OpenSUSE

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See also: SUSE Linux distributions
openSUSE
openSUSE logo

openSUSE 11.0, KDE 4.0
Company / developer openSUSE Project
OS family Unix-like
Working state Current (10.1 and above)
Source model Free Software / Open source
Initial release March 1994 (age 13–14)
Latest stable release 11.0 / 19 June 2008; 182 days ago[1]
Latest unstable release 11.1 RC1 / 27 November 2008; 21 days ago[2]
Update method Zypper/YaST2
Package manager RPM Package Manager
Supported platforms x86, x86-64, PowerPC
Kernel type Monolithic
Default user interface KDE/GNOME
License GPL and others
Website www.opensuse.org

openSUSE, (pronounced /ˌoʊpɛnˈsuːzə/), is a general purpose operating system developed by the openSUSE Project. After acquiring SUSE Linux in January 2004,[3] Novell decided to release the SUSE Linux Professional product as a 100% open source project, involving the community in the development process.[4] The initial release was a beta version of SUSE Linux 10.0, and as of June 2008 the current stable release is openSUSE 11.0.[5]

Beyond the distribution, the openSUSE Project provides a web portal for community involvement. The community assists in developing openSUSE collaboratively with representatives from Novell by contributing code through the openSUSE Build Service, writing documentation, designing artwork, fostering discussion on open mailing lists and in Internet Relay Chat channels, and improving the openSUSE site through its wiki interface. Novell employed over 500 developers working on SUSE in 2004.[6] Novell markets openSUSE as the best, easiest distribution for all users.[7]

Like most distributions, openSUSE includes both a default graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface option. During installation, the user may choose among KDE, GNOME and Xfce GUIs. openSUSE supports thousands of software packages across the full range of open source development.

Contents

History

The SUSE Linux distribution was originally a German translation of Slackware Linux. The Slackware distribution (maintained by Patrick Volkerding) was initially based largely on Softlanding Linux System. In mid-1992, SLS was founded by Peter MacDonald, and was the first comprehensive distribution to contain elements such as X and TCP/IP.

S.u.S.E was founded in late 1992 as a UNIX consulting group, which among other things regularly released software packages that included SLS and Slackware, and printed UNIX/Linux manuals. S.u.S.E is an acronym for the German phrase "Software- und System-Entwicklung" ("Software and system development"), however in English speaking communities a rumour still circulates that the name is a tribute to the German computer pioneer Konrad Zuse, whose name in English has similar pronunciation. The first CD version of SLS/Slackware was released in 1994, under the name S.u.S.E Linux 1.0. It later integrated with the Jurix distribution by Florian La Roche, to release the first really unique S.u.S.E Linux 4.2 in 1996. Over time, SuSE Linux incorporated many aspects of Red Hat Linux (e.g., using RPMs and /etc/sysconfig). In a move to more effectively reach its business audience, SuSE introduced the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in 2001, and consecutively changed the company name to SUSE Linux in September 2003 as a part of its overall new branding strategy, as announced by SUSE's marketing VP Uwe Schmid.[8]

On November 4, 2003, Novell announced it would acquire SuSE.[9] The acquisition was finalized in January 2004.[10] J. Philips (Novell's corporate technology strategist for the Asia Pacific region) stated that Novell would not "in the medium term" alter the way in which SUSE continues to be developed.[11] At Novell's annual BrainShare gathering in 2004, all computers ran SUSE Linux for the first time. At this gathering it was also announced that the proprietary SUSE administration program YaST2 would be released into the public under the GPL license.

On August 4, 2005, Novell spokesman and director of public relations Bruce Lowry announced that the development of the SUSE Professional series will become more open and within the community project openSUSE try to reach a wider audience of users and developers. The software, by definition of open source, already had their coding "open," but now the development process will be more "open" than before, allowing developers and users to test the product and help develop it. Previously all development work was done in-house by SUSE, and version 10.0 was the first version that had public beta testing. As part of the change, YaST Online Update server access will be complimentary for SUSE Linux users, and along the lines of most open source distributions, there will both be a free download available on the web and a boxed edition. This change in philosophy led to the release of SUSE Linux 10.0 on October 6, 2005 in "OSS" (completely open source), "eval" (has both open source and proprietary applications and is actually a fully featured version) and retail boxed-set editions.

The current mascot of SUSE is commonly referred to as a gecko called Geeko, but is actually a chameleon.

Features

 This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (October 2008)

openSUSE has many features, which include:

Versions

10.x Series

The initial stable release from the openSUSE Project was SUSE Linux 10.0, released on October 6, 2005.[12] This was released as a freely downloadable ISO image and as a boxed retail package, with certain bundled software only included in the retail package.[13]

On May 11, 2006, the openSUSE Project released SUSE Linux 10.1, with the mailing list announcement identifying Xgl, NetworkManager, AppArmor and Xen as prominent features.[14]

For their third release, the openSUSE Project renamed their distribution, releasing openSUSE 10.2 on December 7, 2006. Several areas that developers focused their efforts on were reworking the menus used to launch programs in KDE and GNOME, moving to ext3 as the default file system, providing support for internal readers of Secure Digital cards commonly used in digital cameras, improving power management framework (more computers can enter suspended states instead of shutting down and starting up) and the package management system. This release also featured version 2.0 of Mozilla Firefox.

The fourth release, openSUSE 10.3, was made available as a stable version on October 4, 2007.[15] An overhaul of the software package management system (including support for 1-Click-Install), legal MP3 support from Fluendo and improved boot-time are some of the areas focused on for this release.

11.x Series

OpenSUSE 11.0 was released on June 19, 2008. It includes the latest version GNOME and two versions of KDE (the older, stable 3.5.9 and the newer 4.0.4).[16][17] It comes in three freely downloadable versions: a complete installation DVD (including GNOME, KDE3, and KDE4), and two Live CDs (GNOME, and KDE4 respectively). A KDE3 Live CD was not produced, however, due to limited resources.[18] Package management and installation were made significantly faster with ZYpp.[19]

OpenSUSE 11.1 RC1 was released on November 27, 2008. The final version is expected to be released on December 18, 2008. Updated software includes GNOME 2.24, KDE 4.1.3 + KDE 3.5.10, OpenOffice.org 3.0, VirtualBox 2.0.6, Compiz 0.7.8, Zypper 1.0.1, continued improvement in the software update stack, X.Org 7.4 and Linux kernel 2.6.27.7.[2]

Expected Release Dates [20]

  • Thu, Dec 4: openSUSE 11.1 GM - final release
  • Thu, Dec 18: openSUSE 11.1 public release

Gallery

openSUSE 11.1 beta 4, KDE 4.1

openSUSE 11.0, KDE 4.0

openSUSE 11.0, KDE 3.5

openSUSE 11.0, GNOME

openSUSE 10.3, GNOME.

openSUSE 10.3, KDE 3.

System requirements

OpenSUSE 11.0 has full support for 32 bit i586 and 64 bit x86-64 PC hardware, with the following requirements[21]:

  • CPU: Intel—Pentium 1-4 or Xeon; AMD—Duron, Athlon, Athlon XP, Athlon MP, Athlon 64, Sempron or Opteron
  • RAM: 256 MB minimum, 512 MB recommended
  • Hard drive: 500 MB for minimal system; 2.5 GB recommended for standard system

The actually achievable minimum specs differ. Older processors that still belong to the i586 family are usable, for example the AMD K6/2. When excess language/translation files and documentation are removed and X is not needed, decent console-based router systems can be made using 300 MB disk space. Most console workloads also cope with 128 MB at the cost of increased swap activity in tight situations.

See also

References

  1. ^ Announcing openSUSE 11.0 GM
  2. ^ a b Development Release: openSUSE 11.1 RC 1 Now Available
  3. ^ "Novell Completes Acquisition of SUSE LINUX". Novell Press Release (January 13, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-01-13.
  4. ^ Tina Gasperson (August 3, 2005). "Novell frees SUSE Professional under new branding". NewsForge. Retrieved on 2006-01-13.
  5. ^ Michael Loeffler (October 4, 2007). "Release of openSUSE 10.3". opensuse-announce mailing list. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  6. ^ Arthur Griffith, CompTIA Linux+ Certification (Virtual Training Company, 2004)
  7. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". opensuse.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  8. ^ "SuSE Rebrands Ahead of 9.0 Launch". internetnews.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  9. ^ "Novell to acquire SuSE Linux". zdnet.com.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  10. ^ Kennedy, D. (2003). Novell's Linux buy opens road to top. Retrieved December 20, 2003.
  11. ^ Ramesh, R. (2004). Novell: SuSE stays the same, for now. Retrieved January 14, 2004.
  12. ^ CowboyNeal (October 5, 2006). "SUSE 10.0 OSS Released". Slashdot. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  13. ^ Joe Harmon (September 19, 2005). "Packages on the retail version and not the OSS version of SUSE Linux 10.0". Novell.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  14. ^ Andreas Jaeger (May 11, 2006). "SUSE Linux 10.1 Release". opensuse-announce mailing list. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  15. ^ Francis Giannaros (October 4, 2007). "Announcing openSUSE 10.3 GM". openSUSE News. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
  16. ^ "openSUSE 11.0 KDE4 inclusion".
  17. ^ "KDE with Stephan Binner".
  18. ^ "KDE with Stephan Binner".
  19. ^ "Sneak Peaks at openSUSE 11.0: Package Management".
  20. ^ "Expected Release Dates".
  21. ^ OpenSUSE 11.0: Hardware Requirements

External links

Novell
Identity and Systems Management
Linux Operating Systems
Workgroup Collaboration
Projects
Training and Certification
Important people
Linux distributions
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenSUSE"

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