Thanks rwillis,

I was just checking out a possibility that I thought some members with 1 computer might like. It has so many catches that I expect I will not encourage anyone to try it. Though I will listen with interest if anybody posts a simple, reliable method to do a dual boot with Windows XP (which seems almost custom designed to discourage experimentation).

It was a good weekend. Hope your coming week is as good.

mycrofth

Thanks mousie,

The screenshots for the Ubuntu dual-boot look particularly helpful if someone wants to experiment with this. (I wonder if there will be any strange interactions with what I have already done to the MBR on my drive. Well, one way to find out!)

gratefully,
mycrofth

Hi Dcunning and welcome to the forums

The Linux agent hasn't been released as yet but it will be very soon I hope

Speaking of SuSE Linux, here is a recent article about a bootable DVD on Groklaw at http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20051025010202503

Think Linux Is Too Hard? Take a Look at SUSE 10.0
Tuesday, October 25 2005 @ 02:41 AM EDT

For all of you out there who think GNU/Linux software is "too hard" to install, take a look at this: Mad Penguin's short flash movie that shows you exactly what it's like to install SUSE 10.0, an actual installation on a virtual machine. I've been talking to Fernanda Weiden about documentation, and I think documentation should be movies, just like this one. It's the 21st century.

I couldn't help but notice in the movie that he didn't read the EULA, though. Sigh. My work is not yet done.

It will take you 2 minutes and one second to watch the little movie, and if you've been holding back from trying Linux, it might just change your life.

The reviewer on Mad Penguin, Adam Doxtater, says he didn't have to change one thing after the installation was finished. Everything "just worked" for him. When FUDsters whine about Linux, that's what they always demand, and Novell seems to have done it. It took less than one hour to install. It'll take you almost that long maybe to read the review. Kidding, but it's a detailed review, and for those who love details, I recommend the review in its entirety. More reviews here.

Here's what you get:

Features

* Linux kernel 2.6.13-15
* X.org 6.8.2
* gcc 4.0.2cvs/glibc 2.3.5
* KDE 3.4.2
* GNOME 2.12
* OpenOffice.org 1.9.125 productivity suite
* Firefox 1.0.6 web browser
* Evolution 2.4 email/calendaring
* Gimp 2.2.8 image editor
* K3b 0.12.3 CD/DVD burning
* Gaim 1.5.0 instant messenger
* Amarok 1.3.1 media player
* F-Spot 0.1.2 photo manager
* Beagle 0.0.13 desktop search tool

Actually, you get much more than what's on that list. You can see more software choices in the movie, and the Novell SUSE Linux product page lists still more, mentioning easy wireless networking, the GIMP, XEN 3 virtualization (preview), Bluetooth, security tools, Apache, MySQL and PostgreSQL.

You can download for the cost of your blank CDs, or you can purchase it for $59.95 if you are in the US, and you can buy online. I will probably do both, after reading the two reviews. I can't wait, so I'll download it, and then I will buy also, so that I can support wonderful FOSS software and because you get extras, like documentation in a book, which is good if you ever can't get online. If you are new to GNU/Linux, there is a supported version, with 90-day end-user installation support.

There are a variety of download choices. You can download the version with commercial software

, or download a completely Open Source version. You can even download a live version, which runs from a bootable DVD and isn't installed on your hard disk, in case you want to take SUSE on a test drive first.

This is a release specially designed for home users. I am genuinely thrilled about that. I've used Mandriva for years, because it too thinks about desktop users, and I am so happy to see Novell doing this. Here's what SUSE says about itself:

"SUSE Linux 10.0 features an easy-to-install Linux operating system that lets you browse the Web, send e-mail, chat with friends, organize digital photos, play movies and songs, and create documents and spreadsheets. You can even use it to host a Web site or blog, create a home network, and develop your own applications. It is the most recent stabilized, fully integrated edition of SUSE Linux. If you are looking for a stable version of Linux to run on your personal computer or home server, this is the best choice."

As it happens, Groklaw's own miraceti has just sent me his first impression of his install of SUSE 10.0, the 64-bit version. He is a Network Administrator in an Australian High School and has worked as an administrator for 20 years (though he says it feels like a thousand at times).

: )

I asked him to explain a few things that most of you would take for granted, so that any new readers wishing to take the GNU/Linux plunge would have a clue what to do. In your comments, if you'd like to elaborate on miraceti's review, feel free to add your experiences, as well as any tips for newcomers.

He says you can sum up SUSE 10.0 in one word: Sweet! He did both an install and an upgrade. It was a piece of cake, although he did have two things that didn't immediately work, and he tells how how fixed the issues.

He kept telling me about the elegant beauty of the installation, and I could get a feel for it not only from the install movie but the screenshots in the Mad Penguin review, which recommends SUSE 10.0 both for newbies and for small businesses, too, by the way. If you need it, here's some documentation. And if you really hit a rock, you can buy 20 minutes of help per incident. Lots of support options.

Congratulations, Novell. Enjoy, everyone! I'm off to download it myself. And to newcomers, come on in. The water's fine.