11.16.07
Do-No-Evil Saturday - Part I: OpenSUSE News, Audiocast, and Preinstalls (Updated)
Tuxmachines (Susan Linton) has this new comparison between the latest version of OpenSUSE and the latest version of Ubuntu Linux.
So really the big basic difference is that Ubuntu is a simplified cookie cutter distribution designed to not overwhelm the new user with choice. openSUSE on the other hand is the polar opposite offering choices for every aspect of Linux computing. openSUSE is very scalable and it can be as easy or advanced as one needs. You could install openSUSE on a dozen machines and none be the same if that was your wish, whereas install Ubuntu on a dozen machines and it would be exactly alike except some might not be able to connect to the internet.
As stated at the beginning, there really isn’t much of a comparison between these two distros as they are so vastly different in target audience, capabilities, and philosophies. If you are a brand new Linux user perhaps you should get your feet wet with Ubuntu as openSUSE might seem a bit overwhelming. After a coupla weeks and you begin to feel claustrophobic, then branch out to try openSUSE. If you have any Linux or advanced Windows experience, then you might prefer the functionality found in openSUSE.
Over at OpenSUSE’s news subsite, the audiocast which discusses asterisk gets a quick mention.
In the second part Reinhard Max describes Asterick, an open source telephony engine and tool kit, where to find packages for openSUSE and its usage within Novell.
Funny misspelling of “Asterisk” in both sites (the referrer and the original).
As for the last item, it isn’t entirely clear what version of SUSE is used, but a business in the UK will have it preinstalled
Shuttle Inc., the market leader in the Mini-PC sector and manufacturer of Multi-Form-Factor solutions, is now also selling its Mini-PCs with the Linux Operating System in the UK.
Update: there are some more related news items which were forgotten. Namely:
OpenSUSE gets its board set up independently from Novell.
Novell has recently decided to start setting openSUSE free from direct Novell oversight by setting up the first openSUSE board of directors.
Groklaw’s interpretative tale says more about it:
That should come in handy for Novell, should there ever actually be any patent infringement attack from Microsoft, because you now have a clear demarcation line.
Novell’s work on an open source ATI/AMD driver continues. It helps the community of Linux users as a whole.
Yesterday we received word from Novell’s Matthias Hopf that the 2D portion of the RadeonHD driver will not be stable by the end of the year. After publishing that news article, we heard some new details from Luc Verhaegen, who is also part of Novell’s X driver development team.
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.