On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 8:54 PM, Camaleón
<noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
By trying both LiveCDs you will see how the two system look like, how
they're organized and the most important part for a LiveCD: you'll can
try out the hardware detection.
That's really the most important part, I should say 'most important' for me at least and that too being a beginner.
Before installing Debian, I left one of my spare systems loaded with a
LiveCD for some time to start getting in touch with the system (a LiveCD
also allows you to install software applications, although "disk" space
is somehow limited). At the time I installed openSUSE (2003) there was
not such option called "LiveCD" so I had to blindly install the OS
without testing it before so nowadys you have a great advantage ;-)
The live CD options might have evolved recently only, but that's really a great job done. I thank to all the developers.
> This is not a problem for a single home user because I think even if the
> period is of 18 months, one (here 'I') can learn at least some basics of
> Linux, and after 18 months can install/upgrade the newer version and
> then for next 18 months - again it is safe. The basic fundamental of the
> newer upgraded version too would remain the same as that of the one with
> was it got replaced, please let me know if it is like that....mean am I
> correct in this sense....?
I don't understand this :-?
I just meant that, security patched for 18 months are enough for the beginners and the people who are from other filed (like me). After 18 months, in the home PC, we can reinstall the newer version again (or upgrade the same, if it doesn't really cause the problem(s)). However, what exactly I meant is that even if the newer version is installed, the basic functionality of the system would remain the same, like what we learned in the previous version (for 18 months) would even be applicable to the newer ones....
In openSUSE (as in other distributions) you have the chance to:
1/ Perform a full install (from scratch)
2/ Perform a mid-install (by keeping your /home partition, if available)
3/ Perform an offline upgrade (by booting from a DVD/CD install media)
4/ Perform an online upgrade (from a running system)
Option 4/ has been added recently and is officialy supported when
upgrading from one version to the next one (that is, you can jump from
11.3 to 11.4).
I (as a beginner too), can only perform the option no.1/ and I am pretty sure for it, only GUI would work perfectly.
> And that's why I go for its trial on the coming Sunday.
I wish you the best of the lucks. Feel free to come here if you finally
don't find yourself confortable with openSUSE but I'm sure you will do.
They also have a great and supportive user community :-)
Thanks a lot.
Choosing between openSUSE and Debian is a very easy decision: whichever
you finally select you will win :-)
Oh great, that's really a nice sentence with true reality. Both are rock solid - so I win in both the cases!
On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 9:22 PM, Camaleón
<noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
Having the possibility of managing the system from a GUI is important for
newcomers (it was crucial for me who was used to windows...). What the IT
press and blogger reviewers show can be sometimes biased and I guess
that's one of the reasons the OP is asking for feedback here, where
"real" users lie.
I agree.
And I personally did it on one of my systems (from 11.3 → 11.4), it
worked nice.
That's really great.
But now SuSE is a stand-alone business, no
more part of Novell but a self-managed project of Attachmate.
That I didn't know before.
I had no compelling reasons for make the change from openSUSE to Debian
(true is that I like openSUSE) but their support cycle change. But now
I'm fine here, I mean, if openSUSE would back to a 24 month of relase
support cycle I would think more than twice before turning back ;-)
Means both are excellent.
On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 9:32 PM, Camaleón
<noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
Which way you think is that? They have a very nice community plenty of
helpful users and a good infrastructure.
Really great.
> slightly clunky,
No way! It's perfect for novices :-)
Cool to know.
openSUSE has a similar layout: there are the official supported repos,
semi-official ones and then you have the community based repos.
One of the advantadges of openSUSE for newbies and this kind of repos is
that they can have a stable version of openSUSE and easily add a repo for
upgrading their KDE or GNOME full environment, and this is something
difficult to get in Debian (you have to run the "testing" branch or
carefully pin the selected packages and that's not for begginers).
That I really don't understand at this point of time, but in future
(after getting at least some hands wet), I could know about it.
On Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 12:40 AM, francis picabia
<fpicabia@gmail.com> wrote:
Comparing apples to apples, Debian is able to do what Suse cannot.
Debian can upgrade from 4 to 5, or 5 to 6, while running. You never
need to boot from the network or CD/DVD after the initial Debian
install. I have systems now running Debian 6 which were initially installed
as Debian 3.0. Media such as CD/DVD have never been used on
them since the 3.0 installation. "aptitude dist-upgrade"
(or apt-get - whatever is in vogue in the upgrade instructions),
is the method to do a major upgrade. One should reference
the upgrade documentation for complete instructions and
caveats on any packages which are incompatible,
tips on use of screen, etc.
Oh I get to know and again I as I said,Debian is also one of the best distros! Cool.
By 2020, I predict both Solaris and Suse will be gone or a minimal
legacy install base. Debian will still be going strong.
You cannot say this about Suse (at least for what I know) and I
do agree with Debain stability but simultaneously about openSUSE's. Its
not like that one hates Debian and that's why is saying for openSUSE, a
fact is a fact. Suse cannot fall by 2020, I bet. I don't know the reason, and about 'why', 'how', etc...etc..., when you say this sentence without any probability to happen?
On Sat, Oct 29, 2011 at 1:30 AM, Camaleón
<noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
> Comparing apples to apples, Debian is able to do what Suse cannot.
Facts, please. What you say is not "printed" anywhere but in your sole
mind and of course your words contradict my personal experience ;-)
> Debian can upgrade from 4 to 5, or 5 to 6, while running.
openSUSE can also so it (review the URL I already posted in this same
thread).
> You never need to boot from the network or CD/DVD after the initial
> Debian install. I have systems now running Debian 6 which were
> initially installed as Debian 3.0.
And there are people running openSUSE 11.4 boxes that started from SuSE
Linux 10.1 or even from older releases, they also can run the upgrade
smoothly :-)
> Media such as CD/DVD have never been used on them since the 3.0
> installation. "aptitude dist-upgrade" (or apt-get - whatever is in
> vogue in the upgrade instructions), is the method to do a major
> upgrade. One should reference the upgrade documentation for complete
> instructions and caveats on any packages which are incompatible, tips
> on use of screen, etc.
Documentation and Release Notes are not "magic words" that prevent you
from being hosed when running the live upgrade in Debian ;-)
Again, maybe is that you have not tried openSUSE before but I did. And
live upgrades are not only supported since 11.3 but they also work well,
with the same problems you can encounter in Debian (maybe a bit more
because this funcionality has been added recently).
I agree that one who uses the OS can better tell about it. Like you have
used both - Debian and openSUSE, so you seem more correct. While one is
great (like Debian), we cannot say that other is not great, that other
(like openSUSE) too can be great.
Yes, as I said, this "feature" has been added just a few years ago which
means openSUSE is making a best effort to add new things that users are
asking for.
Great to know this fact too.