Distro pick head ache openSuse10.3 vs. ubunutu gutsy ?

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Wed, Oct 17, 2007 at 05:45:27PM -0400, tleslie wrote:
> I need to upgrade my main machine, and its obviously a choice between
> openSuse 10.3 and gutsy because they are both just released distros.
> 
> I was assuming months ago I was going to switch to ubuntu gutsy (i use
> open suse 10.2 now).
> 
> I couldn't help notice the ubuntu community just keeps getting bigger
> and bigger, and I am a firm believer a kick ass community makes for a
> good distro.

Well Ubuntu is based on Debian which gives it the strongest foundation
you can get in a Linux distribution, and the most thought out package
system design available.  personally I stick with pure Debian, but I can
see why Ubuntu apeals to people.  The one time I installed suse just to
try it I was very unimpressed.  It's net install method was almost as
unfriendly as openbsd was at the time.  Netbsd was more pleasant to
install than suse.

> Also lately the blog reviews on linux news sites have dumped on
> opensuse10.3
> but in a google for opensuse10.3 in more main stream outlets,
> the reviews have actually been stellar.
> 
> beta gutsy reviews have been good, but it seems opensuse 10.3
> made a bigger jump from 10.2 more then gutsy did from fiesty,
> but then fiesty might have started out better then 10.2
> so who knows where absolutely they end up.

Yeah feisty is not a problem, and doing incremental improvements is
great.  If there is enough wrong that a point release can be a major
improvement, then it must really have started off rather bad.

> I am 60% in favour of switching to ubuntu and 40% with Suse, 
> and looking for more info before I install the "winner".
> 
> For me, i will install the loser in vmware.
> But since there is copy paste issues and the fact you can't 
> 3D desktop and get the audio proper via vmware,
> the loser in vmware is more just for particular apps, etc
> that might run better then the winner.

What would not run well on ubuntu?

> For me the benifit of Suse is:
> 
> - I dev. in Mono.
> - Suse has more experience in 3D desktop, i.e. they brought out 
> compiz in 10.2 and beryl (and now fusion) is a fork and recombine
> of compiz anyways.

Just because you own something doesn't mean you know how to integrate it
well.

> - Suse tends to have better support for Oracle, etc, and i do use SLES
> on servers, and Unbuntu isn't there yet.

I think it is more a matter of Oracle thinks suse is "enterprise" and
hence supports it.  Oracle doesn't understand the concept of a
community.

> Benefit of ubunutu is:
> 
> - large community, and even when i google for multimedia issue
> i find more answers in ubuntu forms then in suse forms.
> - larger community means things usually means bugs/oddities get hashed
> out earlier.
> - bullet proof X seems like a good idea (not sure maybe suse10.3 has it
> but they havnt stated it).
> - Suse's "noob menu system sucks, and i put it in classic mode anyways"
> - with Dell flogging it , i might get better odd ball HW compat.

Hardware support should for the most part be mainly a matter of which
kernel version you have.  Inclussion of some 3rd party drivers
(especially some of the non free ones) can make a difference of course.

> - i think there is better software repo's for ubuntu.
> - ubuntu does a 6 month distro rotation, open suse longer.

Some people like frequent changes, some people just want things to stay
working.  Ubuntu seems to generally do a good job doing both.

> As much as people may read this and suggest  gentoo, or pclinux, ......
> I absolutely am down to strictly considering 10.3 or gutsy,
> and its looking like i will be leaning to gutsy
> unless some list members have other feed back that makes me change my
> mind.
> If members can give even more pluses for gutsy, well then i will feel
> better, because then i will not be so torn.
> 
> I run a quad 2.8 GHz opteron system with 8GB ram and a nvidia 7900GT,
> dual monitor HP30" and Samsung 22" together for a 3760x1600 desktop.
> Suse has support this set up great now, I assume ubuntu would to.

Should work fine.  Would be a nice system to run 64bit on, but 64bit
linux still has a few applications that aren't quite happy with that
yet.

> Gutsy is out tomorrow, so i need to make up my mind quick!!

You don't have to install it the first day it is out you know.  It will
still be there next week.

--
Len Sorensen
--
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