Well, some days after the announce (drop YaST) someone thought: “since Discover only works with applications, we still need a way to work with packages (libraries, patterns,…)”, so he started a package manager that now is called “Myrlyn”, a exact replacement to YaST software (and includes zypper dup).
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I’m sorry for being pedantic, but for the sake of clarity I’d like to point out that many people in this thread, when referring to YaST, refer to the entire YaST suite of tools. Not just the package manager.
Cockpit unfortunately does not provide all the functionality previously available in all of YaST. I believe this is what @vertclair was also worried about when talking about non-CLI setup. It’s not about just upgrades but wider system management.
However, Myrlyn is great! The GUI feels more responsive and includes a shortcut for zypper dup like you said. And while I use the command line to perform upgrades, I use Myrlyn for more complicated package management.
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Well, is a simple sample. Nobody said: “we are against YaST and openSUSE doesn’t bring it anymore!!!”. Alternatives are posible.
YaST does not provide all the functionality of YaST. Most of hardware tools, the sound tool… Many modules have been lost over time. Even SaX. Even Web-YaST.
There is a nice and comprehensive despription from Stefan Hundhammer why a lot of YaST modules are deprecated and no longer needed:
https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1243900#c1
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Thanks, that was an insightful bit of reading.
I mean I knew about the technical debt but having it explained by a dev gives more insight into the actual decision process. I was also unaware of various desktop applets being able to perform some of the tasks previously available through YaST.
Stefan mentioned that SUSE could help Cockpit evolve. I hope this will be the case and it would alleviate a lot of the concerns presented here.
And like it was pointed out in the discussion, Leap 16 should have Cockpit set up out of the box and have Myrlyn included by default when installing a desktop environment.
Luckily we had perceptive beta testers in the community. 
EDIT: Including answer to another post.
I never said anyone said that. What I’ve said throughout the thread is that:
- I understand the situation with YaST and I am not personally attached to it due to being a fairly new user.
- In my opinion, Cockpit does not provide enough functionality to be a true YaST replacement for new users. (But also I didn’t know that many desktop applets provide similar functionality.)
- Cockpit is absolutely a better alternative than doing nothing.
- Desktop Linux adoption in general will benefit from user-friendly configuration/admin tools, which is why I think it is a matter that should not be overlooked.
I hope this clears up the intentions behind my writings.
Well:
It was an explanation. Myrlyn is a good sample of the situation: if someone works in a tool replacement, the tool will be there 
Nobody here is against this. But if no one does the work, there won’t be one.
2,3. Cocking is a system administration tool, not a desktop/laptop administration tool (by now, who knows?).
In openSUSE you have: Search
You can administrate your remote server and also your local machines including your children’s laptops. But you can’t use it to setup a printer.
openSUSE/SUSE had YaST since 30 years ago, but people think Mint is “easier”. Newcomers need things working.
Well, with the time we’ll need: a YaST Partitioner replacement(1), an easier upgrade method, maybe think about an easy way to sudo, a new Boot tool, a new config files edit tool…
No problem here
(1) Some things are about Agama installer anyway. For example, LVM+Snapper setup.
A good openSUSE partitioner tool needs a good btrfs capabilities manager.
There is cockpit-storage but it’s far away to be a good disks editor.
Yes, Myrlyn looks a very good replacement for the software management part !
True. My point was wider, not just for software but for all facilities provided by the YaST environnement in current version of Leap (partitionner, bootloader, network basics, services, security tools etc.). YaST offers a GUI interface for theses systemic unit modules but also a single place to group and sort them. This is major design points because yes, in linux all can be done here or there and in cli/config file/scripting but the knowledge for the locations or methodes is far beyond beginners scope.
Yes, many modules aren’t necessary anymore (thanks @hui for the link) but I worry about thoses which were not considered useful by specialists/dev and which will miss or be blockers for noobs (bootload change or tunning after install for example ?).
Basic ! If not, I think we’ll crash in user-friendly distro’s top charts
@vertclair Users need to test Cockpit as to what works or doesn’t, likewise what could be an enhancement to be added, perhaps bootloader…
Time to test and make your voices heard…
FYI, the only thing that you can’t do with Cockpit is bootoader changes, everything else you mentioned is in Cockpit today and more, for example virtual machine creation, management and podman management…
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I am honestly trying to find it. The Factory repo appears offline and the only thing I can find is a flatpak? Can you point me in the right direction?
@70tas To get started I suggest zypper in cockpit-ws cockpit-system to get the basics. Or at your discretion the cockpit pattern(?)
Then systemctl enable --now cockpit.service then should be able to browse as your user to https://localhost:9090
Which openSUSE version are you using?
I have Tumbleweed and Leap 15.2 I believe. i use mostly Tumbleweed. Thank you
Well, cockpit is available for TW (and Slowroll) via the OSS repo. Leap 15.2 is well past EOL.
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We never “believe”. Aside from that Leap 15.2 has been EOL for ages. Don’t expect any support for that
Let’s say I want to discuss an issue or a theme (such as UX) with the dev team. What is the proper way to contact them and/or participate?
I’ll check on my Leap. I am pretty updated, so I have the version in error. I will respond later when I can get in front of a system. I believe is a euphemism, for ‘I am guessing’, Yep, I know I shouldn’t be.
For Leap 15.6 cockpit can be installed using….
zypper addrepo https://download.opensuse.org/repositories/systemsmanagement:cockpit/15.6/systemsmanagement:cockpit.repo
zypper refresh
zypper install cockpit
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@hyperdolphins That would depend if it’s something generic, then upstream. If something isn’t working then openSUSE Bugzilla. Or if just wanting to ask a question, then I would look at IRC or Matrix and discuss direct on Factory or Upstream.
I have used and appreciated the YaST printer setup utility for multiple printers in recent years, including a few times this year. I hope this doesnt count as too rare usage, the printers just worked relatively fine after being sest up this way.
Some of its good properties include that even those can use it for printer setup who cant grasp the command line, and that even for those who can, it can be done with a lot of unnecessary research on which commands to use for what, and how meticulously their arguments need to be formatted.
Dont misunderstand me, I started using linux plainly over SSH, for years, and still do for servers. But on a desktop OS YaST printer was a godsend, even if not perfect.
I dont know the specifics of how many YaST utilities will be removed (I assume all of them), but I can only hope YaST Software Management stays. Much better compared to the zypper command for searching packages, their versions and variants, switching package versions and vendors, and such tasks, partly (but not only) because the zypper command spends a lot of time with “loading repository metadata” and “reading installed packages”, and of course with typing and mistyping.
If you read this thread you will see that YaST software is replaced by Myrlyn (already available for Tumbleweed and Leap 16) which can also perform a zypper dup operation, which YaST software never could.