Chapter 22. Running SUSE and openSUSE Linux

IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Understanding SUSE

  • What's in SUSE

  • Installing openSUSE

Once the most popular Linux distribution in Europe, SUSE was purchased by the U.S. networking company Novell, Inc. in November 2003. Since that time, SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) products have been positioned to challenge Red Hat to become the dominant Linux distribution for large enterprise computing environments worldwide.

Like Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, openSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise are excellent for people who are looking for a Linux system to use in large, enterprise environments. Because Novell's Linux product line is geared toward enterprise computing, the skills you gain using SUSE on your home Linux system will be useful in a business environment as well.

SUSE systems have a slick graphical installer that leads you through installation and intuitive administrative tools, consolidated under a facility called YaST. SUSE and its parent company, Novell, offer a range of Linux products and support plans that scale from free versions of openSUSE with community support, to supported SUSE distributions for enterprise desktop (SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, or SLED), all the way up to SUSE's Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) product.

In 2005, Novell refocused its development efforts to do as Red Hat does with its Red Hat Enterprise Linux product and Fedora Project: Novell formed the openSUSE Project, which, like the Fedora Project, produces a free community-driven ...

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