SuSE Linux 9.1 Review - Conclusion

As the latest offering from SuSE, SuSE 9.1 brings some improvements. Others have written rave reviews of YaST2 and I have to agree, they are easy and simple. Hardware detection is top notch. The DVD brings a lot of software with it, and if there are programs that have your interest, its likely to be there. YaST2 is different from Windows XP's Control Panel, but new users should be able to figure it out.

Home users are likely to be frustrated by the inability to play some DVDs and the instability of the video players, as well as the LILO problem I ran into. Since the public is fickle, that may be the one aspect that prevents SuSE from getting a hold in the home user market. Its questionable, however, if Novell wants SuSE to go into the home user market.

Overall, this is a good distribution, but these show stopper bugs may hinder it in the long run. I personally recommend Mandrakelinux 10.0 for new and home users, but I would tell corporate users to heavily consider this distribution along with the offerings from Mandrake and RedHat.

Highs

• YaST2 and SaX2 are great
• Lots of bundled software on the DVD
• Quick and snappy

Lows

• Totem Media Player and Kaffeine crashed on command
• Inability to play some DVDs and other videos
• May take a bit of getting used to

Finally, SUSE Linux is available in a Personal edition for $29.95, or professional for $89.95 ($59.95 if you just want the update) from SUSE's site, and other retailers.

I'd like to thank you for stopping by Dev Hardware for our look at SUSE Linux 9.1. If you have any comments, questions, beefs, or death threats, feel free to comment below, or drop by our hardware forums to hunt me down. Otherwise, head back to the front page for some more hardware news and reviews.