OpenSuse

[Kersus]

So I took my dual core, 4G Ram PoS W8 turned W10 laptop and dual booted it with OpenSUSE.

Why did I do this? Well, I wanted to take a couple of Linux courses. I thought about buying a new laptop.... Then it occurred to me that I have this laptop that can't run resource hungry Windows. I mean Windows on 4GB? Laughable. Dual core? Weren't they obsolete ten years ago?

Perhaps I could make this paperweight a usable computer with Linux.

For the course I have to choose between CentOS, Ubuntu or OpenSuse. I've had Ubuntu in the past and didn't want to trod that path again. Apt-get off my porch. Suse I had never used before. My experience limited to Corel Linux (Xandros), Ubuntu, Vector Linux, SymphonyOS...... Very little Arch and about the same with various BSDs. Some experience fixing Red Hat computers in a previous job....

Other OSs I enjoyed were OS/2 Warp and BeOS. I also played with an independent Unix OS with a giraffe as it's logo.....  Solaris? I can't remember.

This list means I played with them. I had some thought of building a Distro on Arch, but never got that far. I was leaning a lot toward the BSDs at that point. I think when I got into Symphony, I started to lose interest for awhile. In the end, I was probably still a novice at Linux.

Corel/Xandros was one of my best experiences since OS/2 Warp came out but their lack of support and going pay sort of did that in (it may be here that dependency hell started to get me, but I think it was in Ubuntu it broke me). Vector was solid but the Slackware community was bollocks. Symphony simply could not seem to get stable. Ubuntu is one I used for awhile but wasn't a fan of the fanatical userbase (this was before it became really popular) and I was burned out on Debian styles as well as astonished that GNOME had survived when it really was end-of-life ages ago.

Anyway.....

I probably snagged OpenSuse because it wasn't Debian and GNOME wasn't the default Desktop Environment.

....... More to come.

[Oedipussy Rex]

"Apt-get off my porch."

That's "sudo apt-get off my porch" to you, buddy.

And when did you last use Ubuntu? I've used it since, what was it? 2007? Still with it. Granted, I'm not doing as much with it as you probably want to, but then I don't want to explore the reaches of an OS. I just want it to work. Hence dropping MS Windows.

[Kersus]

My apologies, 'sudo apt-get into dependency-hell." Heh. As usual, that made me laugh.

Uhhh, I forget when I used Ubuntu... 2004-2005ish? Maybe later than that by a year or so. I'm not sure how long I used it either as it never really fit my needs. It just made me miss Xandros. I recall getting disks for Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and the server edition at work sometime around then but I never got around to installing any of them. I believe I kept the disks with the hopes that someday I could turn an extra computer in a server, but when that day finally came, I setup FreeNAS.

For me, it's partially about learning and partially to see if I can do what I need without Windows. I have a Windows 7 laptop that does all my business stuff (web design, book keeping, remote access). I really want to refresh my brain in Unix style. I also have a Mac but every day I dislike Apple more and more. Anything made from Lion afterwards seems like junk and those iDevices are so cheaply made. Also learning Java again. I need to improve my web design skillset although I have zero interest in graphic design.... Okay, I have zero artistic ability.

----

So my first problem was that Windows 10 skips the BIOS so booting from USB simply wouldn't work. I had to get an external DVD drive to try installing from disc.  Hmmmm... I spent hours trying and failing to get into the BIOS before I finally made it happen somehow and turned off secure boot and turned on legacy support. Poof, installing OpenSUSE.

Of course I find out I'm pronouncing it wrong.... OpenSoos, but apparently it's Opensoosa.

The next problem comes with partitioning. Sure, it's not terribly difficult for those in the 'know,' but man I couldn't imagine regular (mundanes) trying to figure this out. I checked some videos and all of them were wrong. I ended up shrinking the Windows partition to 250 GiB.... Yes GiB because GB or G don't work. I made a 4 GiB Swap partition, 40 GiB partition for the OS and whatever was left for data. I recalled from previous experience that screwing up here can lead to problems later. I basically just randomly picked sizes.

It's hard to know how much I'll use the Windows part anymore on that machine. I still need it for testing networks on the road because it's much much lighter than my main Windows machine. Oh jeepers, the amount of times I've had to hold the heavy laptop up while plugging into some stupid box on the wall in a dusty basement while talking to the provider in Montreal.... Shoulder-killer.

The last two partitions (OS and Data) were made using the Btrfs file system. It recommended it for the OS part but recommended XFS for the data partition. I ignored the later advice. I know very little about Btrfs and have only used ext# in the past.

I'm sure something I did will make life hard at some point. Yay!

The rest of the install went smoothly.... Well except when it froze trying to boot from HDD. I killed the power, turned it back on and poof, it works. Booted into OpenSUSE and then out and into Windows 10. Yippee! Take that mother hubbard!

Oh, prior to the install, I had to manually set up the wireless card into the installer. I hit some buttons and somehow that was resolved.

At the end I had to choose the environment... GNOME, KDE, or OTHER. While I'm very interested in Xfce, I went with KDE because it seemed easier to set up. Unfortunately my course uses GNOME for all three OSs. Meh, I'll figure it all out.

At some point in initial usage, I was having trouble with the screen flashing as windows opened, minimized, or did any action. I switched to KDE Plasma? That resolved the problems.

The OS comes with tons of useful items all preinstalled. I've still found that the GUI is limited and command line is required to do things easier and/or better.

[Kersus]

"Apt-get off my porch."

That's "sudo apt-get off my porch" to you, buddy.

I'm telling this comment to others, all laughed so far. You make life better.

[Oedipussy Rex]

"I've still found that the GUI is limited and command line is required to do things easier and/or better."

Well, yeah.

Apparently I also have been pronouncing OpenSUSE incorrectly as "Open Susie". Looks like I'll need a different seduction line for Susan Hamilton in the IT dept.

[Kersus]

"I like the way you walk, I like the way you talk, Soosa Q"

Oh, it picked up my printer far easier than either Windows or Mac.... My gawd Mac's suck at working with anything not made by Apple. Even then.....

I'm still trying to find a good Spades game that's easy to install..... I need Adobe Air I guess for the ones I looked at....

I installed Steam but haven't gotten it to work yet. It's great for browsing and writing, and is substantially quicker than Windows 10 but certainly not lightning fast. I like the look and feel of it so far.

[Oedipussy Rex]

I saw an online magazine comparison between OpenSUSE and four other Linux OS's and OpenSUSE tended to be the worst performer on the various speed tests.

[Kersus]

I believe it. I think I just preferred it conceptually to the other options I had for the course. I would pick something else for myself afterwards but in the meantime I hope to refresh myself on Unix stuff beyond what I get to play with in the Mac (my word, even cursory Unix knowledge lets you bypass any security on a Mac from the outside) and learn more so I can add it to my resume and find joy in computers again.

I have always tracked Distrowatch to keep up a little in what's happening. Is there a good Linux magazine worth snagging?

[Oedipussy Rex]

Don't look at me. When I want to do something, I do a google search, try a few things and see what works. Often I'll look at a script and wonder what a particular line is supposed to do, even though I wrote it.

[Kersus]

You would not believe how many of my competitors have asked me help with a particlarly difficuult issue. I like to build bridges and screw myself, so i help. Every single time it's the same. I type their problem into google and (below all the ads) the solution is spelled out in the first hit.

Of course I tell them like it's my idea.

It hurts a little at how many "techs" can't use google. I feel like they give my 'industry' a bad name.

Ultimately I think it's time to move on to a new income. Audiobooks?

Anyhow, there's something comedic about using code the way you describe . I do it myself especialy  in Drupal.