Not long ago someone mentioned that XFCE is available via the net install iso. I already had installations of oSUSE Gnome and an oSUSEbox (openSUSE w/ openbox) installed on this Lenovo ThinkPad W520 (as well as Manjarobox, Manjaro XFCE and Win7), and I had a v. 13.1 net install CD on hand so I decided to give it a try, and everything works.
My reason for posting this is to suggest that more openSUSE users would be likely to take advantage of these two major desktops if the Download page mentioned that they are available. I had no problem installing XFCE by selecting “Other” rather than KDE or Gnome, then choosing XFCE.
I can’t speak for the LXDE edition but openSUSE XFCE runs just fine, including it’s WiFi. (My oSUSEbox installation is very nice but not everything works as desired, as yet). openSUSE with XFCE is a solid, modular choice and deserves to be promoted along the two monolithic desktop environments, IMO.
I understand what you’re saying, but believe more can an should be done (and I say that because I using openSUSE XFCE v. 13.1 at the moment on a Lenovo Thinkpad W-520, with excellent results). All that would have to be done is make the information more available (for example, on the openSUSE Get It Page): http://http://software.opensuse.org/131/en
My installation was performed using a Net Install CD and the option to do so required choosing “Other”, first. Since only LXDE and XFCE were listed, listing both separately instead of other would be a very simple matter. “Other” could be a third option, for additional options, if they exist.
I have used openSUSE Studio to build a openSUSE Openbox version and additionally, followed instructions that required using the openSUSE DVD for the same purpose, but the results were less than a completely functional operating system.
Somebody (or bodies) has done an excellent job constructing fully function versions of openSUSE with the XFCE and LXDE desktop environments, and I think more present and potential openSUSE users would take advantage of these excellent alternatives if the information regarding their existence (and how to install them) was more readily accessible.
I assume (for instance), that either can be installed via the openSUSE DVD - but that information is NOT mentioned on the openSUSE Get it! page: http://http://software.opensuse.org/131/en
I think it should be. What would that cost?
So it’s not a matter of resources. It’s a matter of recognizing the convenience of do so and actually doing it. As an openSUSE XFCE user (I have openSUSEbox and Gnome also installed on various computers), I am doing my part by posting this, hoping that something will actually come of it.
There are only three major GNU/Linux operating systems and openSUSE/SUSE is one of them (Fedora and Debian are the other two). Add Mandrake (Mageia/Mandriva), Slackware and Gentoo and that’s about it. (The rest are all based on those six, with very few exceptions).
Considering the range of desktop environments (and their forks), that are available for Debian and Fedora/RedHat and their derivitives, plus the fact the openSUSE ostensibly offers only two - yet two additional options are readily available, WHY HASN’T THE FACT THAT XFCE and LXDE versions HAVE been developed and are easily installed, been made known to the public via the openSUSE Get iIt! page? http://software.opensuse.org/131/en
(Even Slackware derivatives offer multiple DE’s).
They are available from the FULL DVD they just don’t have separate DVD’s. And can install from the repos’s at at any time. Not sure what you want to happen??
But in any case this is not where to complain we are all just users here.
Perhaps a short description how openSUSE can be configured and re-configured “easily” from one Desktop to another might be warranted.
Am comparing for instance to Ubuntu which appears to deploy entirely different repos for each Desktop and are installed from completely different media. Try switching from the Unity Desktop to something like XFCE or LXDE, it’s a major headache, much more work than what we would do.
openSUSE (zypper) is cool that we support many distros from the <same> standard repos and it only requires installation patterns to deploy a Desktop (or any Server role).
For anyone who is coming from another distro wouldn’t expect what we take for granted.
(Maybe a small suggestion to the marketing folks?)
This is in the Unreviewed Howto and FAQ forum. This forum is clealy intended to contain ready solutions made available to users from users. But the above discussion shows not very much of this kind.
To me it looks as if the OP wants to suggest a new feature (new download versions of openSUSE) to the developers. The developers are not visiting these user forums on a regular base. New features should be asked for at https://features.opensuse.org/, but it is in general a good idea to start a discussion here in the users forums to see if other users have similar ideas about the usefulness off a new feature.
This forum is obvious the wrong place for such a discussion. Therefore this thread will be moved to General Chitchat and is CLOSED for the moment.
After it’s reopening you are welcome to continue the discussion.
