[KLUG Members] Distro Change

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> Ok.. I am currently in process of setting up a full
> time Linux workstation. I have been using Fedora Core
> 1 the whole time in my testing because that was the
> newest version I had burned to CD. In searching the
> past threads I noticed a lot of KLUG members have
> seemed to migrate away from "Redhat/BSWare" to SUSE.
> Is this because Fedora has just been to unstable for
> users or that SUSE just offers "more" in some way? I
> am in the process of downloading the Fedora Core 3
> Test DVD ISO and trying that.. but was wondering why
> the switch to SUSE?

I a SuSe switcher, so I'll give my reasons, which should not be
interpreted as anyone else's reasons.

Some background:
1.)I'm a former RedHat user.
2.)I'm looking for a one distribution solution - server, workstation,
laptop.  It is already complicated enough running a 'large'
heterogeneous network (Win32(NT) + Win32(Embedded NT)+ Win32(Y2k) +
Win32(XP) + UNIX + Linux) without deliberately adding more diversity
(Fedora + Suse + Debian + whatever).  Additional diversity in platform,
or backend (RDBMS, web server, etc..) needs to promise a BIG payoff; and
special purpose distributions just don't.  I'll happily swat a fly with
a sledge hammer, so long as that sledge hammer can crush lots of other
things I need to crush.

The reasons for the jump:
1.) Redhat 9 was a disappointment.  While the best of the RedHat
distro's it still stank as an 'enterprise' server.  Ancient versions of
OpenLDAP (which serious threading issues) and other packages.  Lack of a
real mail server solution; UW should have been dropped YEARS ago.  No
ACL support.  Broken or non-thread safe version of critical components
like db4 and kerberos.  The concept of RHES (RedHat Enterprise Server)
is, to me, giggle worthy.  It was either compile lots yourself (not what
I'm paid to do) or deal with services that crash ALL THE TIME.
2.) Fedora continued the trend of pathetic up-scale software offerings. 
2.1) Suse ships with a real mail server (Cyrus IMAP), at least vaguely
current OpenLDAP packages, a working db4, and thread safe Kerberos. 
This vaguely resembles 'enterprise' grade software.
3.) I only used FC1, and the desktop was not bad, but they're seemed
little regard against making massive changes in mid-stream;  up2date
repeatedly broke things.  
4.) Corporate software houses looked askance at Fedora.  I run
commercial applications on Linux, from the Informix RDBMS (an IBM
product), to COBOL, down to VMware.  Commercial software houses were
pretty clear that they were not comfortable that Fedora wouldn't break
compatibility with their products the day after they tested them.  And
my experience even with free products on Fedora indicated they had good
reason to be afraid.  Open Source platform or not, business runs on
proprietary software.
4.) SuSe was clearly getting into bed with IBM,  IBM was certifying its
servers on SuSe.  This promised few stupid hardware problems like having
to shoe horn in a SCSI driver, etc... and that IBM would take possible
compatibility issues seriously.  And there is ONLY ONE SERVER PLATFORM:
I.B.M.  We've left the IBM camp twice to try those cool-and-cheap other
boxes - never never again.  We are a true blue shop.
5.) Novell bought both SuSe and Ximian.  They now had the mainframe down
to the desktop.  This matches exactly what I want.  We don't have a
mainframe (yet!) but we have boxes that pretend to be, and I want a
desktop that works every time I log in.  Owning SuSe and Ximian also
gave/gives Novell access to a genuine brain trust of Open Source
powers-that-be.  And they have agressively adopted (as in already
providing solutions) .NET,  and without a robust .NET infrastructure
LINUX will be off the corporate map within years both due to sheer
800-pound-gorilla momentum and just being a better technology.

This isn't to say I love everything about SuSe;  there are things that
just don't make sense.  Yast is a disaster on servers; best to just
delete the yast binary for fear someone will run it, and defaulting to
the Reiser filesystem is mind boggling.  But I've got no real regrets
from the switch.