While ‘cat /etc/*release’ just show me i.e the current main ‘13.1 (Bottle)’ release label, I wonder how it is possible to query generic for which developer distribution version, Beta 1 or RC1 etc. that is currently installed?
I’m running Gnome desktop session.
AFAIK the Beta1 was still explicitely labelled “Beta 1” in those files. This has been dropped for RC1.
How to find out which RC you have I don’t know. I guess that’s just not possible, except of looking at the specific package versions.
If You don’t have milestone * or beta 1 showing you have release candidate one.
Release candidate two is due
2013-10-31: RC2
Thank you,
I remember (think) it previously also was shown some versioning on the Grub menu and on the GDM login menu, but now.
(Not sure ‘My Computer’ (KDE?) showed the version).
I.e this repo uri show me
~> zypper lr -U | grep openSUSE-13.1
7 | openSUSE-13.1-1.3 | openSUSE-13.1-1.3 | Ja | Ja | http://download.opensuse.org/distribution/13.1/repo/oss/
Maybe 13.1-1.3 say something about the version?
That uri again bring me to
Index of /factory-snapshot/repo/oss
I see the latest file dates is 10-Oct-2013, while the README here doesn’t specify the version.
Well, that’s just a name given by the installer (it matches the version of the openSUSE-release package). It won’t change regardless how many updates you install, so it doesn’t really say anything.
But yes, it is RC1.
That uri again bring me to
Index of /factory-snapshot/repo/oss
Right, the 13.1 URLs are just linked to this for now.
The links will change to be the real 13.1 repo as soon as 13.1 is released (maybe a few days earlier?).
I see the latest file dates is 10-Oct-2013, while the README here doesn’t specify the version.
RC1 got released on 10-Oct-2013 (well 11th actually), didn’t it? 
Just think of it this way:
You have 13.1 installed now. There won’t be any changes anymore to the distribution, just bugfix/security updates like with any other released version.
And you can’t tell which updates exactly you have installed by just stating you’re running 12.3 either. There is no 12.3.9 or similar. Just 12.3.