openSUSE 11.0 x86_64 Review

I have finished setting up openSUSE 11.0 on my HP dv2000z AMD Turion64 X2.  Up to version 10.3 I was running the 32-bit version of SUSE and decided now was a good time to do a 'New' install and give x86_64 a spin.

Installation

I downloaded from the openSUSE BitTorrent the DVD iso and burned to a disc with K3B and ran an MD5 checksum which was ok.

The YaST install interface, written in Qt4, has received a major facelift, and is visually very easy on the eyes.  Since this was a new install I accepted the suggested partitioning option (2Gb Linux swap partition with one primary partition for everything else).  I've been following the KDE4 developments over the past months and opted to go with installing KDE 3.5.9 and will hope to reevaluate KDE 4.1 later this year.

In the Install list I added the kernel sources and development tools which includes the
gcc compiler.  For applications that don't come in rpm format your only other option is source code tar.gz tar.bz2 format, which means you need to download and compile the sources at the command-line with ./configure, make and make install.

(If you are going to do technical support, having the kernel sources and gcc compiler on your client's system is a must.  Otherwise, any software the average user needs can be found in the on-line openSUSE repository and other repositories across the internet (e.g., Packman) and YaST makes getting them a breeze.)

The install went well until I reached OpenOffice_org when it errored unpacking the rpm.  So, I went back and deselected the application in the install list and started up the install again.  The install then ran to completion without any further issues.

Reading the Release Notes during the install I noted that Ctrl-Alt-Backspace has been changed to Ctrl-Alt-Backspace-Backspace (pressing Backspace twice withing 2 seconds).

When adding myself as the 'first' user, openSUSE defaulted the root administrator to the same password.

It took about 2 hours to download the torrent, 15 minutes to burn and check the iso, and about 30 minutes to complete the initial installation.  All seemed fine...

Customizations

Wireless:

When I finally rebooted after the install, I discovered I had no wireless connection in KNetworkManager.  This didn't come entirely as a surprise as I've dealt with this issue many times before and using ndiswrapper with my Windows broadcom driver has been the solution. 

This time around, I didn't have on hand a 64-bit Windows driver.  Inspecting the kernel boot messages with dmesg, I noted that the error message not only confirmed the default bcm43xx driver failed to load, but it also politely included a suggestion of how to fix the driver issue by visiting LinuxWireless.org and getting an updated driver.  All went well getting and installing the update and I was wireless in about 15 minutes. I might have spent considerable time Googling for a solution had it not been for that suggestion in the error message.

Admittedly, proprietary kernel drivers has been and still is the most contentious issue with getting Linux installed. In some Distros, like my openSUSE wireless issue, it's not a user-friendly process to fix and needs to be improved upon.  Providing kernel module/driver sources is a BIG issue and hopefully all vendors will recognize its importance and lend cooperation in making drivers available as open source.

Now that I had a connection, the next thing to do was to run from YaST administrator settings 'Online Update'.  This 'handshakes' with the openSUSE repositories and syncronizes my installation sources to theirs.

Security:

The next step was to change my root password with passwd from a root shell prompt.

New users to Linux can take comfort that openSUSE provides great security in its default form.  Additionally, openSUSE runs with a form security, called AppArmor.  AppArmor puts a 'sandbox' around any process or application you profile.  My target for sandboxing was the internet browser Firefox.  The profile already exists for Firefox in openSUSE so it was just a matter of manually adding the profile and restarting the AppArmor service.  A 5-minute step.

Read article Is It Safe, on how to configure Firefox with AppArmor.

Video:

openSUSE Xorg 7.x provides the basics and support for most video cards.  It's ok, but where Nvidia is concerned, I recommend getting the Nvidia driver instead of using Xorg.  You'll benefit from faster video and improved font support.  The 'one-click' install of the Nvidia driver 'errored out' for me so I went with 'Plan B' which is to manually download and install the driver, a minor inconvenience for a user such as myself, but this might again make a new user turn and run for the nearest exit.  Again part of the open source driver issue I mentioned above which I can only hope will be resolved soon to everyone's benefit.

KDE Personal Settings:

One of the best things about KDE is the many ways you can configure its appearance.
I personally like the traditional KDE KMenu--it's as simple as right-clicking on the KMenu button and selecting 'KDE Menu Style'.

For Icons, I have chosen to set up Tango which you'll need to install from YaST Software Management.  Then click KMenu->Personal Settings->Appearance & Themes->Icons and select the Tango Icon Theme.  There are many others from which to choose at KDE-Look.org.

For Widget Styles, I have chosen QtCurve--click KMenu->Personal Settings->Appearance & Themes->Styles and select QtCurve.

Compiz:

If your PC has a graphics adapter which support 3D compositing, you'll be happy to try out Compiz.  Click KMenu->Utilities Desktop->Desktop Effects to bring up 'Simple Compiz Config Settings Manager.  Click on 'Enable desktop effects' to start Compiz.  There are many effects which I won't go into detail on but you read more about it here.  I have found that even if you have Compiz enabled, logging out of or restarting openSUSE disables Compiz.  The current workaround is to go to a terminal command-line prompt, cd to directory /home/$USER/.kde/Autostart and create a shell script with kate as follows:

kate ./compiz.sh &

#---------------cut and paste this into kate (don't include this line)
#!/bin/bash
sleep 5
compiz-manager --replace
#---------------cut and past end

File Save (compiz.sh)
chmod 755 compiz.sh

Any script found in Autostart automatically runs after you log into KDE.
This script simply causes compiz to start after a delay of 5 seconds.

Microsoft True Type Fonts:

If you are from the Microsoft camp, you'll most likely yelp when you see the stock font selection in Linux--marginally usable but an abuse to the eyes for extended use.  Fortunately the TrueType fonts are in the openSUSE repository and you can follow along in this how-to to install them.  This is a 'must-have' customization.

Internet Browser:

Firefox is my browser of choice.  It just so happens, openSUSE comes with Firefox and Konqueror.

Much to my surprise, when I first opened Firefox, it was version 3.05b (beta?), so I clicked on the taskbar openSUSE updater to get updates and down came 64-bit version 3.0-0.1 along with a few KDE updates.

Minimally, for added browser security, I recommend that you install two Firefox plugins:

1) NoScript
2) AdBlock Plus

openSUSE installs a 'global' copy of Firefox in /usr/bin.
I've opted in the past to override that copy with a local user version in /home/$USER.

In x86_64, I've made no changes because FF 64-bit comes preconfigured with NPAPI Pluginwrapper 64-bit version Shockwave Flash and Helix (Realplayer) plugins.  Currently, there is no 64-bit Java plugin Firefox available, but the Konqueror browser has one if I need to run a Java applet over the internet.  But, for most day-to-day browser use, I've not had the need for the Java browser plugin.

openSUSE Updater:

If you do your install and have a ethernet cable connection, use it.  Don't expect your wireless to work during or after the install--there is a good chance it won't--which is why I ran the OnLine Update after fixing my wireless.  During your install, openSUSE Updater will automatically check and get and install updates for you.  Thereafter, the default configuration settings check for updates once every 24 hours.  You can right-click on the Updater to see or change your settings. 

On older versions of openSUSE, there were issues with getting updates.  Even with 10.3 you needed to be patient as update checking might take a significant amount of time to complete.  It got so I resorted in 10.3 to turning off the updater and only starting it once a week, typically on Friday evening, to get updates.

Now in openSUSE 11.0, waiting for updates is a thing of the past.  openSUSE Updater is FAST and it is clear that much effort went into correcting the problems of the past.

YaST:

YaST has been given a thorough update with many feature enhancements--so much so that I'll provide a separate blog review of its new features.  YaST was always good yet now it is even better and easier than ever to use.

Email:

I've been a long-time user of Google Mail.  When Google added IMAP support, I switch from the browser-based interface to using KDE Kmail, which supports 'cached-IMAP'--how-to found here.

In additon, I like Kmail because it provides integrated GnuPG, SpamAssassin and ClamAV support.  In the Tools Menu you'll find Wizards to help you configure both SpamAssassin and ClamAV.

Instant Messaging:

openSUSE comes with KDE multi-protocol Kopete. I added my AIM and Gmail's Google Talk accounts.

Skype:

In x86_64, it turns out the easiest way to install Skype 2.0 for Linux is simply to download and extract their static version.  Add a symbolic link in your /home/$USER/bin to the executable and you can manually launch skype from the command line by typing: skype&

I added a desktop application icon with a reference to the link.

Virtual Machines:

My HP laptop has AMD-V virtualization support.  Going on several years, I have used VMware.  It has been good for test bedding and having VM of my licensed copy of Windows XP Professional available for on-demand use.

VMware 1.0.6 for Linux is written in Qt and has only USB 1 support and requires some technical expertise that some power users might have trouble with.  VMware has also experienced sporadic video resolution issues.

So when SUN recently acquired Innotek's VirtualBox, which includes Intel-VT and AMD-V support I decided to install it with my Windows XP.  Compared with VMware, it is for the most part easy to install and power users will have no problem setting it up with a VM.  It supports a wide range of guest operating systems, dual-processor support, USB 2.0 and has no video issues.  So far, it is beating the pants off VMware.  VirtualBox also includes a command-line (VBoxManage) interface and a 'Saved' memory image mode.  With this I set up on my Desktop and Taskbar an Icon to start Windows XP 'on-demand'.  It takes about 5 seconds to boot into Windows!

Conclusion

I've covered the basics for getting openSUSE 11.0 x86_64 installed.  So far, I have had only a few minor 'nuisance' issues described above and feel that the openSUSE Development Team have done a great job of putting together another winner.  YaST is even easier to use combined with 'one-click' installations that puts it on the same level of ease of use with Ubuntu's Synaptic GUI.  At the same time openSUSE is a power-user's Linux. 

Congratulations to the openSUSE Development Team.