I installed openSUSE 11.1 about a month ago as a double boot with Windows 7 on my laptop. At first I didn’t think I was going to be using SUSE that much since I actually like W7, but I thought it would be fun to learn. Especially not since a lot of things didn’t seem to work on SUSE and such an easy thing as just downloading and installing a software seemed to be way over my head. Well, at least the manual way.
I’ve tried to download and install/build from source a few times with no success. But today I actually made it! I downloaded the latest Pidgin version (the older one wouldn’t connect to msn) and made the untaring, configuring, compiling and installed all the necessary dependencies all through the terminal (Just look at all those new words I had to learn). I actually felt like a real hacker, yes I know that this is very basic but I’m actually a bit proud. I even managed to make a new entry in the App launcher.
Well, anyway just wanted to say that so someone would hear it, all my old friend left me now cause I’ve been sitting here for a month trying to fix this. When they ask what I’m doing the standard answer has been: Trying to compile this so I can install it, and just typing like a freak staring at all that code running down the terminal, swearing about missing dev packages. No, it’s really not that bad. I actually had fun learning all this. And there is still and endless ocean of learning ahead. Hopefully it gets easier and easier. And I guess I could say that I finally understand what is so fun about the computer itself. When I was mainly using Windows to do what I needed to do I got it done but it wasn’t this fun (nor this frustrating). Thanks all for a great OS and thanks all for sharing their knowledge. This might qualify as the most unnecessary post in the entire forum but it will probably be fun for me to read again in a year or so. Cheers!
Thanks! Yeah, I know about Yast as well but it isn’t as educating as doing it by yourself. And you are not as free to chose versions, like for Pidgin. But maybe it’s possible to add another source to get the other versions? Hmmm, more to learn.
You might like to try Webpin
It can often find more recent versions for you and offer OneClick Install options. Though my pref is to add the repo and install via software management.
Congrats on on putting everything together from the ground up. It always gives you a great since of accomplishment.
Sometimes things dont always work right out of the gate, like any other distro. But being able to problem solve and finding a solution shows alot about your character. This is probably one of the top reasons why Window users tend to quit and bash Linux for this and that not working when the root of the problem is really the user in most cases
Ditto. Although you have to add the repo yourself you keep your repo db under control. As oldcpu always recommends,you should start using opensuse with only four repos: oss, non-oss, update and packman. After you gain some experience you’ll start using others, like mozilla, openoffice, nvidia or ati, community, etc.
