So what's the difference between openSUSE and SLED?

[user1397]

as far as I understand it, SLED 10 is openSUSE 10 but it costs $50 and you get customer support from Novell. is that correct?

[ciscosurfer]

SLED 10 is the Enterprise Desktop

[user1397]

no i meant that apart from differences in prce, is there some other difference between the two? i mean like software diffs, like does SLED come preinstalled with programs that opensuse does not...

[Senori]

SLED includes a few glitzy extras like the slab and an easily enabled XGL/Compiz not featured in openSUSE 10.1. It also comes with every piece of software under the sun (a default install includes Pan, which although a great program isn't something most people use.)

10.2 should have most of these features when it is released.

[Dragonbite]

Does SLED 10 (being paid for) allow legally playing MP3 and DVDs (proprietary codecs)?

In the USA, due to patents, or something like that, most Linux distros do not provide for playing MP3s and DVDs out-of-the-box and while it is very easy to download the necessary items it is not legal.

I would be hoping that the paid-for version of SLED may include the necessary royalties/patent/licensing pay-offs to skip this. OpenSuse, being freely distributed, would not support this I understand.

[user1397]

SLED includes a few glitzy extras like the slab and an easily enabled XGL/Compiz not featured in openSUSE 10.1. It also comes with every piece of software under the sun (a default install includes Pan, which although a great program isn't something most people use.)

10.2 should have most of these features when it is released.ah, arite, thanks for the knowledge

[JackSlammer]

Does SLED 10 (being paid for) allow legally playing MP3 and DVDs (proprietary codecs)?

In the USA, due to patents, or something like that, most Linux distros do not provide for playing MP3s and DVDs out-of-the-box and while it is very easy to download the necessary items it is not legal.

I would be hoping that the paid-for version of SLED may include the necessary royalties/patent/licensing pay-offs to skip this. OpenSuse, being freely distributed, would not support this I understand.

Those patents are valid in pretty much every western country, not just USA. I am not sure about so called third world countries but i am sure they are valid atleast in some of them... and no, they are not software patents...

MP3 patents will expire between 2010-2015, not quite sure.

[max.diems]

Does SLED 10 (being paid for) allow legally playing MP3 and DVDs (proprietary codecs)?

In the USA, due to patents, or something like that, most Linux distros do not provide for playing MP3s and DVDs out-of-the-box and while it is very easy to download the necessary items it is not legal.

I would be hoping that the paid-for version of SLED may include the necessary royalties/patent/licensing pay-offs to skip this. OpenSuse, being freely distributed, would not support this I understand.

I would hope it didn't include the codecs. SLED is for buissiness.

[ecadre]

The real differences between openSUSE and SLED is that that SLED has business support, it is more conservative with it's packages (not so bleeding edge) and the security updates come together in a regular cycle.

These are things that businesses like.

Oh, and now Novell has made it's scummy deal with Microsoft, they are claiming it will also licence (or as they call it, free users from threat of prosecution) Microsft patents. Subscribers to SLED and SLES support packages will be making royalty payments to Microsoft.

Amazing, but true:

http://www.novell.com/linux/microsoft/

[Breepee]

Those patents are valid in pretty much every western country, not just USA. I am not sure about so called third world countries but i am sure they are valid atleast in some of them... and no, they are not software patents...

Not here in Europe, and third-world countries generally don't have laws regulating patents, the problems are pretty much confined to North America.

[gruffy-06]

SLED includes a few glitzy extras like the slab and an easily enabled XGL/Compiz not featured in openSUSE 10.1. It also comes with every piece of software under the sun (a default install includes Pan, which although a great program isn't something most people use.)

10.2 should have most of these features when it is released.

Just a sec.

3D desktop effects can be found and easily enabled in SUSE Linux 10.1 and SLED10. They are not installed by default in SUSE Linux 10.1. Just install compiz and xgl via YaST.