I signed up for and finally received (After much waiting) the full suite of Suse software. It contains Suse Enterprise server 9, Suse Pro 9.1 along with many other items that aren’t free. Things like Nterprise Linux Services, ConsoleOne, Red Carpet Enterprise Server 2.02, and other Novell products.

So the big question here is one of license. It says all over the disks that it is for evaluation only, but as I understand the GPL license I should be able to use the Enterprise server and Pro versions in production and as much as I want. Am I missing something here?

Also I get the impression after looking at Red Hat, Suse and Mandrake that they are trying to play the game of still charring for the OS. They will offer a “free” limited version of the OS, but then charge for their Pro or Enterprise versions. Not making them available for download.

It’s a good game… Think about it…

All I have to do is strip down a dirtro of Linux and offer it as a personal addition for free. Then pack it full of GPL packages to add tons of functionality and add a few non GPL programs to prevent people from copying it, and then sell it for top dollar.

So all that said I guess it boils down to one question…

If I have a copy of the Suse Enterprise version and uninstall any non-GPL licensed packages, can I copy and use the remaining system freely? Installing it as often as I like where ever I please?

I would assume so, since the bulk of SuSE 9.1 is GPL'd. Now that YaSt2 is also GPL'd you should be ok. How to figure out which of the 4500 packages are proprietary is beyond me, but the core OS can be copied to the best of my knowledge. The "game" you are referring to is really more about support than software. I bought SuSE 9.1 directly from SuSE for two reasons. The first was I wanted the cool manuals and support a simple phone call away, and the second was I wanted to support a company that I feel is doing good for the computer industry. Check the documentation that came with your evaluation copy of SuSE Enterprise Server to see if the disclaimer is for commercial use of the software, or the support that is usually sold with it.

Hmmm... I've been considering buying the non-OEM version of SuSE 9.1 from SuSE as well for the purpose of having a nice manual to refer to for myself and my friends. Could you link me to a pic of a page in the manual or tell me if it's really all that good? Also, what all exactly comes in the box?

The thing with the Enterprise versions is that when you buy them (i.e. - Red Hat enterprise, SuSE Enterprise) you are paying all that money for the support offered.. As is tech support, system updates, bug fixes, and the like... I have a copy of RHEL WS 3 and I have installed it on 2 computers.. though only 1 of them can download updates from Red Hat Network.. It's similar to Microsoft if you have a pirated key... it won't let you download the updates..

Sure I could install the packes manually.. but since it's a pain the arse... many packages aren't available for the Enterprise versions... .It's kind of tricky....

Actually I'm running 9.1 Pro (which is free BTW, you just have to install it via FTP) as a File/Print/Database server at my office and RHEL WS 3 as a web server... and actually I like the SuSE server better...

The easiest way to get RHEL WS 3 is to buy the "Red Hat Professional Workstation" from something like Best Buy or CompUSA... Because IT IS RHEL WS 3!! And you get the full year of downloading updates and stuff... You just don't get the 24x7 on-the-phone tech-support within an hour... which I don't need.. (That's why we have LQ) ;-)

So there ya have it.. I don't think that "technically" it's illegal to install it on more than 1 PC.. you just don't get updates.. at least with RHEL... i haven't tried SuSE Enterprise yet...

Good Luck... Hope I helped...

I found the paper manuals to be worth the money. And if you have a DVD-rom drive the fact that it gives you both SuSE 9.1 on cd and all of the distro on a double-sided DVD rules. They also give you 90-days of installation support which even if you don't end up using it is a nice safety net.

I purchased 9.0 pro and 9.1 pro from SuSE direct and never have regretted it. It is definantly the most polished desktop distro IMHO. Take a look at packman.links2linux.de (click the UK flag in the corner for an english version of the site) for a huge package library.

If you plan on installing Suse 9.1 from the FTP server you may want to simply login with an FTP client and download the files locally. That way you can install numerous computers at LAN speeds instead of at WAN speeds. Also, it looks like if you trim out all the fat such as source files and the 64 bit version you can put all the install files on one single DVD.

I'm not an expert on the licenses but I don't think that this is against the license.