OpenSUSE

Main article: Operating systems

Version History

The version lifecycle (the period during which critical updates are issued) is two years.^[1]

2022: Upgrading from OpenSUSE 15.4 to Beta

The development of the openSUSE Leap 15.4 distribution has moved to the beta testing stage. This became known on March 3, 2022. The release is based on a basic package set, integrated with the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP 4 distribution and also includes some custom applications from the openSUSE Tumbleweed repository. A universal DVD build of 3.9 GB (x86_64, aarch64, ppc64les, 390x) is available for download. The release of openSUSE Leap 15.4 is expected on June 8, 2022. Support of a branch of openSUSE Leap 15.3 will be carried out within 6 months after release 15.4.

The proposed release updates versions of various packages, including KDE Plasma 5.24, GNOME 41 and Enlightenment 0.25. The installation of the H.264 codec and gstreamer plugins is simplified, if the user needs them. There is an updated specialized assembly "Leap Micro 5.2," based on the achievements of the MicroOS project.

The Leap Micro assembly is a reduced version of the distribution, formed on the basis of the Tumbleweed repository, using an atomic installation and automatic application of updates, supporting configuration through cloud-init, delivered with a read-only root partition with Btrfs and integrated runtime Podman/PRI-O and Docker support. The main purpose of Leap Micro is to be used in decentralized environments, to create microservices and as a basic system for virtualization and container isolation platforms.

2013: OpenSUSE 13.1

On November 21, 2013, a new version of OpenSUSE - 13.1 was introduced to the user community.

After eight months of development, the release of the Linux distribution OpenSUSE 13.1 is presented. The distribution is available for 32- and 64-bit x86 systems in four assemblies: universal installation DVD (4.7 GB), LiveDVD with GNOME 3.10, LiveDVD with KDE 4.11, an abbreviated version for installation over the network and a specialized Live build for disaster recovery. The system supports five hardware architectures for which more than 6,000 packages are collected in repositories.

The release is based on the Linux kernel 3.11.6. Improved memory management, in particular, the development team returned Zswap and optimized page usage, as a result of which the system will work better on devices with small memory. The specific version comes with built-in support for ARM 7 architecture. It is possible to work with ARMv6 and ARMv8 (AArch64), but their stability is not guaranteed, since support is carried out only as part of the experiment. The default desktop is KDE Plasma Desktop 4.11, but GNOME 3.10 is also supported. The list of pre-installed programs includes Firefox 25 and Chromium 31 browsers, Thunderbird 24 and the LibreOffice 4.1 office package.

For developers there are GCC 4.8, Mono 3.2.3. MET and Qt 5.1.toolkit, also the system comes with the latest releases of Rails 4 and Ruby 2.0 and PHP 5.4.20.

Samba 4.1 is supported as a file server for PCs running Windows, Linux, or other systems running on Active Directory networks in OpenSUSE 13.1.

OpenSUSE 13.1 is positioned as a long-term release. Updates for him will be released for three years. After the completion of official support, which will be 18 months, the Evergreen project will prepare updates for the most critical errors.

2015

openSUSE 42 is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise code

On June 26, 2015, the developers of the openSUSE project announced the preparation of a release of the distribution, in which some additional developments transferred from SUSE Linux Enterprise will be added. The changes are expected to be so significant that developers are indecisive about the further numbering of releases: either the continuation of the current numbering or the combination with the numbering of SUSE Linux Enterprise is expected. The code name of the new project is assigned in accordance with the name of the project in the Open Build Service in the absence of a more suitable name^[4].

OpenSUSE changes the name and numbering

On July 7, 2015, it became known that the developers were preparing a openSUSE modified release, based on the achievements of SUSE Linux Enterprise, providing an add-on for the supply of fresh desktop releases and new versions of custom applications^[5].

Richard Brown, head of the management board of the openSUSE project, said that the release will be presented in early November 2015 under the name openSUSE Leap and will switch to a new numbering of releases 42.x. The word "Leap" will complement the releases of "Tumbleweed" and symbolizes a significant leap forward of the project. The version number is selected by the codename of the project that became known in the community. The option of moving to numbering 1.x was considered, but did not receive wide support, as it leads to a decrease in numbering compared to existing releases.

The number "x" in the number "42.x" corresponds to the number of the SUSE Linux Enterprise service release based on which the basic part of the release is built. For example, the autumn release will be based on SLE 12 SP1 and will receive the number 42.1. If you increase the release number, SLE will be increased and the number openSUSE, for example, SLE 13 SP2 will correspond to openSUSE Leap 43.2.

2011: New release and collaboration with Microsoft

OpenSUSE 12.2

OpenSUSE as always supports various Linux desktops, including KDE 4.x, GNOME 3.4 and Xfce 4.10. However, KDE is the main one. KDE 4.8 is included in OpenSUSE 12.2, but next week the developers will upgrade it to the latest and most advanced version of KDE 4.9.1.

The OpenSUSE now uses Linux kernel 3.4.6. Thus, the Brtfs file system and the performance of the graphics driver are improved. Server and data center administrators will love the fact that the kernel allows them to set a limit on processor use by process groups.

When the system boot time arrives, OpenSUSE now uses GRUB2. Given that the day will come when Windows 8 systems try to block any other operating systems, the OpenSUSE provides tools similar to those used in Fedora to cope with the Windows 8 Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) blocker.

For desktop users, OpenSUSE contains the latest version of LibreOffice 3.5, the best open source office suite. If you want to surf the Internet, the default OpenSUSE is Firefox.

In general, the new OpenSUSE looks very promising. For those who want to try it, several different versions of OpenSUSE 12.2 are available. Personally, I'm going to wait for KDE 4.9.1 before I install OpenSUSE on a desktop PC.

One of the advantages of OpenSUSE is that you can upgrade your installed version starting with OpenSUSE 11.2. Since my home servers run under OpenSUSE, for which the desktop does not matter much, I will first test them. If you also like to use OpenSUSE on servers, I recommend not postponing testing on them. Enjoy yourselves!

OpenSUSE 12.1

The openSUSE project, the largest opensource community, announced in November 2011 the release and availability of openSUSE 12.1. A stable, complete, easy-to-use, multifunctional operating system helps users and developers improve free and public software in physical, virtual, and cloud environments.

OpenSUSE 12.1 is the result of work for more than 8 months - to create one of the best Linux distributions in the industry, said Jos Poortvliet, manager of the openSUSE community at SUSE. The openSUSE distribution and thousands of its open source applications are the result of the contribution of a number of individual testers, authors, translators, user interface design specialists, suppliers and developers who have received a lot of pleasure, working together to create a set of unique, powerful tools and functions.

The latest features of openSUSE 12.1, added by the community, are the result of the commitments made by the project openSUSE to create a stable, full-fledged, easy-to-use, multifunctional distribution. The most notable innovations include:

Cloud Innovation

Originally designed as an integrated solution, the latest version of the openSUSE comes with the latest version of Linux - kernel 3.1, making this solution even more flexible and extensible to support mixed IT infrastructures, including public and private clouds. Using SUSE Studio, users can build and deploy their own assemblies of openSUSE 12.1 with a select set of packages, settings and scripts - directly on Amazon EC2 or on any of the other cloud platforms.

OpenSUSE is the first Linux distribution to support ownCloud with its own unique Mirall desktop integration. In addition, the openSUSE Virtualization and Cloud repository offers the latest versions of Eucalyptus, OpenNebula, and OpenStack. Today's virtualization technologies, including Xen 4.1, KVM and VirturlBox, can be managed by the latest versions of the virt-manager and open-vm-tools.

Distribution Innovations

openSUSE 12.1 includes Snapper, a new and unique tool that leverages btrfs snapshot functionality, allowing users to see and return to different versions of files if necessary. The integration of Snapper into the zipper package manager allows users to return changes to the system files and its configuration.

openSUSE 12.1 is also the first largest distribution delivered with the Go software language, the new development language. Google Go is a fast, easy-to-use language that helps programmers manage multi-core, networked machines using better garbage collection algorithms and run-time reflection capabilities.

openSUSE 12.1 also provides the ability to include Tubleweed, a version of openSUSE with continuous updates that contain the latest device versions of the software. The project was conceived by Greg Kroah-Hartman, one of the leading developers of the SUSE core. Tumbleweed allows you to automatically update all installed packages to current versions without waiting for the next release of the distribution.

Desktop Optimization

With Gnome Shell 3.2, the openSUSE 12.1 interface is more focused on integrating interacting tools such as calendar notifications, chat, and a centralized online account control system. Display elements are optimized for mobile touchscreens and multi-screen desktop configurations.

OpenSUSE 12.1 is the first large Linux distribution that includes a color management system for GNOME and KDE. In addition, the Apper software manager (formerly known as KPackageKit) has been updated in KDE; Open Build Service includes a KDE interface for Plasma Active-based tablets.

In addition to several fundamental innovations, such as Snapper, systemd and ownCloud, there are also many small innovations, for example, YaST improvements or zipper work. "And it only what made ours community", - Bryan Yunasko, the head of department of marketing and the board member of openSUSE says. - "All this costs on shoulders of huge community. I wouldn't be surprised if the latest update openSUSE more than 300,000 improvements created by its members. "

Release OpenSUSE 11.4

In March 2011, OpenSUSE Project, an international project sponsored by Novell, announced that the http://software.opensuse.org 11.4 distribution was available for download on the OpenSUSE website. OpenSUSE 11.4 contains many new products and became the first major distribution of the community, which included a stable version of LibreOffice, as well as Firefox 4.0 with a completely redesigned user interface and increased performance. In addition, it included the first version of the popular open source desktop publishing system Scribus based on Qt4.

OpenSUSE 11.4, with increased performance and support for the latest hardware, contains major improvements, in particular, the new Broadcom wireless driver, which will allow many laptops to work without additional configuration. In addition, the OpenSUSE community launched the Tumbleweed initiative - storage for rolling-release distributions OpenSUSE 11.4. Packman, a provider of popular packages, has also reorganized and optimized its storage facilities for the release of OpenSUSE 11.4. At the same time, Packman, which distributes a large number of new and updated OpenSUSE packages, simultaneously introduces Tumbleweed support.

Along with advanced functionality and the latest offerings for Linux, OpenSUSE 11.4, the foundation of Novell's award-winning SUSE Linux Enterprise operating system, continues to provide customers with a wide range of desktop options - from full-featured KDE Plasma and GNOME to compact XFCE and LXDE.

The release of OpenSUSE 11.4 was the result of cooperation between Novell and the wide community of participants in the development of OpenSUSE. The distribution is available in four versions at once on the x86 and x86-64 platforms. OpenSUSE is a free and freely distributed distribution. Read more about the release in its features on the page http://en.opensuse.org/Product_highlights. You can join the openSUSE community and download openSUSE 11.4 on http://www.opensuse.org.

• In April 2011, Attachmate Group acquired Novell for $2.2 billion.

• In August 2011, it became known that Microsoft updated the current agreement on the sale of the SUSE Linux operating system and the joint development with SUSE of programs for this OS that would support Windows compatibility.

As part of a four-year agreement, Microsoft intends to buy and sell SUSE licenses worth $100 million.

A distinctive feature of the new agreement with Microsoft will be the focus on Windows interoperability exclusively with SUSE Linux, while previous agreements provided for Windows compatibility with other Novell software products. Currently, Microsoft and SUSE jointly serve 725 customers in the manufacturing, oil, financial, and health sectors. In addition, manufacturers (in particular, Dell) are assisted in assembling computer systems on the SUSE platform.

2006

In 2006, Microsoft signed an agreement with Novell to help sell Linux and develop new technologies for this operating system.

Notes