openSUSE


See also: SUSE Linux distributions
openSUSE
openSUSE logo

openSUSE 10.3, KDE
Website www.opensuse.org
Company/
developer		 Novell
OS family Linux
Source model Open Source
Initial release March 1994 (age 13–14)
Latest stable release 10.3 / October 4, 2007 (2007-10-04); 251 days ago
Latest unstable release 11.0 RC 1[1] / May 29, 2008 (2008-05-29); 13 days ago
Kernel type Monolithic kernel, Linux
Default user interface KDE/GNOME
Working state Current (10.1 and above)

openSUSE, (pronounced /ˌoʊpɛnˈsuːzə/), is a community project, sponsored by Novell and AMD,[2] to develop and maintain a general purpose Linux distribution. After acquiring SUSE Linux in January 2004,[3] Novell decided to release the SUSE Linux Professional product as a 100% open source project, involving the community in the development process.[4] The initial release was a beta version of SUSE Linux 10.0, and as of October 2007 the current stable release is openSUSE 10.3.[5]

Beyond the distribution, openSUSE provides a web portal for community involvement. The community assists in developing openSUSE collaboratively with representatives from Novell by contributing code through the open Build Service, writing documentation, designing artwork, fostering discussion on open mailing lists and in Internet Relay Chat channels, and improving the openSUSE site through its wiki interface. Novell markets openSUSE as the best, easiest distribution for all users.[6]

Like most distributions it includes both a default graphical user interface (GUI) and a command line interface option; it allows the user (during installation) to select which GUI they are comfortable with (either KDE, GNOME or XFCE), and supports thousands of software packages across the full range of open source development.


Contents

History

The SUSE Linux distribution was originally a German translation of Slackware Linux. The Slackware distribution (maintained by Patrick Volkerding) was initially based largely on Softlanding Linux System. In mid-1992, SLS was founded by Peter MacDonald, and was the first comprehensive distribution to contain elements such as X and TCP/IP.

S.u.S.E was founded in late 1992 as a UNIX consulting group, which among other things regularly released software packages that included SLS and Slackware, and printed UNIX/Linux manuals. S.u.S.E is an acronym for the German phrase "Software- und System-Entwicklung" ("Software and system development"), however in English speaking communities a rumour still circulates that the name is a tribute to the German computer pioneer Konrad Zuse, whose name in English has similar pronunciation. They released the first CD version of SLS/Slackware in 1994, under the name S.u.S.E Linux 1.0. It later integrated with the Jurix distribution by Florian La Roche, to release the first really unique S.u.S.E Linux 4.2 in 1996. Over time, SuSE Linux incorporated many aspects of Red Hat Linux (e.g., using RPMs and /etc/sysconfig). In a move to more effectively reach its business audience, SuSE introduced the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in 2001, and consecutively changed the company name to SUSE Linux in September 2003 as a part of its overall new branding strategy, as announced by SUSE's marketing VP Uwe Schmid.[7]

On November 4, 2003, Novell announced it would acquire SuSE.[8] The acquisition was finalized in January 2004.[9] J. Philips (Novell's corporate technology strategist for the Asia Pacific region) stated that Novell would not "in the medium term" alter the way in which SUSE continues to be developed.[10] At Novell's annual BrainShare gathering in 2004, all computers ran SUSE Linux for the first time. At this gathering it was also announced that the proprietary SUSE administration program YaST2 would be released into the public under the GPL license.

On August 4, 2005, Novell spokesman and director of public relations Bruce Lowry announced that the development of the SUSE Professional series will become more open and within the community project openSUSE try to reach a wider audience of users and developers. The software, by definition of open source, already had their coding "open," but now the development process will be more "open" than before, allowing developers and users to test the product and help develop it. Previously all development work was done in-house by SUSE, and version 10.0 was the first version that had public beta testing. As part of the change, YaST Online Update server access will be complimentary for SUSE Linux users, and along the lines of most open source distributions, there will both be a free download available on the web and a boxed edition. This change in philosophy led to the release of the SUSE Linux 10.0 release on October 6, 2005 in "OSS" (completely open source), "eval" (has both open source and proprietary applications and is actually a fully featured version) and retail boxed-set editions.

The current mascot of SUSE is commonly referred to as a gecko called Geeko, but is actually a chameleon.

Features

openSUSE has many features, which include: (Note:Only YaST and AppArmor are headed by Novell)

Versions

10.x Series

The initial stable release from the openSUSE project was SUSE Linux 10.0, released on October 6, 2005.[11] This was released as a freely downloadable ISO image and as a boxed retail package, with certain bundled software only included in the retail package.[12]

On May 11, 2006, the openSUSE project released SUSE Linux 10.1, with the mailing list announcement identifying Xgl, NetworkManager, AppArmor and Xen as prominent features.[13]

For their third release, the openSUSE project renamed their distribution, releasing openSUSE 10.2 on December 7, 2006. Several areas that developers focused their efforts on were reworking the menus used to launch programs in KDE and GNOME, moving to ext3 as the default file system, providing support for internal readers of Secure Digital cards commonly used in digital cameras, improving power management framework (more computers can enter suspended states instead of shutting down and starting up) and the package management system. This release also featured version 2.0 of Mozilla Firefox.

The fourth release, openSUSE 10.3, was made available as a stable version on October 4, 2007.[14] An overhaul of the software package management system (including support for 1-Click-Install), legal MP3 support from Fluendo and improved boot-time are some of the areas focused on for this release.

11.x Series

OpenSUSE 11.0 is in development. Improvements will include the latest version of KDE and GNOME desktop environments, a better installation routine, and UMTS support. The schedule should be as follows:

  • Jan 17 openSUSE 11.0 Alpha 1 release
  • Feb 07 openSUSE 11.0 Alpha 2 release
  • Mar 18 openSUSE 11.0 Alpha 3 release
  • Apr 17 openSUSE 11.0 Beta 1 release
  • May 02 openSUSE 11.0 Beta 2 release
  • May 15 openSUSE 11.0 Beta 3 release
  • May 29 openSUSE 11.0 Release Candidate 1
  • Jun 12 openSUSE 11.0 Goldmaster (internal)
  • Jun 19 openSUSE 11.0 Public release [15]

openSUSE running a GNOME Desktop.

openSUSE running a KDE3 Desktop.

OpenSUSE 11.0 Beta 2 (KDE4)

Hardware Compatibility

As of v10.0, openSUSE resumed support for the PowerPC based systems from Apple including the Old World(PCI Based 601, 603, & 604 systems, Powerbook 1400, 2400, 3400 , G3(Kanga) and G3 Wallstreet, and the original PowerMac G3 Beige) and New World Macintoshes(Blue & White G3, Lombard and Pismo Powerbooks, and All G4 & G5 based systems) as well as the IBM POWER based systems and the Cell/PS3.

See also

References

  1. ^ Announcing OpenSUSE 11.0 RC 1
  2. ^ Sponsors/AMD. opensuse.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-17.
  3. ^ Novell Completes Acquisition of SUSE LINUX. Novell Press Release (January 13, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-01-13.
  4. ^ Tina Gasperson (August 3, 2005). Novell frees SUSE Professional under new branding. NewsForge. Retrieved on 2006-01-13.
  5. ^ Michael Loeffler (October 4, 2007). Release of openSUSE 10.3. opensuse-announce mailing list. Retrieved on 2007-10-04.
  6. ^ Frequently Asked Questions. opensuse.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  7. ^ SuSE Rebrands Ahead of 9.0 Launch. internetnews.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  8. ^ Novell to acquire SuSE Linux. zdnet.com.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.
  9. ^ Kennedy, D. (2003). Novell's Linux buy opens road to top. Retrieved December 20, 2003.
  10. ^ Ramesh, R. (2004). Novell: SuSE stays the same, for now. Retrieved January 14, 2004.
  11. ^ CowboyNeal (October 5, 2006). SUSE 10.0 OSS Released. Slashdot. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  12. ^ Joe Harmon (September 19, 2005). Packages on the retail version and not the OSS version of SUSE Linux 10.0. Novell.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  13. ^ Andreas Jaeger (May 11, 2006). SUSE Linux 10.1 Release. opensuse-announce mailing list. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
  14. ^ Francis Giannaros (October 4, 2007). Announcing openSUSE 10.3 GM. openSUSE News. Retrieved on 2007-10-08.
  15. ^ SUSE Linux 11 Roadmap. openSUSE Wiki (February 7, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-03.

External links

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