I have been a Windows user for years, and decided to try a linux based system. So far, its been an uphill battle trying to convince myself that SUSE is better than XP. Granted there is alot of opensource software available on linux and thats great, but I am used to the installation of hardware/software being one click. On the flip side, XP offers a double click user interface, if I need to install something, double click, if I want to run something double click.
I sometimes still find myself downloading a package and then attempting to double click it to install, but that doesnt work. Then I will try the Termimal, but that seems to work about 0.1% of the time. So the download either goes into the trash bin or I attempt to find assistance with it.
It took me nearly 2 of the 3 days to just get my vid card drivers installed so i could get the desktop effects and 3D working.
I had some printer problems early, but got those resolved with some assistance from some good people in the hardware forum.
I have been a developer for 8 years. I have used pretty much all of MS tools from QBASIC to VS.NET2008 developing PC software and webs. Now I have tried MONO but it lacks something. Dont know how to put it into words, but I will update when i can. I have tried to start a new Visual basic application, but when I added a dialog, it just error saying it could not attach a code behind file because the name of the codebehind was incorrect. Thats weird, so I tried a C# project with the same file names. This one worked, but the VB did not. Doesnt matter to me, i can do either, but seeing something like this makes me wonder what else is broke. I also need serial ports and hardware IO control, I havnt found much for the hardware IO stuff yet, although I would assume that its just available and i only need to write to the address i need.
I dont know where openSuse will lead me, but we will see if i can break the MS addiction which is kinda like trying to quit smoking. All you smokers know what i mean.
When I switched from years of using Windows to Linux I cursed quite a lot. “Why doesn’t Linux do x?” “I can do y in Windows!”. It took me a while to learn that most of my frustration came from not understanding Linux, not that it was a half baked OS. Now that I’ve been using it for quite a while, there are some things that I would miss a lot if I had to go back to Windows. (Using Konqueror to FISH into my servers at work is great!). A lot of it is all in what you are used to.
Yes, you can break the addiction.
I suggest you make two list of all things you need to do as a home user and professional. Configure OpenSUSE to do those things then ask yourself to you need to be concerned with BSOD’s or the horrible memory/resource hog-Vista.
I use Windows at work period, because we are forced to. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is better to me as a office desktop. It’s faster, less errors, no BSOD’s and more stable then Windows period. You don’t have to deal with things like NAV cost or continue learn from Firefox that IE does. Just look into Linux. Be sure to go to the interop website and check out what Novell and Microsoft are doing together Novell and Microsoft - Interoperability.
As with any addiction, what cures you is finding something that gives you a greater buzz. I found three things in my first six months and I’ve never looked back - but I didn’t set out expecting to find anything. I just thought I should try Linux for a while to find out whether it was what I was looking for.
Same here, a friend of mine was using ubuntu, while we were talking, and then I decided to take the plunge. Ubuntu didn’t work out too well for me, so I switched to openSUSE 10.2 and I haven’t looked back since
Same here, I never really liked the default poo brown colours of Ubuntu I’m not even sure why everyone uses it so much compared to openSUSE… Its not only the colours that get me… lots of other stuff… It just didn’t work very well with my computer…
Use repositories and one-click installs to install things in OpenSUSE with the ease of use and successrate you require. Check out the repositories website for a list of official ones and un-official ones.
But you did it. Did you not feel a sense of achievement and feel like shouting ‘Woo Hoo!’ and run around your living room? I did!
You’ll save yourself enough money to buy nicorette patches and get a super fast internet connection so you can talk about OpenSUSE and your experiences, questions and tips with the great online Linux community.
Also, if OpenSUSE doesn’t work well with your pc try a different distribution. Or, since you are a developer, make your own or contribute to OpenSUSE to make it work like you want to! That’s what Linux is about. Choice and diversity. It makes using your PC a far better experience. I love being able to make it do things in a way I want it to do instead of what a big company who has enough money to rid the world of hunger and poverty thinks it needs to be done.
Enjoy the journey and see this forum as your ‘Quit smoking helpline’!
stimphy,
In case you haven’t found this yet to get double click for opening flies & such. Kmenu>Configure Desktop>Keyboard and Mouse The mouse settings are in there. Once there some things may look familiar to you.
Welcome to Opensuse & its Forum.
What hooked me into Suse 10.0 was mostly the absence of ET-phone-home softwares, and not having to deal with not-fun stuff like anti-virus, licenses, annoying register-me! pop-ups. It’s about feeling in control, not being watched over the shoulder by some big brother (George Orwell’s, not the TV show).
Well, occasionally I run ClamAV. Never found anything.
I’m not even sure why everyone uses it so much compared to openSUSE… Its not only the colours that get me… lots of other stuff… It just didn’t work very well with my computer… 