• Platform:     Windows NT / 98 / 2000 / Me / 95, Macintosh, Linux, Unix
• Media: CD-ROM
• Item Quantity: 1

The Yast2 based installation routine is straightforward (unless you get into custom installations). You'll find even exotic hardware such as TV cards are detected and Yast2 sets up basic networking and configures Net access and e-mail for you, enables you to select extra software complete with dependency resolution and results in a desktop indistinguishable from the Personal edition--it's neat, attractive and fully functional, though there were some odd permission errors on the Net access set up by Yast2 for a non-root user. Despite this, from booting the DVD to logging onto the Net took under an hour.

KDE3 is the default desktop, with Gnome 2 optional. Both are installed with well designed menus. Actually two menus--the basic KDE menu and the SuSE menu. The default SuSE menu has everything--too much in fact--while the KDE menu doesn't have enough. You can switch menus in the control centre (the KDE control centre, not Yast2) and add a useful administrator menu.

From the Yast2 control centre you can configure ISDN and DSL while the advanced network icon provides access to configuration for LDAP, DNS, NFS, NIS, a Proxy and routing. Not Samba, though, which still requires hand editing smb.conf (or the swat Web interface for basics).

The system proves completely stable even when installing, uninstalling and configuring lots of software, integrating it into a local network as a server, switching between CUPS and lpr based printing, installing multiple ISPs and so on.

One neat feature is the digital camera support in KDE. Basically, the photo libraries are installed by default and you can simply plug in your camera and, if it's USB based, type "camera:/" into Konqueror to see it appear. Click the camera icon to view the thumbnails. Otherwise you need to install gtkam--why didn't they just do it anyway and stick it on the multimedia menu?

Despite minor niggles--and every Linux user can find something to complain about in every distribution--SuSE Linux 8.1 Professional is the bee's knees, and better value than the Personal edition. --Steve Patient

Product Description
SuSE Linux 8.1 Professional contains all of the substantial improvements and new features of the Personal edition, plus additional components for advanced users. These tools include an intelligent software installer, comprehensive hardware detection including USB 2.0 and Firewire, integrated databases for intranet and business, a multitude of developer tools and programming language, and more.

Take advantage of OpenOffice.org included with version 8.1, which is fully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. This package offers not only common office tools such as a word processing application, a spreadsheet calculation, and a presentation program, it also provides an HTML editor, a database, a scheduler, a drawing program, an image processing application, and several other practical utilities.

Use your choice of the graphical desktop interfaces KDE 3.0.3 or GNOME 2.0 for the exact look and feel you want. Linux 8.1 Personal also comes complete with an extensive collection of sound, multimedia, and educational applications, plus many educational and entertaining games. Installation is fast and easy without disturbing your existing Windows operating system. And you get solid security and reliability with SuSE Firewall 2 and Crypto file system.

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