Editorial Review:

Amazon.com Review:
Striking a balance between configurability and user-friendliness, SuSE Linux Professional 7.3 stands as a good choice for someone with a little bit--but not necessarily a lot--of Linux experience. Choose this distribution if you need to provide network services to a LAN or to the Internet, want to experiment with a broad sample of the software that's available for your purposes, and don't mind a bit of skeleton showing through the veneer once in a while. This version of Linux is built with compatibility, performance, reliability, and security in mind.

New in this release: an updated Linux kernel (version 2.4.10), XFree86 windowing system (4.1.0), KDE desktop manager (2.2.1), GNOME desktop manager (1.4.1 Beta 2), and Samba server for integration with Microsoft Windows computers (2.2). These incremental upgrades present all sorts of useful features, including the Nautilus file manager, Kooka scanner support, hot partitioning of disks, and compatibility with lots of additional hardware (including television cards and, for the first time, touchscreens).

System administrators shouldn't find themselves wanting for file system support under this release. In addition to the new ext3 file system that's part of the Linux 2.4.x kernel, SuSe Linux Professional 7.3 supports the ext2, ReiserFS, FAT, NTFS, and JFS file systems. Unless you need compatibility with an established data volume in another format, you'll probably want to use ext3 (which is both backward and forward compatible with the proven ext2 file system) if you're running a server that must be available to users as much as possible.

The ext3 provides a better availability rate than ext2 because it's a journaling file system, which means it keeps records of the read and write operations it performs on its media. That's valuable because if the system shuts down unexpectedly due to a crash or power failure, the mandatory fsck integrity verification need only look at the parts of the file system that were being manipulated when the problem occurred. Because comprehensive fsck runs can be very lengthy on big ext2 volumes--and because the volumes aren't available during those runs--ext3 gives a clear benefit to server users and administrators. In another boon to reliability and speed, this edition supports RAID levels 0, 1, and 5 in software. That is, you don't need an expensive RAID controller card in your machine to enjoy the benefits of RAID under this operating system.

SuSE Linux Professional 7.3 further distinguishes itself from its competitors by including a heap of server, application, and utility software--pretty much everything available for free download on the Internet--compiled for this kernel and stored, on seven CD-ROMs as well as on a single DVD-ROM, in RPM format for easy installation. The value of the included software is in time saved, naturally, and in usage fees saved if your Internet connection has a usage quota. If you enjoy installing different software packages and putting them through their paces (or if you're a developer eager to check out the competition or verify your product's compatibility), you'll consider the software library a big bonus. A bootable floppy--something several distributions no longer include--is a considerate inclusion that makes it easier for you to install this svelte product on older computers that can't boot from their CD-ROM drives. Further, the YaST2 administration tool centralizes and simplifies configuration work.

Like other Linux distributions based on the Linux 2.4.x kernel, this release of SuSE Linux Professional 7.3 is slicker than ever, and more widely compatible with peripheral hardware. Unlike other distributions, this one ships with nearly every tool and toy you could want, and a generous 90 days of phone, fax, and Internet support for everything short of networking. Consider Red Hat Linux 7.2 Professional if user-friendliness and the ability to select from among several operating systems at boot time is truly paramount for you, but stick with SuSE if you want a strong, reliable Linux and all the trimmings. --David Wall

Amazon.com Item Description:
SuSE Linux 7.3 Professional offers ambitious home users and IT professionals the comprehensive portfolio of more than 2,300 up-to-date software packages. The scope provides everything needed for setting up intranet and Internet solutions and for interconnecting and protecting heterogeneous networks. The user has the choice between seven CD-ROMs and one DVD, all of which are included in the Professional package. On more than 1,100 pages, five manuals are packed with the latest firsthand Linux information, including specific issues such as network configuration and security.

With the built-in Soft RAID, users can save data quickly and securely on several hard disks, thus implementing a higher degree of data security. In addition to the proven ReiserFS, new file systems like jfs and ext3 have been integrated, thus equipping system administrators with the flexibility they wish for. The security package, too, has been improved even further. The Personal Firewall can be activated during the installation with a single mouse click and constitutes a secure shield against intruders. The virus scanner AMaVis protects your system against Trojans and other undesired attachments. PGP encryption makes sure only authorized recipients can read personal e-mail. The crypto file system, which stores data in encrypted form, ensures the privacy of data even if, for example, a laptop is stolen or lost.

System administrators will welcome a number of unique features that facilitate their work: YaST2 can now be used for the configuration and administration of both NIS servers and the respective NIS clients. Using the Logical Volume Manager, users can now resize Windows partitions during operation. YaST2 offers a run-level editor for the selective activation or deactivation of server services.

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Rating: - * 7.3 half baked - 7.2 is better ... I loved 7.2 of Suse, I have it installed on 3 PCs (P3 Laptop, old P1, and P4). It installed on all 3 without any problems. So when 7.3 came out I ran to the store and got it the week after it was released in the US. I cannot get 7.3 to install on the on the old P1 with out it crashing after the install. On the laptop the disk has to be fsck (scandisk for you windows users) for every re/boot, 7.3 thinks the computer crashed and the drive was not dismounted correctly. This never happens with 7.2 on the laptop. And does not occur in the P4 with 7.2 or 7.3. On the 2 that I can get 7.3 to boot the xterm forgets to clear the screen when you exit an application. This does not happen all the time but when it does you have to log out and restart X to solve the problem. Support just stinks, they can not answer any questions and they take 2-3 weeks to get back to you and tell you that they do not know the answer. They seam to not be very interested in improving the product. If you do a full install if 7.3 Star Office locks up when a user starts Star Office for the fist time and selects install. This happens for all new users created after the 7.3 install. I called suse support and they said Sorry your 90 days of free help has expired. I call one other time and support could not help me. 2 button mouses paste does not work in 7.3 the way it did in 7.2 My solution was to buy a new mouse for the laptop. The way I solved the star office problem was to install 7.2. Create all the needed users. Run the office installer for each user and then upgrade to 7.3 8-( I found several other little things that work in 7.2 and just do not work in 7.3. The 7.3 version of Suse has some very nice eye candy, but under the candy is a half baked product. If you look at most commercial software like Oracle and IBM are certified on Suse. If you look at the support matrix they say 7.2 NOT 7.3. I wonder why? My recommendation is get 7.2 or try your luck with 8 and skip 7.3 at all cost. Rating: - * Does it all ... This is the only package you need to become instantly productive with linux. It includes a complete office suite (Star Office 5.2) plus the new Koffice suite and Abiword all of which can read and write MS Word and other MS Office file formats. You also get real player 8, Adobe Acrobat, Netscape 6, graphics and photo editors, email and scheduling software, cd writing software, plus some cool games. The setup is really easy and it can coexist with all versions of Windows. It also has built-in journaling file systems so power failures won't damage your harddrive, and it has strong encryption which you can enable for your file system to secure you data. Enable it with a checkbox during install. As for upkeep, SuSE Online Update works from your desktop. It will update your system over the Internet and is as easy as Windows Update. You can run this periodically to download security and program updates or you can use it to update your entire system for free when the next version of SuSE Linux is released. It couldn't be simpler. The box contains 7 cd's and 1 dvd. The dvd install is awesome because you never have to swap cd's. When you use the "add and remove software" module, it can find any software you need on the dvd. With the dvd, I've never had to use the cd's. I've used all the leading distros. SuSE is the most complete and the documentation is the best. You can't go wrong with this one. Rating: - * Comes the way I like it... ... I've tried them all... Red Hat, Mandrake, Slackware, Caldera, etc., etc. but the SuSE distribution has always worked the best for me... It comes configured the way I want Linux configured... I get Apache with PHP4 as a module for my web development, PostgreSQL and MySQL for databases, DHCP and Samba for running my network... plus, Gimp for editing images, CD Burners, Scanner software... basically everything I need... and it installs without a hitch... even the partitioning is handled smoothly... you gotta love Linux and SuSE's the best of the bunch... Rating: - * Overkill ... I run SuSE at home, and have found it to be quite useful in the past. I've especially found their online KDE support section helpful, as KDE is making leaps and bounds ahead of where it was. That being said, I can't help noting how top-heavy this distibution is. My major reason for looking into Linux in the first place was the fact that it was free. Free of cost (except distribution costs,) free entirely of legal strings. SuSE has changed both of those with its policies. If you want an update to your Redhat or Mandrake distro, you generally download it. Your friends want copies? Give them copies. Nobody complains, because it's free! If you don't want to go through the manifold hassles of compiling source code every time you want to install a new piece of software, you can generally find pre-built Redhat or Mandrake etc. packages in various locations. None of this is the case with SuSE. You want updates, you pay. You want software packages, buy the update and hope what you want is there, or build your own dang packages. Let's not forget, they're bragging about 2,300 software packages. You can practically fill your hard drive with a SuSE installation, and not know what half of it does! On top of all that, they're steadily raising the prices on "their" software. How much of that is overhead is something I can't say. What I can say is this: SuSE is not helping to bring Linux to the user level. I'll give them 3 stars for the sheer number of apps. Rating: - * SuSE 7.3 Pro Is Great For Laptops ... After many attempts at installing Linux on an older non-Linux supported Laptop Computer, I find that SuSE 7.3 Pro is the very first distribution of Linux that works. I had attempted Mandrake 8.0 and 8.1, Red Hat 7.1, and there was always something that didn't work, such as sound compatibility (onboard win-modems excluded). Right out of the box, SuSE 7.3 gave me sound and an automatically configured LCD display. I didn't have to do any kernel compiling or driver manipulation as I did with all of the other distributions I tried. Looking to switch over to Linux? Go with SuSE 7.3 Professional, and wave goodbye to that win-box.