That was a little teaser of what openSUSE is capable of. The usual graphics of LINUX is up but with a little twist. With openSUSE, you can fly your windows! How remarkable is that?! Plus this latest openSUSE 11.0 Linux distro comes with different multi-desktop animation - that is, you can have the orb, the cylinder and the free-orb.
The lastest version of openSUSE Linux distro from Novell/SUSE is the 11.0 version. Before this, there had been other versions (Mind you, they all look similar) :
We looked at what KDE and Gnome was in previous entries. With that snippets in mine, let us look at what openSUSE 11.0 is made up of. And then, if this entry doesn't get too long, I would discuss the major differences between openSUSE 11.0 and Fedora 9 (remember the Red Hat Fedora?). Of course, I would love to tell you which distro is better but I thought I would give a total overview after looking at a few more distros. So, now, time for some SUSE!
A typical openSUSE version 11.0 comes with the usual KDE, Gnome, NetworkManager, openOffice and the exhilarating desktop graphics with compiz fusion. These are the usual ingredients in a Linux soup. Let us zoom into some of the majorly interesting features of openSUSE 11.0.
The default KDE of openSUSE 11.0 is KDE 4.0.4 that comes with a tool called Dolphin that acts like a default file manager and another tool called Konqueror that is to be used for web browsing and advanced file management need. KWin in KDE 4.0.4 gives you the glossy desktop effects like the one below :
Though it is cool to have KDE 4.0.4 with nice desktop graphics and file manager, we should not forget that KDE 4.0.4 is new and still has rough edges unlike KDE 3 which was a more stable desktop environment. (I want to see you deny that!)
Although KDE 4.0.4 is the start of the new generation of KDEs, this version does have its tumbling blocks. Unlike KDE 3.5, KDE 4.0.4 is less stable and still has some rough edges that the openSUSE development team is currently working on. Moreover, KDE 4.0.4 does not contain KDEPIM. (By the way, "KDE PIM is a package of the KDE desktop environment that contains personal information management tools." as extracted from wikipedia.) So basically, this KDEPIM contains applications like your KMail, KOrganizer, KAlarm and many more. The complete list is as stated below :
List of software found in KDE PIM
Akregator – Feed reader.
KMail – The official KDE e-mail client.
KAddressBook – Address Book frontend.
KOrganizer – Calendar and scheduling program.
KonsoleKalendar – Command line interface to KDE calendars.
KPilot – Replacement for the Palm Desktop software.
Kandy – Data synchronisation of phonebook, organizer and other data between a mobile phone and computer.
KArm – Time tracker that integrates with KOrganizer todo list.
KNotes – Virtual paper notes on the desktop.
KAlarm – A personal alarm message, command and email scheduler.
KNode – A Usenet news client
Kontact – Brings KDE PIM applications under one roof
KJots – outliner (tree structured) simple text editor
An example of an application in KDE PIM - KMail
So, when there is an absence of such useful tools from your desktop environment, it might spell disaster or boredom depending on the aspect of each tool, how often you use it and how dependent you are on it. As I was saying, KDE 4.0.4 doesn't contain KDE PIM. Thus, openSUSE comes with beta versions of KDE PIM of those that belong to the KDE 4.1 that is currently being developed. openSUSE 11.0 also comes with some of the applications and tools of KDE 3.5 that are not found within KDE 4.0.4.
Next up, GNOME! openSUSE supports Gnome 2.22. Gnome in openSUSE 11.0 encapsulates many useful applications. For example, it now comes with a new application called Say Cheese that allows you to use your webcam in a Linux box to take pictures and make videos using the web cam attached to your computer. You won't stop just yet - There is still the stock effects in Say Cheese or other two softwares called F-Spot and The GIMP to edit your pictures. A slight fall-back is, networking through webcam might still be a problem. But at least, rejoice that your webcam is working like it is supposed to! So, that is something you might want to take note of.
Finally, openSUSE comes with the most recent release of the Linux Kernel, version 2.6.25 and impresively Firefox 3. And of course openOffice 2.4 - the latest. In the next entry, we will look closer at each of the new features in openSUSE 11.0. Again, if mood strikes, you might get a short comparison between openSUSE 11.0 and Fedora 9 - which is better.
Till the next post, stay tuned!
