SUSE linux live-eval

[mag046]

elpresidente brought this to my attention, from the KNOPPIX thread here:

http://www.cdrbase.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25229

This is basically the same thing, but it allows users to test out SUSE without having to install it to the hard drive. Not sure what kind of apps are included, but Im going to give it a try.

The main difference I gather is KNOPPIX is designed to be run independantly from the CDROM, and this is just a "test drive" version of SUSE. Not sure if it could be used for any sorrt of extensive computing...I'll check it out.

...it can be had here:

SuSE Linux for i386 Live-Eval
ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/

later...

[elpresidente]

hmm...seems that it works like a charm ...but nothing for newbies like me .. *lol*

greetz

[mag046]

I just burnt this live-eval version...and here are my findings.

The SuSE version install is much more complex than KNOPPIX. With SuSE live-eval, you must interact with the start/install process and configure SuSE for your system. Granted, it does auto detect and configure most for the user, but it still requires interaction.

The other big difference is that SuSE looks on your hard drive for a useable partition. I gather that it would use this partition space to store setup and configuration data. However, I was using a totally clean drive with nothing on it, low-level clean. SuSE looked at the drive and determined that it was not useable. I imagine that if you try this version on an active hard drive that SuSE would use the hdd to some extent. SuSE will still load and run with out the hdd partition, it just prefers to have some hdd space to use.

This version also took about 10 minutes from boot to active desktop. Far longer than KNOPPIX, with KNOPPIX you boot...it loads...about a minute later you are using Open Office or whatever.

Although for the most part these two creatures perform the same tasks, they are far different in install, looks, and performance. I am not a Linux user what-so-ever, this is all sparked by my curiosity of actively using Linux in the future.

Just be careful with this one, I think this one does use your hdd because although my hdd was clean, SuSE did access it numerous times. Give this one a try, but it is definitely not designed under the same principles of KNOPPIX...this is a "try before you buy" type of build...

later...