Ubuntu and SUSE

As I already mentioned I recently changed from Ubuntu to SUSE. Why? To sum it up: I was up for a change! :-) And I liked the way SUSE integrated 32bit Software into their 64bit OS.

Ubuntu is one of the best distros I ever used (and maybe will again). The installation is quick and simple and no package-management can compete with Debian’s apt. And this is the main weakness of SUSE: Novell’s “ZENworks” package-system is a piece of sh… But there are ways to work around that issue. So here is a short and of course personal comparison of those two distros with pros and cons (always in mind that I’m talking about the 64bit version):

Ubuntu’s pros: quick and easy installation (with the default “desktop-installation” CD) excellent package-management good and friendly community support not “bloated” with lots of software you’ll never need	SUSE’s pros: flash- and java-plugin (by mixing 32bit Firefox with 64bit OS) default firewall easy way to adjust installation to your needs
Ubuntu’s cons: no flash- or java-plugin (amd64) no default firewall	SUSE’s cons: package-management (whether you would use “yast” or “rug”…) a bit “bloated” installation takes a while…

I will go into some details on installing SUSE later. For the time being, here’s a screenshot of my desktop ;-)