Category:
SuSE’s latest offering is its 8.0 Linux distribution. The company was successful with its 7.x series, so I was curious to see if the 8.x series could improve much on what was already available. Currently, SuSE 8.0 is only available for the x86 family of processors,
though SuSE also supports PowerPC, Sparc, and Alpha processors, and will
probably release updated versions in the near future.
I tested SuSE 8.0 Professional on a couple of my home systems. The specs:
| Model: | Tower I built myself | Dell Inspiron 8000 Laptop |
| Processor: | PIII 450 | PIII 650 |
| RAM: | 128MB | 192MB |
| Monitor: | KDS AV-195T | Generic LCD, 1400×1050@75hz |
| Hard Disks: | 40GB+10GB | 10GB |
| Video Card: | ATI All-In-Wonder 128 8MB | ATI Rage 128 Mobility MF |
| Sound Card: | SoundBlaster PCI 16 | ES 1983S Maestro 3i |
| Network Card: | Realtek RT8029(AS) | 3Com Hurricane NIC/Modem combo |
| Modem: | Generic WinModem | 3Com Hurricane NIC/Modem combo |
| CD: | Creative Blaster CD 52x | TEAC CD-ROM CD-224E (standard) |
| Printer: | HP 832 C | None |
Although these machines are modest by today’s standards, they exceed SuSE’s listed minimum requirements: 486 DX, 64MB RAM, and a 400MB hard drive space–though you’ll need at least 6GB of free space in order to install everything. The basic system with office installation will run you about 1.5GB.
With the SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional boxed set, you get the following:
Installation
SuSE is known for having a straightforward installation process. Nevertheless, with Linux distributions getting easier and easier to install, the guys up at SuSE headquarters decided it was time to revamp this part of their distribution. The new version
of SuSE offers a three-click approach to installing the operating system. Of
course, you still have all the configurability of the previous versions,
which is good for power users who like a lean system and for people who,
like me, want to install almost everything — just in case they might someday
need it.
Installation went smoothly on both the tower and laptop. Both were clean
installs; I simply placed my CD in the drive and let it do its thing. Upon boot-up, the first thing I noticed was how much cleaner the install screen looked.
With this new, three-section install approach, I simply
had to answer what language I’d be working in, and hardware detection began
doing its magic. Within a minute, my hardware was pretty much configured
and the system ready to install. SuSE detected all my hardware, save
the WinModem in the tower and the built-in 3Com modem on the laptop (this
was no surprise). It also, surprisingly, had problems setting up 3D for my
video card. Aside from that, the install did some interesting things,
like set my printer up with multiple settings for different needs, everything
from 300dpi black and white to photo-realistic.
For things I needed or wanted to configure by hand, such as the network settings and package selection, there was a list, with hyperlinks I could click to take me to that area
of the installation. I was also pleased to find that SuSE automatically set
up previously defined partitions. Generally, I make it a rule to set up a
separate /home partition, but SuSE’s scheme of /boot, swap and one big /
(root) works well for the average user who, unlike myself, won’t be formatting
his hard drive every two weeks.
After all the software installed (which, with seven CDs can be quite tedious),
setup was a matter of creating a user and putting in a password. I
have to admit, my installation time on the tower was a bit on the long
end, but when you install 5GB-plus of software it’s hard not to expect that.
The setup on my laptop is more modest, only about 2.3GB,
which took just over 30 minutes to install.
The default office setup will install KDE3, StarOffice 5.2 and the most commonly used applications. The space requirement is just under 2GB, but includes more than
the average user will need. Surprisingly, Opera is not installed by default
no matter what the configuration, though it’s becoming a dominant force
in the Linux Web browser space. If you’re an experienced Linux
user, some trimming down is recommended, unless you
don’t mind dealing with a cluttered set of menus. If you’re using
Linux for the first time, this setup will do fine. Later
configuration with SuSE’s YaST2 setup tool is just as easy as the installation process, making the administration of your system a matter of point-and-clickability.
The emphasis on one-step hardware detection and configuration, as well
as the revamping of the installation process, make the entire installation
process intuitive. So easy that SuSE decided to omit the colorful installation
guide that accompanied its 7.x series. To put it bluntly, anyone with
a forehead should find this easy to install. If you want more information,
however, you can find it in the second chapter of the reference manual.
Another interesting omission in this release: no boot modules floppies. With most people using computers that can boot from CD, SuSE decided it wasn’t necessary to include the floppy disks. If you need to create a boot floppy you can find the information in the third chapter of the reference manual.
Living with the lizard
By default, SuSE drops a user into the new KDE3 desktop. In fact, in
the default installation, it’s the only desktop environment installed. As
soon as you log in for the first time, a screen reading, “Welcome to SuSE,” comes up with a number of links to a system tour, SuSE’s home page, installation
support page, and its support and hardware databases. The tour is a fairly
complete overview of what the system offers, covering a number of the available
programs in graphics, games, sound, system tools, desktops, documentation
online and off-line, scientific applications, office applications, file
management, and development tools. One thing I can’t understand is
why the icons are so thrown about in the default setup.
I prefer GNOME. It’s not the default
interface used by SuSE, so it’s not as integrated as KDE, but I do enjoy
looking at it more than any other interface (even though KDE3 looks
quite nice). The default setup for the GNOME desktop is pleasing to the
eye and comes with a range of software offerings, including Evolution,
Galeon, AbiWord, GnuCash and more. According to a colleague of mine, Jeff
Skube, installing the Liquid KDE style engine from mosfet.org will give KDE all the eye candy you’ll ever need. Of course,
you can still choose from the plethora of other window managers and desktop
environments, so regardless of whether you look for functionality or design,
you’re sure to be pleased.
Tech Support
Though the installations were smooth, the laptop ran into one major problem
after installation. Whenever the laptop is brought back from
sleep mode, the LCD’s refresh rates go out of whack and begin to burn up
the screen. This same laptop had worked with SuSE 7.2 without this problem,
as well as with Red Hat 7.1 and 7.2. This was a good time for me to try out tech support.
I
didn’t have to wait very long for an answer. After describing my problem to the tech support person, we tried one solution with YaST2’s graphics card and monitor module. That didn’t work, and there really wasn’t much he could do, I guess. He pointed me to Linux on Laptops and began ranting about not being able to support all the hardware out there.
This really isn’t that big of an
issue with me because I use my laptop as a desktop system primarily. However,
I’d rather not be on an airplane and fall asleep, only to find that I just
lost my laptop due to a faulty X configuration.
Though it was enjoyable to talk to the guy, the tech support was a bit lackluster, not so much because they didn’t know the answer to my problem, but rather because of what seemed to be a dependency on YaST. Tech support presses the issue of “the information is out there, go use it,” and that’s not all bad. But I was left wondering what SuSE 7.2 and Red Hat have that SuSE
8.0 (and 7.3, for that matter) doesn’t.
What I like, what I don’t
If you’ve been around the Linux scene for a bit, you’ll know that SuSE’s
big claim to fame, other than the lizard, is YaST (Yet another Setup
Tool). It handles pretty much all administration in SuSE. The tool has been developing steadily since the early days of SuSE, and with 8.0 the improvement continues. Saying a final goodbye to the old YaST, YaST2 has taken over and become both the graphical and text-based setup tool for the system (it had been YaST for text and YaST2 for graphics since SuSE 6.3). Again, I have to say it: Anyone with a forehead should find YaST2 easy to use.
Though I found bugs in YaST, I can’t say enough about how easy it has been to administer
my system. A good example was my experience with setting up NFS, using
YaST2’s NFS server and client modules. I wanted to set up a shared drive
on my tower and to be able to access it through my laptop. With YaST2, I was
able to set up both the server and the client in about three minutes, including
the time that it took YaST2 to come up. Considering my knowledge of NFS
before this was zilch, I’d say this was a good result. Similarly, setting
up my firewall was simple, allowing me to configure the firewall
for whatever services I needed with a couple of mouse clicks. As with previous
versions, installing software updates and security patches via SuSE YOU
(YaST Online Update) was as easy as clicking “next.”
Another of SuSE’s claims to fame has always been its excellent documentation.
No distribution includes such complete and well written documentation, and
this time it’s no different. However, unlike past versions, 8.0 only comes
with three manuals, a departure form the tradition set of five manuals in the 7.x series. Most of these have been consolidated into the reference manual, a 460 page behemoth with everything you’ll ever need to know about your SuSE system. As usual, the writing is clear and simple, suitable for any level reader.
Though this isn’t a criticism on the distribution, the omission
of the customary SuSE stickers was disappointing. I realize
cost-cutting measures are in order due to the current economic situation,
but the stickers were like the ever addicting bubble wrap: unadulterated
fun. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many stickers I have on my boxes, all
thanks to this long standing Linux-distribution tradition.
On a serious note, I had one more item of concern. Linux has
long been viewed as being in the domain of geeks. Part of the reason for
this has been because of the lack of easy program installation. I’m perplexed
that SuSE hasn’t picked up on this a bit more. Currently, if you wish to
add any software that’s not in the disk, you have two options: one is to
go through YaST2. This one’s a pain in the neck, and to be honest,
I’ve never been able to get it to work. When I point to a directory within
the system, it just complains that it can’t mount the medium.
The better choice is to install it by hand using either command line or a GUI tool
such as gnorpm. Yet, would it be that hard to create a script to automate installation of RPM files with YaST2? When you click on an RPM file, it should launch a root verification
program, then launch a software install module within YaST2. I realize this is easier said than done, but the tools are there. Heck, it can even be done with TGZ files, can’t it? After all, “./configure,”
“make,” and “make install” are the steps required by about 95% of all tar
archives.
Conclusion
SuSE has once again raised the bar for Linux distributions, releasing what might be its best version ever. Whether you’ve never installed Linux before or you’re an experienced Linux user, you’ll find SuSE enjoyable to use. A newbie may feel a bit overwhelmed by all the choices, and for that reason, I recommend they try out the Personal edition. For professionals, and those in need of a versatile system, SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional is definitely the way to go, and at $79.95 (USD), you’re not going to find a better bang for your buck.
The system has a few bugs, common with new version number releases, which will most likely be resolved in the next release. None of these, however, are big enough to cause any measurable interference under most environments. Overall, SuSE 8.0 should stay on my box for the foreseeable future. SuSE’s got a real winner on its hands with this release.
Category:
Category:
Present:
Jon Blandford
Nat Friedman
Jody Goldberg
Telsa Gwynne (minutes)
James Henstridge
Miguel de Icaza
George Lebl
Federico Mena
Havoc Pennington
Regrets:
Jim Gettys
Daniel Veillard
Tim Ney (in Brazil giving seminar to government employees following
GNOME presentation with Ismael Olea Gonzalez at the Free Software Forum)
Decisions:
* Once 2.0 comes out, we are not abandoning 1.4. We have
volunteers who want to maintain it, so they are welcome to.
Actions:
ACTION: Jim to restart the font discussions with various parties
=> Jim is not here, but sent an update via email.
ACTION: Nat and Jonathan talk to gnome-sysadmin about adding ssh
tunneling for GNOME CVS access
=> This has been postponed until after GNOME 2.
ACTION: Havoc, Jody, Nat volunteer for working on producing a first
draft of ABI rules for GNOME-2 releases, get involvment from
someone at Sun, and make sure the draft get some review.
=> Pending
ACTION: Tim and Jim looking at structuring tutorials
=> Neither are here, so no update.
ACTION: Tim to draft a description of what the money raised would be
used for.
=> Tim not here, so no update.
ACTION: Jrb and Nat will work on the Gnome-2.2 Hack Fest announce
=> Still setting it up.
NEW: Nat to write up his notes from the 2.x discussion and send
then out.
Discussion:
* approved last meeting minutes:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/foundation-announce/2002-April/msg00002.html
* Older GNOME release support
Wayne Schuller wanted clarification on support for older releases
of GNOME:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/foundation-list/2002-May/msg00000.html
Yes, we think 1.4 should be supported.
* Post-2.0 roadmap:
- Past experience suggests we're much better as a group at
concentrating on one branch. We either have all but two people
working on the stable stuff, or all but two people working on
HEAD.
- But we would like regular (monthly) snapshots from CVS
stable branch (ie HEAD) in the manner in which Jeff Waugh is
doing 2.0 snapshots. It should always be reasonably usable.
Without leaving the stable branch to fester.
Much discussion on reconciling the two. Nat to write it up (see
action items)
* Boston event - status, etc.
Nat has not yet been able to confirm the rooms and dates for
certain, but pressing on.
Telsa
_______________________________________________
foundation-list mailing list
foundation-list@gnome.org
http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-list
When most people think of robots, they envision walking, talking mechanical
humanoids along the lines of The Jetsons‘ domestic Rosey the Robot,
Futurama‘s grouchy Bender, or Lost in Space‘s B-9, frantically
waving its mechanical arms at impending danger.
But to judge by robot pioneer Rodney
Allen Brooks‘ new book “Flesh
and Machines,” as well as several recently published robot-building
how-tos that follow in the path Brooks blazed, robot science is scooting
off in a less anthropomorphic direction. Rather than general-purpose sentient
machines walking about, offering advice, cracking wise, and helping with
the chores, robots have mutated into specialized creatures, dumb machines
that undertake complex, useful tasks such as cutting lawns, crushing fellow
bots for our entertainment, and serving as mechanical pets. And like most
people who hire domestic help, their owners don’t care how smart they are.
Brooks runs the artificial-intelligence laboratory at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. “Flesh and Machines” is a fascinating account
of how he got involved in the field and where he thinks it will head. Brooks’
speculations have the weight of years of garage-shop-level practical
experience
behind them. He and his lab have built a number of robots, including the
wheeled prototypes for NASA’s
Sojourner vehicle, which tooled around Mars.
“Flesh and Machines” revolves around an epiphany that Brooks had early
in his career. When he first got involved academically in the robotics
field, the prevailing wisdom was that a well-designed robot required some
sort of brain, a central processor to regulate the mechanical tasks it
would undertake, and that this brain would need to build and hold an internal
map of everything it could sense about its surroundings. The problem was
that rendering a computerized representation of every obstacle in a robot’s
path, and then executing the orders to the limbs to avoid those obstacles,
takes an immense amount of computational power.
Brooks takes delight in describing a slow-moving robot that he helped
develop while a research assistant at Stanford University in the late ’70s.
Tethered to a mainframe computer by a large cord as it tried to make its
way around the lab,”the Cart made its forward lurches about once every
15 minutes,” he writes. “Once every 15 minutes if [the device’s] main computer
wasn’t busy running jobs for other people.”
This struck Brooks as absurd. Why, he asked himself, could insects with
roughly the same amount of computational power (in the form of slower
interconnected neurons) move about the world at speedy predator-avoiding clips? The conclusion he reached is that insects don’t employ an internal representation of the
world. The world itself is their model; the bugs just bounce off of it
using simple reflexes. And so, instead of designing robots with bulky
command-and-control noggins, in the mid-’80s Brooks began building creatures with numerous simple control systems.
When enough of these simple, largely independent circuits were overlaid,
the sum total of their combined actions produced remarkably sentient-like
effects. One of Brooks’ robots was designed to walk visitors about the
lab, giving them a guided tour of the facilities. Another, named Kismet,
was a disembodied metal skeletal face with two eyes and ears that mimicked
the physical cues of a person participating in a conversation, down to
the raising of the eyebrows at the appropriate times. With 15 independent
computers controlling Kismet’s reactions, people would find themselves
unwittingly chatting with this thing, even though it was only babbling
well-timed nonsense syllables.
Although this decentralized approach may seem obvious now, at the time
the academic community greeted Brooks’ ideas with shock. “Without quite
being explicit,” he writes, “I was saying that all previous work in artificial
intelligence was misguided.”
Brooks’ ideas have taken hold. The growing presence of simple novelty
robots since the mid-’90s — Sony’s mechanical pet Aibo,
the fighting robots of TV’s BattleBots
and Robot Wars — are his legacy,
in that they rely more on crafty mechanical engineering than raw computational
power to do what they do.
Brooks’ simplified approach serves as the basis for a number of recently
released guides on how to build robots. In fact, David
Cook‘s “Robot
Building for Beginners” could be subtitled, “Robot Building for Liberal
Arts Majors Who Flunked Shop Class in High School.” It really does assume
its readers have no mechanical or electrical experience.
Wisely, Cook devotes the entire 568-page volume to building one robot,
a simple four-wheeled device with a small plastic food container for a
body that can follow light and dark colored lines. For intelligence, the
only microchip Cook’s robot uses is a simple preprogrammed “comparitor”
that can be purchased at Radio Shack. The chip operates by comparing the
voltage of two inputs and sending signals to fire up the wheel motors on
either side of the bot based on what it gets from those inputs.
In other words, Cook’s robot is a mental ninny, one evolutionary step
up from a radio-controlled toy car only by the virtue that it doesn’t take
orders from a remote unit.
Cook doesn’t get into more complex robot technologies. Once you start
thinking in a robot-building way, he calculates, you can design more complex
stuff pretty easily. Besides, he offers examples of other quasi-useful
bots that can be built from similar simple designs, such as a slug squisher,
a window washer, a houseplant-watering robot, and so on.
Pete Miles and Tom Carroll’s “Build
Your Own Combat Robot” doesn’t dwell too much with internal logic either.
This book was written for those interested in participating in those
gladiatorial robot-war tournaments on TV. Unsurprisingly, combat bots don’t require
much higher-level thinking to find opponents and pulverize them with their
kill-claws and whatnot. “Of course, if you’re building a BattleBots-style
[radio control] machine,” the authors note, “you probably won’t need any
software, and the ‘sensors’ are your own eyes as you guide it across the
floor of the battle arena.”
Combat robots, however, are not simple creatures. In fact, “Combat Robot”
presents designs for mechanical marvels that blow away anything in Cook’s
“Robot Building.” Unlike Cook’s book, however, “Combat” assumes you already
possess considerable mechanical skills and are only seeking wisdom on how
to harden your bot against thrashings.
The debt of these how-tos to Brooks’ ideas is clear. At one point the
authors of “Combat Robot” even discuss swivel-mounted wheels, referencing
the success of early Sojourner prototypes that Brooks’ lab worked on. Both
books harp on the theme that Brooks devised — off-load as much intelligence
as possible in favor of clever mechanical design.
Naturally, neither of these how-tos has any advice regarding the
construction of something resembling consciousness — the trick the original AI researchers were after with their brainy bots. Nor do they even venture the idea that
it can be done, given enough circuits. Brooks admits near the end of his
book that his ideas of decentralization probably won’t engender artificial
intelligence, arguing that the secret ingredient to producing consciousness
is something scientists just haven’t discovered yet.
But maybe this is as it should be, given people’s attitudes toward bots.
The late Douglas Adams understood the inherent tension in what is desired
from robots — namely to be smart enough to do their owners’ bidding, yet
not smart enough to think on their own. One of the mechanical characters
in “The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” was Marvin, a robot that, because
it was programmed with human-like traits, was relentlessly depressed by
the futility of its own existence. “Here I am, brain the size of a planet
and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that ‘job satisfaction’?
‘Cos I don’t,'” Marvin would kvetch. It’s as if Adams was warning against
making robots too smart.
Category:
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