SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP1 Beta Bringing Java 11, LLVM 7, BCache Installer Support

[phoronix]

Phoronix: SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP1 Beta Bringing Java 11, LLVM 7, BCache Installer Support

Released this past summer was SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 while being worked on for its official debut next summer is the first service pack release...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=SUSE-Linux-15-SP1-Beta

[Charlie68]

So if I understand this will also bring the SP 1 to Leap 15, which will arrive at 15.1, I think the changes will also be included in Leap since now the distributions share the core.

[Etherman]

It's nice to see bcache supported in an installer.

[skeevy420]

I really want to like Suse, especially due to its amdgpu-pro support. Installed it with its default BTRFS options, used it for about a week, and it was really nice and snappy. No actual complaints for how the desktop worked or how it handled packages. It all seemed decent enough the short time I was using it.

The only real problem I had with it was how old some of the packages were, though it's LTS so that's somewhat understandable, and that unofficial repositories are needed for various codecs and whatnot, similar to Debian & Debian Multimedia. I understand why, but after years of using Arch/Antergos/Manjaro, I'm just used to having all of it included in the default repositories with the option of installing or migrating to Parabola if I'm worried about non-free/license stuff. I just feel like I have a more stable system overall when unofficial, non-free repositories aren't necessary for a full featured desktop.

[skeevy420]

So if I understand this will also bring the SP 1 to Leap 15, which will arrive at 15.1, I think the changes will also be included in Leap since now the distributions share the core.

Yep. It's also why we can install amdgpu-pro from Suse Enterprise on Leap 15.

[starshipeleven]

The only real problem I had with it was how old some of the packages were, though it's LTS so that's somewhat understandable,

I'd like to expand a bit here as you silly Arch users think all software older than a month is ancient so you are not seeing the whole picture.

Leap has yearly releases, the software in it should be at most a year old (unless it is a LTS version itself like Firefox ESR), which makes it much more fresh than Debian releases or Ubuntu's LTS which last for 4 years.

So it's much more fresh than your average LTS distro, while still being LTS. That's imho the sane way to do an LTS for desktop users (while for servers it's ok for a LTS to last 4 years or even more).

[skeevy420]

I'd like to expand a bit here as you silly Arch users think all software older than a month is ancient so you are not seeing the whole picture.

Leap has yearly releases, the software in it should be at most a year old (unless it is a LTS version itself like Firefox ESR), which makes it much more fresh than Debian releases or Ubuntu's LTS which last for 4 years.

So it's much more fresh than your average LTS distro, while still being LTS. That's imho the sane way to do an LTS for desktop users (while for servers it's ok for a LTS to last 4 years or even more).

I missed Plasma 5.14, I needed a newer ZFS version that they didn't have, and some other minor things weren't available. I just checked and most everything I'd like is recent enough and available in their build service (and not a community one to boot). Based on the dates, if I would have waited a few days to a week...heh...

I'd like them to be on linux 4.14 over 4.12. Linux 4.14 has been my rock solid fallback kernel for a while now. It's something I really don't want to downgrade or lose anytime soon. I suppose that and community multimedia repos would be my only complaints at this point in time.

I saw and gave Gecko Linux a shot, but I really didn't care for it at all. I was expecting some sort of Easy Mode Mint scenario and it was different enough that I felt I'd be better off just learning Suse and figuring out what repos and packages I should pin and prioritize on my own.

Because I'll be able to get my nice Plasma desktop back and mount those damn zpools, I'm actually tempted to give Suse another shot. I see 4.14 and 4.19 both available in community repos so there's that.

[starshipeleven]

I missed Plasma 5.14, I needed a newer ZFS version that they didn't have, and some other minor things weren't available.

Which is why I said people from Arch see things a bit more differently.

A lot of the grief Arch users have when trying any other distro not providing the latest and greatest is that for them it is a straight downgrade, for them every other distro is "too old", but is it really?

I was just providing some context.

just learning Suse and figuring out what repos and packages I should pin and prioritize on my own.

This "pick and choose what you want" approach is much less of a hassle on OpenSUSE than on Debian/buntu as the package manager auto-pins packages, i.e. it will keep updating the packages from the same source you originally installed them from, you don't usually need to go and set up priorites and pinning rules manually.

The repo priorities you can set will only change if it will be asking you if you want to change source when it detects a newer package in another repo.

[skeevy420]

A lot of the grief Arch users have when trying any other distro not providing the latest and greatest is that for them it is a straight downgrade, for them every other distro is "too old", but is it really?

For me, once programs or software gets to a certain point or gains certain features, they become must haves. Plasma 5.14 has been one of those things. It might be new, but damn is it nice.

The only reason I've been with Arch for so long is because it makes using oddball projects easier with the AUR and pkgbuilds. The less and less I find myself playing games as much as I used to, the less that seems to matter.

This "pick and choose what you want" approach is much less of a hassle on OpenSUSE than on Debian/buntu as the package manager auto-pins packages, i.e. it will keep updating the packages from the same source you originally installed them from, you don't usually need to go and set up priorites and pinning rules manually.

The repo priorities you can set will only change if it will be asking you if you want to change source when it detects a newer package in another repo.

I'll be finding out over the next few days. I just finished installing the OpenSuse 15.1 Alpha and I'm posing from it. So far so good.

Had one little bit of a snag when I opened up Yast and it was pretty empty, only had a Misc. section with Snapshots and a Log Viewer (which was missing a dependency that it did offer to & install it). A few minuets of Google and zypper --help led me to the following command in a root shell:

zypper in patterns-kde-kde_yast patterns-yast-yast2_basis patterns-yast-yast2_install_wf

and now Yast is a powerful configuration tool like I was expecting it to be.

I'm glad we had this discussion. If we didn't I doubt I'd have bothered looking at the Suse repos again anytime soon to see that the stuff I wanted was actually available and give it another go.

[Slartifartblast]

The only real problem I had with it was how old some of the packages were, though

If you are after the latest packages then that's what openSUSE Tumbleweed is for, look there for most up to date but get used to filing bug reports as issues are more likely to crop up.