Where's the SuSe Forum???

Why is there no forum for the SuSe Distro? I'm running SuSe 9.0 and had a question specific to YaST, SuSe's installer/configuration manager. Being that this is distro specific, it would be nice to have a form for such.

Rob Smith
ThinkPad 600E w/SuSe 9.0

I think linuxquestions has been trying to contact Suse about that and have NOT been getting any response back. I wouldn't mind it either. What is your question?

I posted it in the Networking Forum. I'm trying to set up my laptop for two different LANs, with different addressing requirements, proxy server configuration, and different Ethernet printers. More details are available over at the Network Forum.

Rob Smith
ThinkPad 600E w/SuSe 9.0

Read this thread: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...threadid=86542

It also explains numerous times when we add specific distro forums.

trickykid,

Well, I'm sorry to hear about this. As to the reason that SuSe probably declined, it seems that they have their own e-mail forums, and the english language general forum gets anywhere from 100 to 200 posts per day. I know this to be a fact as I have subscribed. It can be found at the link that I included below.

Oh, one of the posters in the thread you sent me to mentions that SuSe was shown as the fifth ranked Linux distro. I'm wondering what Arch, LibraNet and Vector Linux rank at, as they do have forums.

http://www.suseforums.com/

Rob Smith
IBM ThinkPad 600E w/SuSe 9.0

Originally posted by r_a_smith3530 Oh, one of the posters in the thread you sent me to mentions that SuSe was shown as the fifth ranked Linux distro. I'm wondering what Arch, LibraNet and Vector Linux rank at, as they do have forums.

I don't think you read the thread properly and our reasons to add specific distro forums. It doesn't matter about how they rank, its whether or not they want a forum here on our site.

Been explained many times by mods and the site admin jeremy.

Remember though, just cause there isn't a specific forum of the Distro you use here, doesn't mean you can't ask your questions.

Regards.

Originally posted by trickykid I don't think you read the thread properly and our reasons to add specific distro forums. It doesn't matter about how they rank, its whether or not they want a forum here on our site. Been explained many times by mods and the site admin jeremy. Remember though, just cause there isn't a specific forum of the Distro you use here, doesn't mean you can't ask your questions. Regards.

I'm sorry, it was just that one poster's (Greyweather) comment that I was talking about. Your comment directly after did not state what you've stated above, rather it seemed to go along in the direction that Greyweather was speaking of, namely popularity ranking. My comment was in regards to that, as I had never even heard of either the Libranet or Arch distros, yet they have forums, while distros that I would think rank higher in popularity (Gentoo, for example), don't.

It does make sense that you would want official "buy-in" from a distro before adding it. Official technical participation from the distro's organization takes much guesswork out of answering questions, as I've already learned in trying to find answers to mine regarding YaST and SCPM, two applications that are specific to SuSe. I finally found answers to the SCPM questions on the Linux ThinkPad mail list, from a SuSe user in Germany.

Although I have been lurking for awhile, I am quite new to Linux, hand's on, only recently taking the plunge and installing it on a machine bought for the purpose. I have almost ten years of experience with "the other guys", and it feels quite bizarre to know what I want to do, without knowledge of HOW to do it. I can build an Active DIrectory domain and set up an M$ Exchange MTA, but I couldn't even map a network printer in Linux without some assistance. In NT, I can perform such mundane tasks either graphically, or via the command prompt. As I said, quite a bizarre feeling.

Anyway, thanks for the reply.

Rob

Even though we now know the "reasons" why there is no SuSE forum, it doesn't help a new visitor to this site -- which is "where Linux newbies come for help".

At first glance it looks like there is no SuSE support here, since there is no sub-forum like the other distros.

At second glance, it looks like the SuSE posting is all over the map and disorganized across many forums. I guess jeremy can run things however he wants -- but the organization looks illogical to anyone who hasn't invested the time to learn why there is a "reason" for no SuSE forum.

SuSE's own forum has been down for "technical reasons" for months. So no help there. And many of us have no interest in being on another mailing list. Hence the value of forums.

Originally posted by gorse At second glance, it looks like the SuSE posting is all over the map and disorganized across many forums. I guess jeremy can run things however he wants -- but the organization looks illogical to anyone who hasn't invested the time to learn why there is a "reason" for no SuSE forum.

Well one thing to consider is that in the end, most all distro's are the same. There are generic ways to fix anything that will usually be the answer for any distro.

The reason we even started specific distro forums is for those who want to ask questions that they feel are only that distro specific. Like Suse for example, if you wanted to ask a question about Yast, well, just about every other distro isn't going to have Yast installed, so it would be suitable to ask in the distro forum.

But the same person who uses Suse asks, "How can I configure iptables?", that one should go most likely in networking, since its networking related.

Hope you catch my drift. Personally specific distro forums are unecessary really if the person states what distro they are using and then their problem, which helps the person answering, answer their question more accurately.

Cheers.

Originally posted by trickykid But the same person who uses Suse asks, "How can I configure iptables?", that one should go most likely in networking, since its networking related. Hope you catch my drift. Personally specific distro forums are unecessary really if the person states what distro they are using and then their problem, which helps the person answering, answer their question more accurately. Cheers.

That's all well and good to say, but, at least for suse, its very innacurate. If someone asks a question about how to configure samba, and they use suse, and you just stick it in the networking forum. They're going to get numerous replies about using text editors and changing config files and installing this and that. When, since they are using suse, all they really need to do is open Yast and click on samba. Boom, done.

The only reason that people keep whining that there is no suse forum, even though suse doesnt want to help support it, is that Suse, is different. A Suse forum would help the suse users locate all the posts by other suse users, and correct the information being posted, rather than having long, complicated posts making everything worse.

Originally posted by trickykid The reason we even started specific distro forums is for those who want to ask questions that they feel are only that distro specific. Like Suse for example, if you wanted to ask a question about Yast, well, just about every other distro isn't going to have Yast installed, so it would be suitable to ask in the distro forum.

And therein lies the problem. I was specifically looking for answers to issues involving YaST and SCPM, both items that are particular to SuSe at the present time. I am new to Linux, but am aware that these two applications are particular to SuSe. I also am fairly sure that none of the other major distros includes a suite of applications for configuration profile management, which are especially helpful to laptop users. It is the reason why SuSe was suggested to me as the distro of choice at a recent Linuxfest in our area.

Configuration Profile Management is also not a listed topic on the forum. Although, for my purposes, it involves networking, as I am using it to change between my home network environment, and that of my office, it also involves printers, the set up of Internet proxy servers, the use of a mouse or trackpad, and other incidentals. There is NO category on the list that incorporates all of this, and I certainly don't want to do it manually for each item. That is why I'm running SuSe! I don't have to spend an hour of my day changing profiles when I go to work, when I'm on the train commuting, and when I arrive at home.

Would it not be better to have a SuSe forum, with or without official SuSe involvement? It is not as if no one is asking for it! I doubt that we are the first either, especially as you were able to refer us to previous posts on this issue.

There are many members here who use Suse. YaST questions would be on topic and receive answers quickly in Linux - General. The requirement for a distro forum is that the distro participate. Suse has chosen not to participate (although I will continue to pursue the issue) which is of course 100% up to them. That is not a reason for me to make an exception however.

--jeremy