[edit] What are the different installation methods?

The information below is for openSUSE 11.0:

• 2 Live-CD, in KDE 4 or Gnome flavor -- in x86, x86_64 and PPC and versions.
• 1 DVD -- in x86, x86_64 and PPC and versions. The DVD contains more packages than the Live-CD. The retail DVD, being a double-layer, contains more packages. The following languages are included: English, Portuguese, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Chinese (Simpl. & Trad.), Japanese, Russian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Finnish, Danish, Swedish and Dutch.
• Language Add On CD -- in x86, x86_64 and PPC and versions. Contains extra language packs for other languages. These are af, ar, az, bg, bn, br, bs, ca, cy, el, eo, et, eu, fa, fy, ga, gl, he, hi, hr, is, kk, ko, lt, lv, mk, mn, ms, nds, nn, pa, ro, ru, rw, se, sk, sl, sr, srLatn, ss, sv, ta, tg, tr, uz and vi.
• 1 CD Mini-ISO -- in x86, x86_64 and PPC and versions. This is a small, roughly 70 Megabyte ISO which can be used for a netinstall. There's more info on this at INSTALL_Internet
• Installation without a CD. This installation method doesn't require a CD or DVD, but relies on you mounting the ISO and then booting to it. Some great instructions for this are available on the openSUSE.org wiki: Installation_without_CD , it will of course help that you have a fast connection here.

All the ISOs are downloadable from Download

[edit] Software Repositories

[edit] What other software repositories can I enable and add?

We recommend that you add the online openSUSE package repository as well as the Packman repository. For more information on these and a quick howto, see Repositories.

[edit] "A ZYpp transaction is already in progress"

If you get this error at any time, make sure that all programs that might be using the package management system have been closed down. This includes Zypper, Smart, and most YaST processes. If you are sure that none of these are running, then one of them might be misbehaving. To kill the offending process, execute:

[edit] ZMD is mucked up! What should I do?

On 10.1 you can disable ZMD and simply either use Smart or the openSUSE Software Management module (which doesn't use ZMD). On 10.2, you can completely remove ZMD and use the openSUSE Software Management pattern. For more information on both of these, see Repositories.

So what is the problem with ZMD? Well, ZMD was originally Novell's enterprise software management, which was then pushed onto openSUSE. It caused many problems there, including running away with your CPU, failing to install packages, and taking an increasingly long time to execute basic instructions. As a consequence, we do not recommend that you use it on openSUSE.

[edit] MP3/MPEG-4/Encrypted DVDs/Quicktime/Realmedia/Flash/Java

For a guide and help on getting any of these restricted formats working on openSUSE, take a look at our guide at Restricted Formats.

[edit] Upgrading to the Latest KDE

openSUSE always provides the latest version of KDE, should you want it. There's a wonderful guide for setting this up at KDE/Upgrade

[edit] Are packages X, Y, Z available anywhere? How can I search for packages?

The vast majority of packages will be available in the standard recommended repositories, which we have a tutorial for adding (here: Repositories). However, there are hundreds of other packages available through the Build Service as well. There is a package search which will search the standard online repository, Guru, Packman, as well as the Build Service, here: http://packages.opensuse-community.org

Package_Search holds information on adding this search capability in your web browser.

[edit] Xgl / Composite Manager (Beryl/Compiz)

[edit] Can I get Beryl or Compiz running on openSUSE?

Sure. Beryl is available in the Build Service, with always the latest packs available; for a guide on setting it up, see Beryl. Compiz is available on the openSUSE CDs, even; there's a guide and more information on Compiz available at Compiz

[edit] Mozilla Firefox

[edit] Integrate Firefox with KDE

Here is a guide on setting up kprinter, kdialogs, kpdf and other KDE integration into Firefox: http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Integrate_Firefox_with_KDE

[edit] Oxygen theme

If the os specific themes still do not give a nice integration, non official themes may be worth a try:

KDE 4 Oxygen theme: http://ramonantonio.net/kde-firefox/

[edit] OS specific themes for Firefox 3

As of Firefox 3 Beta 4, separate themes have been created for Mac OS X, Linux, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Vista. When running on KDE or GNOME, Firefox 3 displays icons from the environment; thus, when the desktop environment icon theme changes, Firefox follows suit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox#Themes)
However, some themes have been made with a certain OS look and feel, this is to say that you can use i.e the XP theme on any Firefox:

Vista theme: https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/6839

XP theme: https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/7119

Proto: see http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=646268

[edit] Hardware

[edit] Fonts

[edit] Communicate

[edit] My question isn't answered here or I'd like more help.

There are several methods for you to get more support, or just discuss a little more with the openSUSE community. This includes:

• Mailing lists
• IRC: #suse on irc.freenode.net
• Forums
• Usenet discussion groups

Join us! More detailed information is available at: Communicate