OpenSUSE is a leader and there will be more innovation, you’re correct. The corporate leaders have cleverly nurtured openSUSE’s technical excellence. Great.
But not many pppl are using openSUSE (compared to Ubuntu). The other side of the coin is getting this great distro recognised, that’s what’s missing.
The corporate leaders should invest in marketing to stimulate uptake. If openSUSE became a word known to ppl like the word Ubuntu is known to ppl, then… well the point is obvious, just look at windows and Ubuntu.
You just answered your question…it’s simple. The average computer user doesn’t want complicated when they only need their computer to send out email, surf the web and crunch some documents.
Kind of matter of opinion isn’t it , I think openSUSE , is the best Linux distro . Ubuntu sucks and I get so sick of people braging about junk OS .
SUSE our RedHat for me, and maybe some Slackware thrown in .
Ubuntu the Microsoft of Linux.
i’ve come from ubuntu and i’m hugely impressed with SUSE. im not sure exactly what it is, but the UI is far more impressive than ubuntu’s. maybe partly due to compiz.
i actually found SUSE easier to pickup than i did with ubuntu; maybe thats down to a bit more linux experience though so i know what does what.
in my view both windows and ubuntu are too user orinetated and give overly stupid and complex systems to work with, that reduce productivity.
Why does Ubuntu suck?? It irks me that because some people prefer a different distro, they hate on Ubuntu because of it’s popularity, yet most won’t be able to say why it sucks. It’s linux, and it’s free, so automatically it does not suck. Every distro has it’s adv and disadvs, I’ve had very few problem with Ubuntu personally.
From reading I’ve heard taht Ubuntu does not adhere to strictly to Linux standards in the OS handles things and as a result certain things break as you upgrade. I like the ideas that canonical come up with. LIke the messaging menu, unifying the sound control applet etc. Sets it apart from other distros in terms of originality. I’m looking foward to trying 10.10 honestly…
I still prefer opensuse though
> You just answered your question…it’s simple. The average computer
> user doesn’t want complicated when they only need their computer to
> send out email, surf the web and crunch some documents.
Look at the question again - the keyword is “known” and the answer is
marketing and money.
It’s all about marketing strategy…Simply, Ubuntu is putting more efforts to make it easy for non-linux users to move into linux…
For OpenSUSE to be the best known Linux distro, some drastic measures and major changes need to be taken. These changes could effect the overall image of OpenSUSE which could lead to losing many of the current OpenSUSE users (mostly developers and devoted Linux heads). Is the company ready for such change? Do they want to change?..
Again its all about the strategy in which the company likes to operate… Theoretically speaking, OpenSUSE could easily qualify to be the best known distro and to attract more non-linux users …However, that requires drastic changes in the marketing strategy of the company. Once the company agree to compromise and embrace change, they would take the lead. Now they are not ready to compromise, but Ubuntu is.
AFAIR what made a lasting “first impression” on users was the distribution of free CDs on demand. You’d just e-mail Canonical with your address and they’d send you not one, but ten Ubuntu CDs, totally free of any charge. This got Ubuntu to the “top-of-mind” of a lot of - and I mean a LOT - of people. People who couldn’t tell the difference between linux and a microwave oven would know the OS’s name. That gave ubuntu the necessary initial momentum, so they just had to not scr3w up too much to keep things going for a long time. Sort of like with MS…
This feature, getting the CDs in professionally looking sleeves, has helped in passing around 30 each release at my computer club meetings. Of course, would pass out any distribution willing to supply CDs and such for free hinthint
People have to want it AND do something about it. In Ubuntu’s case they had to ask for it - ergo, they wanted it. Think about the consequences. This is totally different from offering someone one (or ten) CDs.
dragonbite said he would pass out any distro that provides the material. openSUSE provides everything but the disks and the sleeves, and those are cheap. It sounds like he’s been successful with that other distro.
I’ve managed to get about 30 with each release, and in 1 (sometimes 2) nights time they are usually gone. Unlike a lot of freebies, I also hear back from some of the people who actually run it or install it (often in a VM).
I would go become an Ambassador, but I’m not so good with the go-out-and-do thingies. I have enough trouble keeping up with what I’ve got now! Plus I’m constantly distro-hopping.
