Which is better? Why? I'm unsure which one is better and am looking for others opinions.

Wes

Zen has problems with the database files, connecting to repositories, etc. Zen is also a huge resource hog.

OpenSuse updater doesn't seem to have the same problems. I switched to it last week and have noticed an improvement in speed(slight) and less resources being used for updating. OpenSuse updater also seems to be faster to connect to the repositories as well.

Use the opensuse updater. Zen is annoying to say the least and is very buggy. The next version of openSUSE is going to completely drop the Zen stuff.

openSuse updater all the way.

if i didnt want to install zmd during install, which packages would i remove? I thought I read about this somewhere but I can't seem to find it anywhere. Also, which packages do I have to install to use the openSUSE updater?

I believe that openSUSE updater applet was installed automatically. Mine lives under System/Desktop Applets (KDE). I also would like to know how to remove Zen Updater.

Wes

I didn't install it during initial setup. In YAST, just deselect all the apps listed in the Enterpise Software Management pattern and all the Zen stuff will be removed. You can also search for zen and from the results, uninstall the packages you do not need.

If you have installed it, or pieces of it, locating instructions to completely remove zen is not easy. (I have never seen any that were complete.) Anyway, for the record, let me list the full process to remove zen from openSUSE 10.2.

First, disable the ZMD service in YaST by selecting System --> System Services (Runlevel). Select novell-zmd and click the Disable button. You will then get a couple pop-up windows acknowledging that the service is stopped. Click OK, then Finish, then Yes that you wish to save the settings.

Second, in YaST select Software --> Software Management and search for zmd. Select the following four packages for removal:
zmd, libzypp-zmd-backend, sqlite-zmd, rug

Third, search for zen and select the following package for removal:
zen-updater

Next, click the "Check" button to check dependencies. It may inform you that "pattern:zmd-10.2-145.i585 has missing dependencies." Click the radio button next to "delete zmd" and click the "OK-Try Again" button. It should show that dependencies are now OK. Click Accept to remove everything. You should now be free from zen slavery.

Thank you for the post, I'm going to try this when I have some spare time.

OK so now how do I get openSuseupdate to work with yast? Can you post the instructions on how to install openSuseUpdate and get it up and running? Where would I get it from? And should I get rid of zen first and then install openSuSe updater or vice versa?

You are welcome. After I removed Zen, openSUSE updater was already installed, so I didn't have to install anything. (I read somewhere it is installed by default, but I do not know if that is true for everyone, since what people install can vary a lot.) The updater that was there worked fine with YaST. A few minutes after you are at the desktop, a window pops up telling you the number of updates available (if any actually are available) and asks if you want to install now or ignore. Clicking install now starts up YaST and the rest of the process goes predictably, with you being able to select which updates to accept before proceeding. Checking the packages that I have installed, I noticed that one was named opensuse-updater, which must be it. Of course, there may be other packages that need to be installed to satisfy dependencies, but I have no experience there. Good luck in any case.

PS: The updater works fine with both KDE and GNOME.