Ubuntu were slightly less polished than openSuse, the awesome atmosphere of these forums and the willingness of its members to help each other out would overcome what little deficit there might be in quality.
These aren't just my sentiments. Pretty much every article or spot I've seen on Ubuntu trumpets the community's merits as its leading cause of success. Without enthusiasm and support, software is just software.
I am not trying to say that openSuse is bad. I am also not trying to say that its community is not helpful or enthusiastic. I am sure that it is, and I am glad that there are so many well-developed and well-supported Linux distros out there. They all help contribute to the general success of OSS, and that makes me very happy!

**Antman** · November 15th, 2007

Originally Posted by x64Jimbo

Just take a look at DistroWatch. The numbers don't lie.

They do if you interpret them wrong. The DistroWatch numbers are just how many times a distros link has been accessed through the DistroWatch site.

**x64Jimbo** · November 15th, 2007

I'm not saying that Distrowatch's numbers are incontrovertible evidence. However, there is a strong correlation between strong Distrowatch numbers and actual users.