SUSE 9.1 FTP Version Available

twener writes "The SUSE 9.1 FTP version is now available on SUSE's ftp mirrors for free installation via FTP/HTTP (installation instruction). It's almost identical to SUSE 9.1 Professional except some few packages which are missing due to licence reasons. Also don't miss "SUSE 9.1: The Complete Review" recently published by DesktopOS.com."

Re:Suse is not free

[levell]

You're new around here, right?

If I had any mod points, I'd mod you funny. The flame wars between the zealots of each distro are so hot we should be using them for power. I think it may be a little while before we reach a consensus (i.e. long term on a scale where the heat death of the universe is just around the corner).

Re:Uh, why not?

[torpor]

Hey, I appreciated hearing that someone was considering doing this ... it made me think that perhaps I ought to, as well. And I probably also will pay for SUSE (again), for the same reasons as the parents post. FTP version is good, CD version is better.

So it was a positive thing that the parent mentioned it, but I have to wonder just how someone could bother 'querying someones intentions to do something', and then bothering to mention that here ...why?

Re:SuSE

[mz2]

Where is SUSE's own repository?

Here's a SUSE mirror list:http://www.suse.com/us/private/download/ftp/i nt_mirrors.html [suse.com]
Find the nearest mirror and browse to 9.1/i386 (and similarly the contribs are found from those mirrors) whatever and set it up in Yast. Should be rather self-explanatory. Personally what I think about distributions that support this type of installation from ftp/http/etc is that there should be some sort of semiautomatic configuration of suitable security update mirrors and other packages during the installation. At least I install everything from the internet instead of looking for that dvd that I've lost somewhere on my desk. With the security updates it is not only convenient, but also quite important.

It was also a little bizarre to install a Linux and find out that it didn't include gcc and make. I realize that Personal is targeted at home users, but it just feels strange.

You're mistaken. They are included, they just have to be chosen during installation (maybe you didn't choose any development-related options during installation?)

OTOH I'm not sure how flexible the installer is. For instance, there didn't seem to be any way to do a non-default partitioning scheme, preserve some partitions, install GRUB, etc.; but maybe the option was there, and I just didn't notice it.

All of the mentioned things are available, or at least used to be. I've not tried SUSE 9.1 very profoundly myself yet (not on my own comp yes, except with a live cd), but in 9.0 at least you can choose betw. GRUB and Lilo, configure both of em. And the partitioning tool handles customized partition setups well, you just have to choose the Advanced option when installing, or something on the lines of that... And quite contrary to the normal misconceptions, you won't cause yourself any problems by mixing your manual conf-file editing with Yast's functionality (any more than you could cause problems with making mistakes in conf files anyways). The autogenerated ones you shouldn't touch are always marked with a comment in the beginning and nearly always in those cases there's another file included with that conf file with which you can meddle as much as you want :)

Re:SuSE

[mz2]

Here's a few places to look for some unofficial repos:
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/j.pearson/linux.htm#Pack_S uSE_ [wanadoo.fr]
http://scott.exti.net/links.html [exti.net]

Re:Lets see you do that for hundreds of systems

[shaitand]

ok there is one little flaw in your logic that stands out like a blazing iron. And I don't even like debian ;)

You see they call it backporting, meaning the security patches are in the new versions and they backport the patch to the old versions.

You don't need to backport to unstable because unstable gets the new versions instead which include security updates and general bug fixes as well.

Re:Suse is not free

[HenchmenResources]

To counter your argument that SuSE is keeping Yast as proprietary software you may have read recently Novell/SuSE [eweek.com] have released Yast/Yast2 under the GPL.

A more logical reason behind their continuing with the FTP method over the ISO method might be bandwidth. If you have looked at what bandwidth costs, [broadbanduniverse.net] and when you think that most Linux users will never use all of the programs included in a Linux distribution, and most won't use even half, it makes sense to go the FTP rout. The software may be free, but the bandwidth to distribute that software is not even close to free, not to mention the time that companies like Novell/SuSE, Mandrake and yes even Redhat take to compile all those programs into a distrobution than from a business stand point distributing Linux in an FTP installation format make great business sense. Now I agree that not having the CD's is a real pain-in-the-butt, I go to my CD's/DVD almost daily, but if that is your only gripe with SuSE that why not take the time you spent typing out a complaint on /. and write Novell/SuSE a formal letter explaining to them the reasons why putting ISO's up for download would be a better option to the FTP method they have opted to use, if not than go back to your Fedora core and stop waisting your time and /.'s resources complaining about something that has no affect on you.