"Those who read this week's .comment column on
LinuxPlanet.com learned of the difficulty that I and some others
have encountered in installing, configuring, and using SuSE Linux
7.3. These problems are not universal, but for a substantial number
of users they render a nonfunctioning or barely functioning system.
As it turns out, at least two significant problems can be
relatively easily solved, even by users who have little Linux
experience. A third problem is not a critical issue but still one
for which a solution remains elusive.
The problems are these:
Difficulty of installation and limited usability on machines
using the Matrox G-400 video card and perhaps other cards in the
MGA series.
Unattractive rendering of anti-aliased fonts for video cards
that can use them, for users who choose the KDE desktop.
An inability to apply the Ext3 journaling filesystem to
existing partitions.
The first problem was solved through a suggestion made on the
SuSE English-language mailing list. The second has been solved by a
SuSE employee who encountered it while preparing the Japanese
language version of the distribution. The third problem, well,
remains a problem. But because this is Linux, that will probably be
sorted out within a day or two."