[PLUG] Warning About SuSE 8

[Robert]

As a Linux newbie (2 years of frustration now) I decided to try the new 
SuSE 8.0 distribution.  I last tried SuSE 7.2 and found it the best Linux I 
had ever used, but gave it up for Red Hat 7.2 because I could not get it to 
work right with my network, and standard Linux commands never worked right. 
The configuration menus were a real pain too.

So we arrive at today. SuSE 8.0 installed alright, easily in fact.  Weird 
though, it does not install a number of programs any newbie would normally 
use by default, so I choose them individually.  Among them Netscape 6.2, CD 
burning software, and Mozilla mail (even though Mozilla browser is there, 
by default they leave out the mail program!?).

I thought I had modem installation and internet access down to a science 
now, even in Linux, but the new SuSE has proven me wrong.  In Red Hat my 
modem is found under /dev/tty/S4.  The new SuSE only goes as far as /S3 and 
even if I manually enter /S4 it will not work.  No amount of experimenting 
with settings was able to produce a recognizable modem. I went through 
every  listed setting. So no internet access.

I gave up on that and decided to now try the CD burning program, but found 
it is as defective as any other Linux CD Burner program I have ever (not 
been able to) use(d). It also detected my scanner automatically, but 
whenever I click on anything to do with the scanner, nothing happens.  At 
least with Red Hat, it scans an image, lets me look at it, and then refuses 
to save it!

SuSE 8.0 does have some nice new screen backrounds, but the fonts and menus 
are typical Linux at its worst or near worst. I don't feel like wasting 
time fiddling with it since it is probably the best it can ever be and I 
will probably reinstall the whole mess again hoping it might, God willing, 
detect the modem next time.

Although I spent the week hating Microsoft and hoping all the school 
districts would ban new Windows purchases and get Linux instead, I now am 
spending the weekend greatfull that a company like Microsoft provides an 
operating system that actually works right out of the box.

As my tolerance for pain increases in the following weeks I'll be back here 
asking more questions as I enter week 6 of trying to get Red Hat Linux 
Samba to work, as well as CD burning, scanning, and font adjustment.

Robert