A few queries about software and applications

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Ok guys so im very slowly migrating across from Windows to OpenSuse. However i have a few quarms about the system and how it works.

  1. Add / Remove programs
    Is there a way to see a list of software that you have installed and is it quite easy to “un-install” it? I have installed Compiz and then when i went to remove it i could see 10ish items called Compiz. I was confused about how to uninstall it all from my system successfully without getting rid of something i need.

  2. Software packages
    I have tried to install packages from the OpenSuse site and I’m not sure what has happened to it. I have installed Virtual box from here and nothing has happened. I cannot search or even see Virtualbox anywhere. What im wanting to do is run OpenSuse as my Primary OS and then run Windows 7 on VB so i can continue to work as normal under it.

  3. OpenSuse in a Microsoft domain
    Is this possible? At work we use a Microsoft domain but is there a way i can install the Admin tools for OpenSuse so i can continue to work as normal by for example using Active Directory etc etc.

  4. Device Manager?
    In Windows you have the “Device manager” a very handy tool that tells you what is on your computer, what drivers are missing and need installing etc. I can’t see anything like this in Suse. Im not sure if all my hardware is installed once i am in Suse like Graphics cards, sound card, network card, card reader, and anything else that is on my PC etc.

  5. Partitioning.
    Can someone give me a good description on how OpenSuse partitions your hard drive. I have seen it gives you a “swap?” drive etc but unsure as to what this is. Please can you help.

Im sorry about my “newbie” questions and queries but im sure once i get these items sorted out i will be able to use Suse alot better.

I thank you in advance.

NEO-

#2

Cannot answer all your queries but:

  1. YaST>Software Management and then from View, activate the Repositories tab and you can see all the installed programs in System. Uninstall is simply a matter of locating the software and then clicking through update to uninstall.
  2. Unless YaSt or KPackageKit have appeared and prompted you for your admin password, nothing will have been installed to the system.
  3. Normally you cannot install anything without the driver; so you should not have anything missing, If you click on My Computer, you should get a complete account of your system.
  4. MS stores any overflow from RAM to a free area of the hard drive; most Unix like systems use a dedicated partition for this because it generally runs quicker than using an arbitrary area of the hard drive. openSUSE normally creates three partitions / - or root bit not the same as the root user who has a directory of their own, swap and /home. /home holds all the user data and / everything else. This means that all your preferences etc, are stored in /home and when you want to upgrade or re-install, you only reinstall / - all your settings and preferences remain in /home and are not lost as in Windows.
#3
  1. Use Samba: openSUSE SuSE Linux HOWTOs and Tutorials by Swerdna.

In general: start YaST and look around in all the options there. It is you main tool in managing your system. E.g. in YaST > Hardware you will see several categories of hardware and going to them will show what openSUSE found out about that category. As long as you do not change anything there, but bail out again, this is a harmless exercition and will teach you much about openSUSE.

Also there are many so called “stickies” (that means threads that are allways at the top of the list) in several subforums here, that are specialy usefull for new users.

#4

On 2011-03-28 10:36, NEO-BAHAMUT- wrote:
>
> Ok guys so im very slowly migrating across from Windows to OpenSuse.
> However i have a few quarms about the system and how it works.

http://en.opensuse.org/Concepts
http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:FAQ
http://doc.opensuse.org/
http://en.opensuse.org//Portal:Documentation

> 1. Add / Remove programs
> Is there a way to see a list of software that you have installed and is
> it quite easy to “un-install” it? I have installed Compiz and then when
> i went to remove it i could see 10ish items called Compiz. I was
> confused about how to uninstall it all from my system successfully
> without getting rid of something i need.

You have to uninstall several components.

> 2. Software packages
> I have tried to install packages from the OpenSuse site and I’m not
> sure what has happened to it. I have installed Virtual box from ‘here’
> (http://tinyurl.com/4o8eudv) and nothing has happened. I cannot search
> or even see Virtualbox anywhere. What im wanting to do is run OpenSuse
> as my Primary OS and then run Windows 7 on VB so i can continue to work
> as normal under it.

It is probably better to ask separate questions on separate threads - or
search - so that you atrack the people that know about that particular
question right from the title.

http://en.opensuse.org/VirtualBox

> 3. OpenSuse in a Microsoft domain
> Is this possible? At work we use a Microsoft domain but is there a way
> i can install the Admin tools for OpenSuse so i can continue to work as
> normal by for example using Active Directory etc etc.

Probably explained in the book (third link)

> 4. Device Manager?
> In Windows you have the “Device manager” a very handy tool that tells
> you what is on your computer, what drivers are missing and need
> installing etc. I can’t see anything like this in Suse. Im not sure if
> all my hardware is installed once i am in Suse like Graphics cards,
> sound card, network card, card reader, and anything else that is on my
> PC etc.

hwinfo, yast hardware info.

> 5. Partitioning.
> Can someone give me a good description on how OpenSuse partitions your
> hard drive. I have seen it gives you a “swap?” drive etc but unsure as
> to what this is. Please can you help.

Book.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)