Here is my SuSE Linux story and I'll take the Dual Opteron !
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| Author | Content |
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| raceware Feb 19, 2004 6:47 PM EDT |
Our first experience with Linux was the retail purchase of SuSe Office Desktop. Considerable research was done over the past year to determine the viability of moving our small Biz to Linux to escape the death hold of Microsuck's Windoze O/S which has more security holes than Swiss cheese and is riddled with Bugs. After considerable research it appeared that SuSe Office Desktop would be a viable means to migrate to Linux with a CLAIMED user friendly graphical interface and EASY installation. We opted for the full retail package to obtain installation and operational support as this is a small Biz that depends on our PCs to be reliable, secure, productive tools. Our goal is NOT to become Linux programmers or spend countless days trying to learn Linux command line code, or re-invent the wheel. After seeing a number of documented issues with SuSE 9.0 we elected to go with version 8.1 of Office Desktop, the only office desktop version available AFAIK. This move was prompted by a recent Windoze automated "security update" that completely hosed our primary Biz PC, despite claiming to have been a perfect "update". Since we were unable to remove this "perfect update" despite Windoze claiming we could, it was time to finally break free from the disaster called Windoze that has cost Biz more money than the national debt... So we purchase SuSE Office Desktop 8.1, read over the Quick Install Directions, check hardware and software compatibility, read up on issues in the numerous Linux newsgroups, etc. Seeing as though we have been running W2K we needed to repartition our HD to install Desktop Office 8.1. SuSE includes Acronis 8.0 for the purpose of resizing W2K and XP NTFS partitians. We install Acronis without difficulty and add the required FAT16 partition but no matter what we do, Acronis 8.0 will NOT allow us to resize the NTFS partition to make room for SuSE 8.1 Office Desktop. So three hours of frustration lead to the purchase of another new SCSI 15K drive @ $300 which was installed and used exclusively for the SuSE Office Desktop install. During the initial install SuSE could not find our properly installed US Robotics 5610B modem nor could it properly configure our network used for our cable modem. We spent an additional four hours trying to resolve the installation issues using YaST2 where we entered the correct configuration info. to no avail. No matter what, we were unable to configure our mail and Net services. After working most of the night to install Office Desktop with little success, we wait another three hours until it was convenient for SuSE to provide phone Tech Support between the hours of 9-3 PM Pacific time in the U.S. (Better hours than banks FerChristSake!) When we get thru the SuSE rep tells us we MUST go online and registered our product before we can obtain Tech Support for INSTALLATION ISSUES. Well exactly HOW do you go online when you can't make mail or Net services function during the initial installation??? Nonetheless the German CSR makes it perfectly clear this is the ONLY means to obtain Tech Support. So we find a means to log on to the Net using another WINDOZE based PC and enter our product info. into SuSE's registration database. Then we call SuSE Tech again, and again, and again, and again until we FINALLY get thru and hour later. We provide our software registration number and the CSR gentleman confirms it is now registered. We explain the problem with configuring mail and Net access and are told that NO SUPPORT IS PROVIDED FOR THESE OPERATIONS UNDER SuSE TECH SUPPORT POLICY so we are sh*t outta luck!!!! NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR TECH SUPPORT IS PROVIDED FOR THESE OBVIOUS INSTALLATION NECESSITIES DESPITE THE FACT WE PAID FULL RETAIL PRICE FOR THIS TYPE OF TECH SUPPORT. Since then we once again used a WINDOZE based PC to e-mail SuSE Tech Support. TWICE we begged for installation assistance as our Biz PC is crippled at this point because we have NO MAIL or NET service. We have NOT received ANY response from SuSE despite the fact the Support Request (sic) was marked CRITICAL. It been several days since the e-mail was sent to SuSE... Here is what SuSe CLAIMS for Office Desktop: "SUSE LINUX Office Desktop Speedy, Stable, Versatile - SUSE LINUX Office Desktop You are looking for a work environment that offers easy, comfortable, and effective handling? A solution that can be configured in a quick and straightforward manner and on which office applications for Microsoft Windows can be utilized? A secure alternative based on Open Source technology? Now your vision of a stable and versatile office environment is about to materialize ... ... at greatly reduced license prices! SUSE LINUX Office Desktop 8.1 $129.00 SUSE LINUX Office Desktop allows you to benefit instantly from the stability and security of Linux on the desktop in companies and at home without any previous Linux experience, while continuing to use and process existing data with accustomed applications such as Microsoft Office. The mature and user-friendly technology of our SUSE Linux 8.1 enables the migration from your previous Microsoft Office System to SUSE LINUX Office Desktop in a few steps. Like all other products of SUSE LINUX AG, the new Office Desktop is quick and easy to install. Moreover, the migration is possible without any technical experience even alongside a preinstalled Windows XP. The partitioning tool Acronis OS Selector allows you to resize Windows XP or 2000 Professional partitions rapidly without losing data, thus making room for SUSE LINUX Office Desktop. More details on Acronis OS Selector: Acronis OS Selector - Installation and Configuration Guide (PDF) Acronis product page. You can choose between KDE 3.0.4 and GNOME 2.0 as graphical desktop environment. The unlimited compatibility with your old data from your Windows system is a new and trend-setting feature of SUSE LINUX Office Desktop. You are free to choose: continue to use MS Office by simply installing it in SUSE LINUX Office Desktop, or use the new StarOffice 6.0, which enables you to read and write all MS Office formats. Apart from the MS Office programs, you can also install and use a number of other Windows programs. Exploit the latest Linux technology and the communicative possibilities of Office Desktop to facilitate your office operations: " Well we certainly did NOT get what SuSE promises in their product ad above! There is no way on the face of this Earth that Desktop Office is ready for use by the general public if: 1. In can't properly configure mail and Net access on installation 2. SuSe provides NO TECH SUPPORT WHATSOEVER for the RETAIL PACKAGE installation. Maybe PC geeks in the open source community think the mediocre graphical interface SuSE and others have applied to Linux is going to move Linux to the desktop, but I'm here to tell ya that as much as we absolutely desire to use Linux, we are not able or willing to lose days of productivity trying to fix basic INSTALLATION ERRORS that should be properly handled with an automated install, and FerChristSake, handled with IMMEDIATE RESPONSE from SuSE and all other distro suppliers charging substantial fees for this software and TECH SUPPORT. If we wanted to waste time installing and configuring SuSE/Linux there are any number of FREE or low cost options. Why would SuSE charge for INSTALLATION TECH SUPPORT and then advise they don't provide it??? I'm sure the folks at SuSE are very nice people and they support the Linux community and open source software which generates their livelihood, but it's time to GET REAL FOLKS as there is no way in Hell SuSE Linux is viable for consumer purchase and use if it can't even do a basic automated installation. Having worked with DOS, Win3.x, WFW, Win95, NT4 and W2K without these kinds of hardware config. issues, I can tell ya Linux ain't gonna fly on the desktop if you need to be a PC geek/programmer without a life, to do a basic install. For most folks a PC is a TOOL not a TOY. Linux is probably and excellent O/S but if it can't be installed by the average PC user as Windoze usually can, then Linux will remain a geeks O/S and some other O/S will fill the needs of businesses that require reliable, secure PC operation. It's an established fact that Windoze is a bloated, Bug ridden O/S and a security nightmare. Linux really *had* a chance, (past tense), but from our experience with SuSE Office Desktop 8.1, those profiting from selling Linux distros lack the understanding of what is required to move to the desktop and are unwilling or able to provide a viable solution or the support required for proper operation of Linux on the desktop. We find SuSE's TOTAL LACK OF INSTALLATION TECH SUPPORT UNACCEPTABLE !!! WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN ! |
| dave Feb 19, 2004 7:05 PM EDT |
Good story. ;-) Make sure you also submit it directly to SUSE at this address: http://www.suse.com/stories They might not see it here. :) Dave |
| sgtron Feb 22, 2004 2:43 PM EDT |
This was my experience wth RedHat years ago as well. I bought the boxed version of 5.2 and couldn't get PPP to work. Email support told me that since all ISP's were different they weren't going to offer any help in this matter. Sheesh, they could have at least told me some general ideas for what I should attempt or something. Eventually after digging on the web I had my system up and running, but the whole point was that I paid for the support and it wasn't there when I asked for it. I had a similar situation with Mandrake once and again there was no support even though I'd paid for it. So guess what? I don't pay for Linux anymore. I download and burn my own, and if I have problems I figure it out myself or search the web for help. I did give Mandrake some money once since 8.2 was so nice I gave them money for a Mandrake Club membership, but that was just for making some nice software, not for any tech support that I'm sure would have been botched. |
| freeio Feb 23, 2004 4:37 PM EDT |
First, let me say that this is being written on an installation of SuSE 9.0, and in this particular case, on this particular hardware, it worked well out of the box. It actually found every device, including sound, scanner, USB devices, and installed it all. So sometimes installation does work out of the box. That having been said, I have never worked with any company from any vendor which truly supported user installation of their software. That applies to all Linux distros I have tried, plus Microsoft and Sun Microsystems. For the price one pays for boxed software, one gets a box, some manuals (SuSE's are pretty good as manuals go), one or more factory made DVDs or CDROMs, and that is about it. I remember dealing with SuSE on some minor issue I had with 7.3, and being told they did not support installing whatever it was. I was disappointed, to be sure, but not terribly surprised. For $79 at retail (of which they get maybe $40, and then have to pay for the box, manuals, disk, and packaging from that) they are not going to afford to do much for you individually. It's not pleasant, but it is absolutely normal. It is also why so many of us get used to manually setting configuration files, registry entries, and the like. Additionally, it is why most computers are sold with the OS already installed and set to work with the supplied hardware. Making any given software work with some random hardware configuration is a challenge - polite words for very difficult. Sigh... |
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