Don, they likely mean hardware upgrade, I have still Tumbleweed running on a 2007 test laptop.
Not sure why Win11 is required. Personally, I use the MS 365 Online version (using a browser). I’m not associated with an Institution … I simply use 365 Online when I need to sign documentation / etc for business reasons (when the business is using MS apps). No problems compared to using a Linux office app that might have side-effects (or not work)…
Might check the “Office 365 Education” website … it’s for both Institutions and Students, using the Online | Cloud version.
Don, I meant MS and Nvidia progressing to keep you wanting/needing the latest hardware to run their systems.
I wrote to the OU IT dept (after the fact) who said they couldn’t support any issues I had unless I was running Windows. They provide 365 whilst you’re doing your course and access for 2 years after.
I don’t recall why they insisted on Win11. like I say, I’m trying to reduce my reliance on Google, Apple and MS. I’ve always liked the “romantic ideal” of Open source stuff but it was too complicated when I first looked into it.
-
Yea, understood. Us? Personally, we have a Win10-only laptop for the occasional need to do “Windows only stuff”. (it’s on Extended Updates program which has now been extended until Oct 2027 (was 2026) ).
-
I suspect the University was simply repeating what MS told them to tell folks
Me? Been using Linux since early days of Slackware (1994 timeframe) … but will use Windows in certain situations 
Of course they did, that’s the supported platform. If you have an issue and you contact help desk over it and they find you’re using something else you will likely be told to replicate the issue on a supported platform and then get back to them.
And you should try to solve your issue before coming to ask someone else to. There is very literally no point to search functions if everyone shows up and asks the same questions over and over.
Also, you don’t have to, and probably shouldn’t, search for distro specific things. Search for the actual application or system you’re using. For instance, the Arch Linux wiki is a great resource no matter what distro you use. It also removes specific tools, like YaST, that might have been tightly coupled to a distro that have since been or are being retired. You would likely have better outcomes searching just for ‘NetworkManager’ than ‘NetworkManager, Tumbleweed’
1 Like
Thank you for responding.
Let me assure you that I do try to search for the answers to this stuff. You’re not the first person to say this to me.
However…imagine you have just brought a tractor, don’t ask me why, but you wanted a tractor. The hydraulic system is faulty. The thing that you use to lift equipment onto the back of your tractor won’t work. So you look at this: Bosch hydraulic manual
Personally I haven’t got a clue what half of the words mean. I don’t even have the right words to ask the question.
Fortunately human connection allows you to explain what you are experiencing and others will help to solve the issue.
Rear hydraulics and three linkage lift system… then there is the power takeoff…
Spent my younger years on a Massey Ferguson 35 and a 135…
Check the hydraulic fluid first and for any leaks…
1 Like
If you search some difficult problems before asking in the forum, Arch and gentoo is a good place to go for some tips and answers. 
1 Like
OMG !! I forgot I spent about a year as a Gentoo fanatic (20+ years ago?). What a stressful experience … having to compile the whole system from scratch, based on your hardware, etc. And even with updates, download the source code, build, install / update.
1 Like
You got stress because you were not having fun with the moment. 
Seriously , the gentoo forum and site is a good place to search for answers.
I had a problem probably almost ten years ago with my old printer connected to usb if memory serves.
Searching and searching and I can’t find. I found it at gentoo. It was a problem that the simple fix was to install libusb-0_1-4.
I posted this in the forum as reference before so I won’t forget about it when I get in trouble again with the printer.
1 Like
Sounds like you have other things to look up. That is typically how things work when you’re first learning.
Now think about it from the other end. What is more likely to get a volunteer to help you -
“It doesn’t work”
or
“I’m having an issue printing with my X printer. I tried A, B, C but I keep getting Z in the logs”
I went back to your link, and actually remembered it, and it is far closer to the first than the latter. The title had nothing to do with the post. Half of it was unrelated to the issue you were having and what almost was was devoid of information basically being, ‘It didn’t work.’
“I tried a couple of commands” - What commands?
“I tried sudo on the same commands” - Again
“Couldn’t find the files” - The exact commands and error.
No one can read your mind and no one is standing behind you seeing what you saw.
I remembered it because it was yet another post with no information asking for people to fix it. Asking volunteers to do work trying to get the information of what you hinted at doing even before addressing the issue is unreasonable. I close them and walk away, I’ll put the same amount of effort into it as you did. It really shouldn’t take being an ‘expert’ to realize that maybe saying what you did might be more important to figuring out why it went wrong than vaguely saying to did something that didn’t work.
2 Likes
You’re quite right.
I think that there has been a miscommunication and a misunderstanding at some point. My original post “is OpenSuse not for beginners” was what I thought was a simple request for information from users as to wether it was straightforward to use or would need knowledge of how UNIX works. I had installed Mint on our laptops and that seemed to go ridiculously easily. It was so easy, with lots of up to date information available online that I thought all distros would be similar. I was simply asking to be pointed toward a user document or video guides for beginners that didn’t include references to Yast. I was, in that thread, offered specific advice for my specific issues and thought that that was very kind, we had a helpful back and forth and some problems were resolved. Sadly Other viewers started criticising the simplicity of my requests and it has all become a bit disappointing.
My issues were fairly simple for an initial setup (I thought). I was simply trying to get a laptop up and running with a few additional softwares. I had watched and read information on adding repositories to get extra software suppliers into the shop, I have actually done quite a bit of research on this journey.
However, when something goes wrong I don’t understand why. A good deal of the posts on these forum are very specific to a particular user and usually have a lot of technical jargon in them for example: My speakers aren’t working on my laptop I’ve tried a sudo “insert command” and run “insert app” but I still cant get port 735 to communicate with a flange. Those questions suggest that the user has a grasp of Linux and has encountered an issue that their already considerable knowledge can’t resolve. The answers are equally detailed and I can’t work out whether I should follow them or not.
I have had a good deal of help here from some very kind and helpful people. I do understand that it takes time to realise what my problems were and to resolve them.
I think that Open Suse is a choice for commited knowledgeable Linux users. The community has a great deal of expertise. It doesn’t seem to have a lot of novices like myself who are able to help each other out in a beginners section.
2 Likes
In general, I think people will try to assist when they feel they have some familiarity with a given issue or topic. There isn’t one centralised source of knowledge for an open source distro like this. There is a lot of information available online, but it varies considerably in depth, age, and accuracy. It can be a real minefield as I’m sure you’re already aware.
If in doubt or looking for human support, post a new topic with a sensible, descriptive title and explain what you’re trying to achieve and what you’ve already tried. You don’t need to already understand the technical details. Someone familiar with the issue will usually be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction.
3 Likes
One thing to point out about this URL is, that industrial companies have (physical) schools to train the employers of their agents who will maintain the products at the end-customer’s location. → <Bosch Rexroth Academy – Understand technology. Shape the future.>
@Rowly: What you’ve posted here is part of a course’s material to train mechanics who have to repair the products in the field.
Please note that, all companies who produce agricultural machinery have schools to train their agents’ staff – world-wide …
- Years and years ago, my brother was sent by his employer in New Zealand to Claas in Germany for schooling dealing with the repair and maintenance of Claas Dominator combine harvesters – if anything Rowland you’ve proved that, nothing has changed …
This pretty much describes me except I’ve been dabbling with Suse for > 20 yrs. I do not use it as my primary machine (Apple user) but try to keep it up to date on a now very old tower. Because I don’t use it daily I find it hard to work with, especially when large changes are made, such as the loss of YaST and the layout of this forum. I agree with the person who suggested learning zypper. I would probably use it more if I bothered to upgrade my box to a modern machine. I have also dabbled with Debian but since I have a better familiarity w/ Suse (KDE) I prefer that. One thing I have problems with is if I need to load software that is not in the normal distro, like some Packman stuff and occasionally other repositories. And then I get confused with options relating to changing previously loaded files, various things relating to dependencies, for example. I’ve received quite a bit of positive help on this forum, even from some of the members that have already replied to you. Most of that had to do with hardware issues. I think you should give openSUSE a year or so before you decided where to land.