OpenSuse 11.1
Like many others I have no desktop effects. Composting is not supported on this system. In the past I have had problems with updates breaking the Nvidia driver modules. So I chose not to install them.
Similarly kernel updates use to break the Vmware modules. Nowdays I use Virtualbox. I think it can suffer the same fate. Updates to your system can bust Virtualbox.
I wonder how others get around this ? Updates are a high priority as they keep your system secure. Do you have problems keeping your Nvidia drivers working and Virtualbox working ?
I would like to make use of desktop effects. Thus I need to install the Nvidia drivers. But I am wary of having to recompile them frequently or fix them up after installing the latest security patches.
If you use the OSS Virtual Box you should have no problem here. But if you use the Sun .rpm then you will need to recompile the Virtual Box kernel module after a kernel update (/etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup)
Graphics drivers have similar issues. Manually installed nvidia drivers will need re-installing after a kernel update. But if you use the repo for your nvidia driver it should be ok.