openSUSE 12.2 is just around the corner!

openSUSE's next release, delayed by developers for quite a bit now, is less than a week away. Like most openSUSE users, I'm stoked. As an Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE user, I find openSUSE a more complete and functional experience compared to the other two. Fedora requires more hands-on than Ubuntu or openSUSE. In addition, Fedora occasionally has unusual issues such as problems with touchpads (there are still issues with X for tapping and dragging on some machines like my EEEPC 1000H). Ubuntu's mainstream release is great for casual users but is "crippled" out of the box compared to openSUSE's huge amount of features/services that can be accessed via Yast. Moreover, the Unity desktop isn't everyone's cup of tea - I've tried to force feed myself with Unity and nearly choked. openSUSE's KDE release has gone a long way from the buggy initial build of KDE4. openSUSE developers still go overboard with too many KDE applications, but the desktop has evolved to a powerful, full-featured, and surprisingly beautiful interface.

 

 

There are two issues for openSUSE that I already expect to face if I'm to install the lizard distribution. One, openSUSE's servers are blocked in China (it could be my ISP or the government), severely limiting access to software and updates. The openSUSE DVD should be able to address most software requirements but not all of them. Two, I don't have an extra machine to install openSUSE at the moment. As nice as it is having any Linux OS on a virtual machine, I need a full physical machine to take full advantage of one of my favorite Linux distributions. Still, I can't wait to run tests on openSUSE 12.2. Everyone out there who has tried Fedora or Ubuntu should give it a try when the final build is released!