Kitz Forum

Computer Software => Linux => Topic started by: broadstairs on January 14, 2016, 04:11:47 PM

Title: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: broadstairs on January 14, 2016, 04:11:47 PM
Having been less than happy with Fedora 23 KDE Plasma 5 I decided to try OpenSUSE Leap 42.1 which is a full DVD allowing software and desktop selection prior to installation. I have tried it under VirtualBox and I am quite impressed, so much so that right now I am installing it on my Laptop in place of Fedora 23.

By the way the number system for Leap is not obvious unless you are familiar with 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' as that is where the 42 part comes from  ::) the .1 means it is the first release. I gather this Leap system is part way between the bleeding edge Tumbleweed (I think that is the right name) and the existing stable release of OpenSUSE.

Anyway now to see how it goes on a real PC, my laptop is an I7 with 4gb memory and ran Fedora well until I got to 23, the problem was not performance although some have complained about that, but their implementation of KDE Plasma 5 - something which OpenSUSE seem to have done much better.

Stuart
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: roseway on January 14, 2016, 04:30:05 PM
I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it, Stuart. It was Plasma 5 which drove me away from Debian Testing and I'm now using Debian Stable which is much better for the state of my hair.
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: broadstairs on January 14, 2016, 04:59:18 PM
It is a bit of a learning curve as I've never used YaST before but I'm getting there. Just now setting everything how I want it on the laptop and so far so good but there's a bit to do yet....

Stuart
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: broadstairs on January 15, 2016, 09:57:27 AM
Well so far it has all gone well. Everything I was having most problems with in Fedora 23 seem to work fine in Leap. I'm getting to know YaST now and like it, one or two small things I've not figured out yet but I'm sure I will  ;) I'm typing this from the Leap laptop using Icecat browser and it is using all my default mouse and icon settings as does Firefox and Thunderbird - something which was not happening in Fedora. This also starts quicker from Hibernation than Fedora. I'm sure I will find some minor niggles but so far it is looking good. If all works out OK over the next week or so I'll probably replace Fedora 21 on my desktop with OpenSUSE Leap.

Stuart
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: broadstairs on January 17, 2016, 04:00:07 PM
Well I have had my first major hiccup - of my own making probably  :'( I could not get bluetooth working properly and found a thread on the OpenSUSE forums which said on Leap that Bluedevil5 did not install, so I installed it and then could not boot! The Bluez bit hung completely so I am in the process of re-installing. Not a big deal on the laptop as I had only done minimal config and product additions. So once it is up again I'll be careful this time and try to diagnose why Bluetooth was not working properly and fix it properly!

Stuart
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: roseway on January 17, 2016, 04:46:32 PM
I've had a play with it in VirtualBox, and it was a far more pleasant experience than my previous attempt with OpenSUSE.. Previously it seemed like wading through treacle - everything seemed to be so cumbersome, and refreshing the repositories (for example) took ages. Now it seems much more sleek, and very full-featured. I won't be taking it any further this time because of limitations of time, but perhaps later on.
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: broadstairs on January 17, 2016, 05:13:46 PM
I've done the re-install and there does seem to be a mis-match between various bits of the bluez and bluedevil code installed. I've updated my thread on the OpenSUSE forum and will wait to see what is said before I attempt to fix it again.

Stuart
Title: Re: Trying OpenSUSE Leap 42.1
Post by: broadstairs on January 25, 2016, 09:49:26 AM
I now have my main desktop running OpenSUSE Leap 42.1 and it's looking good. I have been able to install everything I needed to run what I do and everything basically works. Now need to do some more intensive testing but so far so good. Kde Plasma 5 under OpenSUSE is streets ahead of anything Fedora currently have available. What I need now is the latest version of Gutenprint (which only came out a couple of weeks or so ago as it better supports the only device I currently use which I need W7 to access.

Stuart