This year,
I volunteered to do a presentation on openSUSE at the upcoming SCALE (Southern California Linux Exposition) on openSUSE enhancements which I don’t think has been done before.
Besides the usual things we all talk about like YAST,
I want to include some things I’ve noticed when I compare how apps behave in openSUSE compared to the app’s default behavior and what would generally be the case if the app is run on another distro.
Stuff like…
Vim. I thoroughly enjoy the openSUSE enhancements when Vi/Vim is run in any of our consoles like Konsole, LXterminal, etc. For anyone who wants to compare, try running Vim in xterm which is not “enhanced” in openSUSE.
Migrating virtual machines from one machine to another (aka “Appliances”). openSUSE Guests always automatically resolve network device issues (since 11.1?) but for all other distros I still have to manually remove extra network devices and port MAC addresses… Which is what used to be required in openSUSE many, many years ago.
I only know of these uniquely openSUSE enhancements through chance encounter.
I suspect that these things may have been implemented over the years purely on an ad hoc basis, and possibly with little recognition (Too bad if so!)
I feel this is a little discussed area that sets us apart from all other distros, and looking for more of these…
I only know of these uniquely openSUSE enhancements through chance encounter.
I suspect that these things may have been implemented over the years purely on an ad hoc basis, and possibly with little recognition (Too bad if so!)
I feel this is a little discussed area that sets us apart from all other distros, and looking for more of these…
TSU
The Portal pages give insights into some openSUSE initiatives, and wicked worth mentioning in IMHO…
It has a team of dedicated engineers who spend much of their time fixing bugs so you can rely on KDE.
It has a large, active and highly experienced community team around it who bring multiple points of view and different interests to the project so that KDE on openSUSE meets many users’ needs
Through its innovation it stimulates the openSUSE distribution to develop, evolve and progress
I’d been thinking about this lack of documented enhancements for awhile now, and I think that this might be best addressed by a “call to arms” to all who might have been assigned to work on various components over the years…
If the person has been around long enough and somewhat close to assigning work in any area, that person(s) likely is in the best position to observe changes over the years but as I’ve described some of these enhancements happened many, many years and versions of openSUSE ago. Today’s openSUSE is really built on the shoulders of some admirable and imaginative efforts which might have started in earliest versions of openSUSE.
So,
If someone even knows who these people are who have improved openSUSE out of sight of most Users over many years, it would be nice if those people could be asked to provide a short list off the top of their head, possibly with as much detail as they can remember. Should not require substantial time to compile informal lists and should not ask for more than passing effort.
A major problem, as I see it, is with the information and guides directed at newcomers who wish to contribute to openSUSE who think they might want to help with the Documentation: Reading the instructions and guides for working on our documentation will quickly scare away not just the faint of heart, but some with very robust hearts, as well.
I personally found it to be like trying to decipher some intense legal document, or perhaps more like taking an ice-cold plunge into Advanced Research Physics Theory.
By the time you read only part of it, you are too exhausted and confused, with a severe headache, to have any zeal to work on the Documentation, IMHO.
… not to mention that asking for some help or guidance is often just ignored when one works their way through the contribution pages. Hardly encourages new helpers.
I agree whole heartedly … it may even be simple to use the openSUSE wiki (I really don’t know, as I’ve never much looked into it), but visually, there is just something about it that puts me off. The structure of the portal page stuff too kinda puts me off. I find, on the whole, that everything is rather non-intuitive … maybe over-engineered.
A stark contrast to, say, the archwiki for example.
… of course, that is not to say that some of us volunteers should avoid trying to do something about it. I keep poking my nose in, make a few typo fixes, and hope to get enough understanding eventually so I can help improve it.
