SLED 10 vs openSuSE 10.2
 

Ok, I have a problem. I really like 10.2 but on my production work machine I run SLED 10. When do you think SLED 10 will be close to par w/ 10.2? 10.2 you can modify the Gnome Menu (Sled 10 you cannot). Gnome version 2.16 on 10.2 compared to 2.14 in SLED 10.

I know SLED 10 is supposed to be a "stable" system, but if it doesn't have alot of the new options that the openSuSe version can provide (yes, I think that openSuSE is also stable, you just don't have the 3 yr life cycle). then why get SLED?

Also you are able to put in a "Registeration Code" during the install of openSuSE 10.2, would that be the code from your orginization to track via customer center and will this take one of the SLED liecnses?

Now I have a dilema.. Wait for SLED 10 to get the options added (if they are added) or install 10.2 and stay up with the jonses when distro's come out.

What are your thoughts?

Once a stable version of SLED has been released, it does not change much. This means that SLED 10 will probably not get any new features until the next major release. SLED is more of an enterprise class desktop and most business users do not want bleeding edge features preferring a stable platform for their business. If you like cutting edge features, then SLED is not the distro to be using, openSUSE is the way to go.

I think the key thing for openSUSE is for commercial versions of openSUSE and will also be probably used for SLED.

Yeah I understand stability, but there are things like the Menu changer which IMO is not "Cutting Edge" and should be an option in SLED.. I may however move form SLED 10 to 10.2 because of the Gnome version upgrade and a few other small things..

As for the option to enter in registration code, do you know if that'll take the SLED 10 registration and add to your Novell Customer Care?

The menu thing is certainly a good feature, but there have been many enterprise desktops based on GNOME that shipped without it (e.g. RHEL 4, NLD, Solaris JDS) and it wasn't much of a problem, so I doubt that Novell will upgrade GNOME in SLED 10 to include such features.

I don't really know much about the authorisation code, but I doubt Novell will support free versions of openSUSE because the authorisation code is strictly for SLED 10.

With those distros you could modify the system menu.

With SLED Gnome you have the new menu with no configuration options.

I am sure there is a way to manually edit the menu although like you say, its more convenient if you have some sort of builtin editor. Remember that GNOME 2.12 and below did not have a menu editing option (and alacarte does not work on 2.12 and below), so many users had to manually create or edit menu files. If there is demand for it, maybe Novell can backport the menu editing feature from openSUSE 10.2 to SLED 10.