Suffering slitherin' openSUSE 12.2 is here!

Although I've had no issues at all running openSUSE 12.1 on my machines, I'm excited that openSUSE 12.2 is finally here! The notes and news about the release have been intriguing to say the least, but there's nothing like testing it on a system. I particularly look forward to the following:

• openSUSE adopting Grub2 and playing nicely with other Linux distributions running on Grub2.
• Performance improvements that would make openSUSE KDE boot faster and perform more efficiently on low-powered machines. Since openSUSE 10, I've experienced remarkable leaps and bounds in openSUSE's performance though I must admit the Lizard distro still feels somewhat slower than Ubuntu and Fedora, which is a shame because openSUSE carries more functionality out-of-the-box than either of the two.
• Improvements to KDE 4.x are always welcome. Although somewhat bloated compared to XFCE, Gnome 3, and my current favorite desktop, LXDE, I've always liked KDE for its functionality, flexibility, and "wow" factor. Although Microsoft has moved on from the traditional menu-led desktop and the Linux community has strived to move away from more of the same through Gnome 3 and Unity, I think there will always be users who prefer the "old-school" desktop that isn't a Mac OSX look-alike.
• KDE Network Manager has never been the most stable of KDE components. In my experience, Network Manager occasionally experienced problems connecting to free wi-fi and intermittently failed to display available SSIDs. If the release notes are any indication, KDE Network Manager should work better than ever.

Although Linux Mint is still the safest choice for new Linux users, I recommend openSUSE to serious students of Linux for a variety of reasons. First, openSUSE isn't a "hobbyist" Linux distribution. It's built of the same components as Novell's enterprise and desktop OS. Even if you don't intend to use every single item in Yast, there's a comfort in knowing that access to advanced settings are available if you decide to learn about setting up security, servers, virtualization, and advanced networking. Second, I accept that most users don't really peruse documentation, but one of the advantages of trying out openSUSE before other distros is that it has well-written, comprehensive, and very readable user manuals. Fedora has an exceptionally professional online wiki , but can sometimes be too much for the new user, while Ubuntu users would often have to resort to asking help from the Ubuntu community to get complex tasks done. And finally, openSUSE is as friendly as Ubuntu or Linux Mint and as equally enjoyable to use! It's a great place to start your Linux adventures even if you are eventually moving on to Archlinux or Debian.

So download openSUSE 12.2 now and get slithering like the rest!