I am deeply considering OpenSUSE 11.3. I even found a combo training set on Amazon: OpenSUSE 11.3.
At the moment I have a Xandros 4.2 / WinXP dual boot. I plan on installing a new 1TB HD boot drive. According to the Lit: (How to install a WD Advanced Format Drive on a non-Windows Operating System), this HD is optimized for kernel 2.6.34 which OpenSUSE 11.3 happens to have. I also understand that OpenSUSE squeezes that Win partition aside quite easily during installation and mounts it with almost no effort on my part - a boon for a Windoze trog like me.
My NetGear WG311v3 wireless card has me slightly concerned. I read over here: Ndiswrapper - openSUSE, that I can use ndiswrapper, but I shouldn’t. Then I read here: HCL:Network (Wireless) - openSUSE, that I have to use ndiswrapper because of the marvell chipset.
If there’s anything I want to keep going, during installation is communication with you guys - especially if something goes wrong. Should I take a chance and stay w/ my present wireless card or get a card more compatible with OpenSUSE11.3? (the same page names chipsets where the driver is automatically loaded!)
BTW: Which driver do I get here? SDB:NVIDIA drivers - openSUSE, if I have a GeForce 8400GS? Does OpenSUSE know to get the correct dependencies?
Thanks in advance!
So the $20 copy of openSUSE and Training materials looks like a good deal, though none of that goes to openSUSE. The retail openSUSE box set is $65 in the US. Still, I might start with this first. I might suggest that the first thing you do is to download and make a LiveCD boot disk and try out say the KDE version of openSUSE 11.3 to see if your networking will work under openSUSE before you take the plunge and install it on your hard drive.
Thank You,
I’m definitely going after that live CD. I tried purchasing OSS for $65 at openSUSE 11.3 Box with balsam extensions, 32 bit and 64 bit, but it doesn’t work. I’m guessing that the package at Amazon is not supported? At least, they throw in a training package.
As far as my wireless card, I answered my own question with a little research:
Netgear 802.11g WG 311 v3 PCI Marvell Libertas red driver not available
at: http://linux-wless.passys.nl/query_alles.php? Therefore, I have to ndiswrapper OR go shopping for a new card. They’re all listed.
I’m definitely going after that live CD. I tried purchasing OSS for $65 at openSUSE 11.3 Box with balsam extensions, 32 bit and 64 bit, but it doesn’t work. I’m guessing that the package at Amazon is not supported? At least, they throw in a training package.
As far as my wireless card, I answered my own question with a little research:
Netgear 802.11g WG 311 v3 PCI Marvell Libertas red driver not available
at: http://linux-wless.passys.nl/query_alles.php? Therefore, I have to ndiswrapper OR go shopping for a new card. They’re all listed.
Xandros 4.2 has experienced moments of great instability when using the Netgear WG311v3. I believe it is exactly because of NDiswrapper. What dissappoints me is this card was on the Xandros HCL as a supported card. In turn, a lot of people supported Xandros. I wonder what happened to them?
In any case, I definitely must look for a compatible wireless card. I do not want to cause the system instabilities in OSS that have happened in Xandros.