openSUSE Linux

openSUSE is an open source, community-supported distribution of Linux derived from the SUSE operating system created and distributed by the Novell company. It is an RPM-based OS, which means that it gets its roots from Red Hat Linux.

It is a Linux OS for your desktop computer, portable laptop or server. It can be used to surf the web, do office work, manage your photos, send and receive emails, play music and watch movies, and much more.

Distributed as installable-only DVDs

The system is distributed as installable DVDs, netboot CDs, rescue CDs, as well as two Live CDs with the KDE and GNOME desktop environments. All of them support both 64-bit and 32-bit architectures.

The version reviewed here is only for the installable DVD, which includes both KDE and GNOME desktop environments, as well as a very large collection of open source applications. On the dedicated download section you will also find minimalistic CDs that can be used to install openSUSE over the network, as well as optional Add-On CDs with support for extra languages.

The DVD installation medium is the best choice for those who want to deploy openSUSE on desktop or server computers. It can be written on USB flash drives and it’s suitable for custom installations or upgrades.

When installing openSUSE with this DVD image, you will have complete access to a wide range of open source applications, including the Mozilla Firefox web browser, Mozilla Thunderbird email client, and many more.

SUSE Studio

Another interesting feature of the openSUSE project is a tool called SUSE Studio, which allows anyone to build their own live Linux distributions based on the openSUSE operating system.

Whether you like GNOME or KDE, openSUSE can deliver one of the best desktop experience based on the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM). We recommended to anyone who owns a high-end computers and wants to transform it into a modern and completely open source workstation.

What is new in this release:

• The merge of the SLE12SP2 core components is basically done now. Since SLE enters release candidate phase now we won't see many updates coming from there anymore. So even though it's called Alpha 3 we are on a pretty solid base already.
• Among the countless leaf package updates, big changes since Alpha 2 were completing the GNOME update, the integration of KDE Plasma 5.7 and Texlive 2015.
• So time to put Alpha 3 under stress, test it in real world scenarios and file good bug reports!' There will be a follow up to this mail with a test plan for manual testing.

What is new in version 42.2:

• The merge of the SLE12SP2 core components is basically done now. Since SLE enters release candidate phase now we won't see many updates coming from there anymore. So even though it's called Alpha 3 we are on a pretty solid base already.
• Among the countless leaf package updates, big changes since Alpha 2 were completing the GNOME update, the integration of KDE Plasma 5.7 and Texlive 2015.
• So time to put Alpha 3 under stress, test it in real world scenarios and file good bug reports!' There will be a follow up to this mail with a test plan for manual testing.

What is new in version 42.1 / 42.2 Beta 2:

• The merge of the SLE12SP2 core components is basically done now. Since SLE enters release candidate phase now we won't see many updates coming from there anymore. So even though it's called Alpha 3 we are on a pretty solid base already.
• Among the countless leaf package updates, big changes since Alpha 2 were completing the GNOME update, the integration of KDE Plasma 5.7 and Texlive 2015.
• So time to put Alpha 3 under stress, test it in real world scenarios and file good bug reports!' There will be a follow up to this mail with a test plan for manual testing.

What is new in version 42.1 / 42.2 Alpha 1:

• Version 42.1 is the first version of openSUSE Leap that uses source from SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) providing a level of stability that will prove to be unmatched by other Linux distributions. Bonding community development and enterprise reliability provides more cohesion for the project and its contributor's maintenance updates. openSUSE Leap will benefit from the enterprise maintenance effort and will have some of the same packages and updates as SLE, which is different from previous openSUSE versions that created separate maintenance streams.

What is new in version 13.2 / 42.1 Beta:

• Milestone 2 replaced the complete base system and replaced the full YaST stack.
• New versions in the milestone release include Firefox 40, ThunderBird 38.2, digiKam photo management program 4.11 and the YaST stack of SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 Service Pack 1.
• The latest stable Linux Kernel 4.1.6 is in Milestone 2 and git is updated to version 2.5.0. The kernel-firmware update is 20150715. Apache updates to 2.4.16 and btrfs to 4.1.2.
• KDE Plasma has update 15.04.3, which include Long Term Support versions of Plasma Workspaces 4.11.21. GNOME 3.16 has a refresh and Libreoffice 4.3 based on SLE 12 is pending an upgrade to Libreoffice 5. Most versions in Milestone 2 are expected to be the versions in Leap 42.1 when it's released Nov. 4 at at SUSECon in Amsterdam, which will no doubt be celebrated with openSUSE Beer during the release party.
• Open source enthusiast can expect a toolchain refresh with GNU Compiler Collection 4.8.5 (GCC 5 is optional) and a collection of binary tools from binutils 2.25 and debugger GDB 7.9.1. Makers can build and test software packages with the CMake 3.3.1, which is included in the latest milestone.
• Enterprise class database PostgreSQL 9.3.8 and database management system MariaDB 10.0.20 are both in the milestone. Samba 4.1.12 and LVM2 1.02.97 round off the highlighted packages for Milestone 2.
• Aligned with SLE 12 SP 1, Leap version 42.1 will provide the best of both worlds in terms of enterprise packages and stability topped with community innovations from openSUSE's tested and integrated development architecture.
• Leap shares source code from SP1 and a common core SLE. Future minor releases of Leap will align with future SUSE service packs while future major versions of Leap will align with future major versions of SLE.
• There are currently more than 6900 packages in Milestone 2 with 600 pending updates.

What is new in version 13.2:

• Innovative:
• Built around the most innovative technologies Linux has to offer: Snapper to take the most from snapshots capability of the powerful Btrfs filesystem offered as default option, Wicked to bring light to network configuration, Dracut to ensure shorter boot times... For users asking for even more innovation Plasma 5.1, the next generation workspace by KDE, is also available as a technical preview.
• Polished:
• This version presents the first step to adopt the new openSUSE design guidelines system-wide. The graphical revamp is noticeable everywhere: the installer, the bootloader, the boot sequence and all of the (seven!) supported desktops (KDE, GNOME, Xfce, LXDE, Enlightenment 19, Mate and Awesome). Even the experimental Plasma 5.1 is adapted to the overall experience.
• Easy:
• The new openSUSE 13.2 installer comes with several changes targeted to make the installation process easier and more welcoming to new users. Those changes include a new and more straightforward installation work flow, better and smarter automatic proposals, less cluttered configuration options and a brand new layout for the user interface. In addition, several tools are included to easy the administration of any system like the Profile Management Tools for AppArmor or the YaST module for Snapper, just to name a few.
• KDE:
• KDE 4.14, dedicated to the memory of Volker Lanz, provides a familiar look, feel and functionality with the rock-solid stability of the latest version of the long-term support Plasma Workspace (4.11.12) and the applications from latest Software Compilation (4.14.2). The KDE Telepathy stack offers features as off-the-record (OTR) encryption for instant messaging, multi-protocol support and a set of applets for the Plasma Workspace. KDE applications requiring multimedia are now based on the 1.0 version of the GStreamer multimedia framework, allowing a noticeable reduction in dependencies.
• GNOME:
• GNOME 3.14 includes greatly improved support for HiDPI screens and MultiTouch input devices, including gestures support. Network and geolocation capabilities has been also dramaticaly improved, as well as Wayland integration. All GNOME applications have received a lot of new features and improvement. In addition, this is the first release of openSUSE including GNOME Software, the ‘AppStore' for the GNOME Desktop, nicely integrated with default openSUSE package management system.
• Virtualization:
• In addition to Linux Containers 1.0.6 and the full virtualization solutions traditionally provided by openSUSE (with QEMU 2.1 and VirtualBox 4.3.18), this release also includes Docker 1.2 which, together with the availability of openSUSE 13.2 images at Docker Hub, makes openSUSE a perfect base system to distribute applications.
• Improved YaST:
• Several parts of YaST have been improved and cleaned up after the automatic conversion from YCP language to Ruby shipped with 13.1. Compared to that version, the new YaST is faster, more stable and better integrated with systemd, Btrfs and the other cutting edge technologies included in openSUSE 13.2. The new installation work flow allows to run the whole configuration phase and skip the final step, getting a complete reusable AutoYaST profile instead of an installed system.
• IDEs and tooling:
• This release offers the latest version of the fully featured IDE KDevelop (4.7.0), the last of the versions based on the 4.x KDE development platform. In addition to C++, there are plugins available which extend its support for additional languages such as PHP or Python. In addition, most recent version of several other popular IDEs are shipped, like Anjuta 3.14 and two flavors of Qt Creator 3.2.1 (for Qt4 and Qt5).
• Languages and Libraries:
• KDE Frameworks 5, a series of development libraries on top of Qt 5 made by KDE, is present in its latest stable release (5.3.0). The libraries co-exist with the existing 4.x variants, allowing development of KF5-based applications within a stable 4.x based workspace. In the land of dynamic languages, Ruby packaging is now even easier. Need JRuby? Want Rubinius? No problem. We can do it. Not only Ruby has been updated (2.1.3), but also Python (2.7.8 and 3.4.1), PHP (5.6.1), Perl (5.20) and many others.