Linux Journal: SuSE Linux Professional 8.2 Review

“After being blown away by how well SuSE Linux Enterprise Server
8 handled the Ultimate Linux Box, I decided I would see how well
SuSE handled on a more pedestrian machine. In the carton along with
SLES 8 was a copy of SuSE Linux Professional 8.2. Unlike the fancy
ring-binder SLES 8 came in, this was the traditional cardboard box,
containing a fairly standard set of books and CDs. I kept unfolding
the jewel case and counted one, two, three, four, five CDs, plus
two DVDs tucked into a multi-flipout little thing that looks like
it should hold only two CDs. Seven disks in all, plus a new logo
sticker that looks like a green radiation symbol but is too big for
the usual 25mm divot on a lot of PC cases. Ah, well, if that’s the
only problem we have today, we’re doing real well.

“The manuals are substantial; the user guide is almost 400
pages. In addition to the usual installation and configuration
walk-through, it contains tutorials and references for everything
from Evolution and Galeon to burning CDs. There’s even a section on
ergonomics. The administrator’s manual is nearly 600 pages, and
where the user guide covers the bright shiny side of Linux, this
discusses its grungy underbelly. It covers such topics as file
synchronization, security in the network, SAMBA, LVM and software
RAID–the printer section alone is 80 pages long. It even tells you
what the strange-looking logo is–‘a quintic surface with four
higher-order double points’ (page 3)–and gives you not only the
equations for drawing it but a URL for software that handles the
equations and renders it for you. Our German friends are nothing if
not thorough…”

Complete
Story