SUSE Linux Enterprise 10, a Closer Look

Tripperfish writes "Mad Penguin's Adam Doxtater has published an in-depth review of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, Novell's alleged 'Vista Killer.' From the article: 'SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a very capable, industrial strength desktop which is ready to take on basic desktop chores in the corporate environment, and for the price you simply cannot go wrong. ' The review comes complete with screenshots and Flash movies of the install, new GNOME interface, and Beagle in action."

Killer Mania!

[A Dafa Disciple]

In no article I've seen has any writer actually suggested or "alleged" that SUSE Enterprise 10 is going to be a "Vista killer," as the story submitter (and transitively, /. editor) purported. Gotta love the FUD.

You certainly wouldn't hear Novell utter those words. I believe that a company that's been around as long as they have has more sense than that and knows that the best they could ever hope for is "Vista competitor." It would be interesting to know just how much of a margin Novell would have to take of Microsoft's sales in order for them to consider the maneuver to be a success.

On a side note, this "killer" stuff is getting way out of hand, with iPod killers [slashdot.org] and Flash killers [slashdot.org], and /. killers [digg.com], and YouTube killers [slashdot.org] and now apprently Vista killers...

Please folks; enough with the killing.

Can't we all just get along?

Looks nice

[p!ssa]

This does look like a nice desktop solution but I do not see any mass migrations to SLED in the enterprise. With the existing installed base of windows & apps in the companies I consult for, it will take alot more than this to replace the windows based systems. It is realtively easy to get some backend server moved over with proper justification but most dont want to disrupt the installed base of users with the change and associated complications, beside windows does not cost $300 dollars in the enterprise. Corporate licences are very reasonable and may even be cheaper in the ong run.

Horrible article

[idesofmarch]

Here is a clueless expert they trot out:

Dave Morrill, Co-CEO of Assured Computing Technologies, a Bedford, N.H.-based system builder and solution provider, said he doesn't believe wide-scale migration from Microsoft to Linux will happen immediately, and customers who don't want to spring for Vista may simply stick with Windows XP rather than switch. However, Morrill said, once Microsoft stops supporting XP, it could be a different story. "At that point, you're going to see a shift and a loss of customers for Microsoft," he said.

Say what? Microsoft isn't supporting NT 4 now. Are companies migrating en masse to Fedora 5 or whatever version it was in 2000? And I am sure that Novell is just chomping at the bit, waiting for 2011, when MS stops supporting XP.

Re:Horrible article

[Anonymous Coward]

NT 4 obviously isn't used as widely as XP (NT 5.1), when XP goes out companies which aren't using Windows-only software and don't want to buy lots of new hardware may well switch.

Also NT 4 has been widely replaced with Linux; when NT 4 was in it's prime Linux and *BSD weren't viable choices.

Re:Killer Mania!

[Anonymous Coward]

In no article I've seen has any writer actually suggested or "alleged" that SUSE Enterprise 10 is going to be a "Vista killer," as the story submitter (and transitively, /. editor) purported. Gotta love the FUD.

I was under the impression that "FUD" stood for "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt," and generally refers to a marketing strategy of spreading vague rumors and reports of defects in competing products.

By contrast, calling this product a "Vista killer" seems to say more about how great SuSE's product will be, supposing it could, in fact, win significant marketshare away from Windows. Now, calling something an "X killer" is certainly a stupid remark, but it clearly doesn't fit the traditional definition of FUD as some kind of vague, unsubstantiated, rumors about flaws in a competing product.

When did FUD switch from the classical definition to "any random stupid statement that Joe Slashdotter disagrees with"?

Novell's strategy

[alucinor]

I think Novell's strategy with SLED isn't to bill it as a wholesale replacement for XP in the general desktop, but for "edge" workstations, like help desk people. I personally think it'd be great for a developer machine -- if you were a Java or Web developer, at least.

But if they want to be successful at all, they'll need to nail these two things:

1) Marketing
2) Alleviating fears about training and support.

And Novell has been known to suck at (1) -- and it's going to be all uphill for (2). But good luck to them, because we need more variety in computing to keep MS on their toes and valuing their developers more so that they actually have to compete on merits for a change.

Re:Looks nice

[porkThreeWays]

This one release isn't going to be a Windows killer. However, consistant high quality releases like this over the next few years will definatly make a huge impact. It won't happen all at once. We'll just step back in 5 years and say "wow, linux has 20% desktop market share. When did this happen?".

Re:SLES/SLED

[Muramasa]

What advantages are there to SuSE if you hate YaST and rpm? Wouldn't you be better off just running Debian if you're installing apt in SuSE anyway?

Re:Well...

[Trelane]

What I need is for linux to be able to run aps like Photoshop natively.

Umm, then you should talk to Adobe, not Linux developers. Last I checked, Adobe were still the ones making photoshop....

Re:Killer Mania!

[grammar fascist]

When did FUD switch from the classical definition to "any random stupid statement that Joe Slashdotter disagrees with"?

Since it became a meme and almost everyone forgot what it stands for.

Re:Killer Mania!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, "fud" has become quite a common tag, usually seeming to mean "I disagree with this article" more than anything else. It was this trend in general which prompted me to comment; the original post was merely a convenient place to do so.

Re:Gnome Desktop?

[ClamIAm]

is this "GNOME is easier for the average desktop user, so that's our Enterprise desktop product" because KDE has too much customization for the corporate desktop?

More != better. For example, look at Konqueror. The default setup has 17 buttons sitting on the toolbar. Then there are the menu names. We have "Location" and "go". Then there's "tools" and "settings". I guess the guiding philosophy here is "if you haven't solved the problem, just add more".

Re:Killer Mania!

[LordVader717]

Don't you think it's a bit pointless to point out a good comment if you're only posting anomamously yourself, so that noone will see you?

Re:Killer Mania!

[pimpimpim]

When did FUD switch from the classical definition to "any random stupid statement that Joe Slashdotter disagrees with"?

Since it's the shortest word to type as a slashdot tag for these kind of articles. Been noticing its inappropriate use already for some time now in the tags. Am a big fan of the tagging system what the rest concerns.

Re:SLES/SLED

[zootm]

Ehh.. What are you talking about ? I am running 10.1 right now and have KDE desktop.

OpenSuSE, or the Enterprise one that the article is about? The new Enterprise one uses a more GNOME-centric system in general, it seems. I've no doubt that KDE is still an option, though.

Re:Killer Mania!

[kojo88]

as an angry user of windows for the last 8 years (im only 17) i was very interested in testing the SUSE linux system as part of my work experience, i was amazed at how easy it is to use applications but there is still one downside- and that's installin software, i installed 4 different media players and none of them could open a mpeg file, i was very dissapointed, i also had to install drivers for a pci-e graphics card, that took me into all this coding stuff and while im not scared of that i still needed a tutorial to do so, so overall suse linux is reli good once uve got everythin you need on the system JAWs

winxp too

[Anonymous Coward]

Windows doesn't let you play dvd's out of box either (with WMP), so you'll need to download a player too. same goes for playing mpeg's, xvid, quicktime, and flash.

Re:Looks nice

[dhasenan]

I think that the current Linux geeks will end up spreading Linux to their families.

Windows is opt-out, not opt-in; I think that, most of the time, people would prefer not to use Windows and the attendant expensive software bundle. Linux is an alternative, especially with systems like Ubuntu that take the pain out of administration.

Basically, Windows isn't reaching new people; Linux is. Even if the market share for Linux in established markets grows very slowly, it has to beat Microsoft eventually. Not necessarily in my lifetime, but eventually.

Re:Vista killer?

[dhasenan]

You say that, and I even agree to an extent. However, the vast majority of people want something that functions well with little or no maintenance and has features and an interface that they want. And the vast majority of people are entirely unfamiliar with Linux, so they believe their choice is between getting a new, expensive computer and staying with Windows.

Moreover, Linux is rather impractical for those with dialup Internet service or (gasp) no Internet connection at all. Last I checked, that's still a popular way to go in many areas.

Re:Looks nice

[tsa]

I sure hope you're right. But remember it's all about the applications, not the OS. And if MS continues to have a stranglehold on the office suite market, nothing will change. Let's hope ODF continues to spread. Then we will see some change.