openSUSE 11.1 with GNOME on ThinkPad

Notes

• Most is same as KDE; expended with more details.
• CentOS is solid, but most parts are rather dated, and cannot do some jobs I want it to. So it's not for my personal use.
• SUSE is famous for KDE support, and I'm also a K fan. But current KDE brings me too many problems.
• I'm using openSUSE 11.1 i586 DVD.

Install

1. Boot from DVD.
2. Choose screen size using F3 at GRUB screen. (NOTE: this affects boot screen and tty; higher resolution will get larger tty view, and slower output speed if tty is often scrolled)
3. Proceed to summary page:
   • Add additional language support.
   • Search and remove beagle-related packages, except libbeagle1.
4. Finish install and log in your account.
5. DON'T move any widgets on panel, lock them and the panel ASAP. Otherwise it's likely to move them accidentally and hardly to place them decently again.
6. Configure fonts to use "Subpixel smoothing (LCD)".
7. In "Control Center" > "Sessions", remove "SUSE" greeter, uncheck "Visual Assistant".
8. Run SaX2, disable middle button's "Emulate Wheel".
9. Run gconf-editor, in /apps/gedit-2/preferences/encodings/, add GBK in proper positions.

<Status>

• Suspension works.
• Hibernation works, but not effective. After you hear first beep, the screen blanks until next beep, and system goes suspension immediately, so you need to wake it up again.
• Working Fn: F2, F3, F4, F7, F12, brightness, media control, and ThinkLight
• Page navigation keys work.
• Display is 16-bit even if shown 32-bit in configuration dialog.
• A little sluggish to drag windows.
• Banshee doesn't play mp3.

Network

1. Better than KNetworkManager, GNOME NM provides more connection options.
2. Setup a DSL, and get connected.
3. Wireless works. If you disable and re-enable wireless network in NM, the indicator works.

NTFS

1. Reference: opensuse.org
2. By default, NTFS is not writable for normal user.
3. Modify NTFS entries in /etc/fstab so they look like:

   /dev/disk/by-id/ata-XX...XX-partX /windows/C ntfs-3g user,users,gid=users,fmask=113,dmask=002,locale=en_US.UTF-8 0 0

4. Remount all NTFS partitions, or reboot.

Update

1. The basic repos (OSS, Non-OSS, update) are already set. Switch to lupaworld.com for faster speed.
2. Addons from update:
   • Fluendo mp3 (NOTE: unlike Amarok, Banshee is doing well with this codec.)
   • Microsoft fonts
   • Flash player

Repositories

1. YaST now has a priority system for software repos. Use it properly to prevent unwanted updates.
2. In use:
   • nvidia: nvidia.com (web browser access forbidden)
   • packman: gwdg.de
   • libdvdcss: linuxin.dk (web browser access forbidden)
3. Others:
   • SUSE Collection: opensuse.org
4. Search software at opensuse.org.

Video

1. Enable nvidia repo.
2. Do an update.
3. Reboot.

Multimedia

1. Reference: opensuse-community.org
2. Enable packman and libdvdcss.
3. Install:
   • ffmpeg
   • libdvdcss
   • gstreamer-0_10-ffmpeg
   • gstreamer-0_10-plugins-bad
   • gstreamer-0_10-plugins-ugly
   • libxine1-codecs
   • w32codec-all
   • smplayer (the best Linux video player I say)
   • mplayerplugin-in
4. Set preferred player for some video formats in nautilus.
5. Help mplayer to locate rm/rmvb codec:
   1. mkdir -p /usr/lib/RealPlayer10/codecs
   2. ln -s /usr/lib/codecs/drvc.so /usr/lib/RealPlayer10/codecs/drvc.so

Qt SDK

1. NOTE 1: up to this writing, libqt4 in openSUSE has some issue. Any program linking to it could sometimes remove focused editable text.
2. NOTE 2: if you use default libqt4-devel, the release build mode will have '-g' option enabled. You need to modify the system's mkspecs/common/g++.conf to prevent having large debug version binary.
3. NOTE 3: the SDK is of version 4.5.0, while 4.4.3 is shipped with openSUSE 11.1, if executed directly in OS might have potential issues.
4. Download SDK from qtsoftware.com.
5. Install libqt4-devel first to ensure all dependencies are ready, then remove libqt4-devel.
6. chmod and install qt-sdk.

Optional software

• p7zip
• amule
• blender (3D modeling)
• wireshark (packet analyzer)
• chmsee (worse than kchmviewer, but avoid import of whole kdelibs3)
• picasa (F-Spot is awkward)
• audacity (audio editing)
• furiusisomount (mounter for iso, nrg, mdf)
• filezilla
• java-1_6_0-openjdk-devel
• python-idle
• subversion
• git
• wine
• PlayOnLinux (A good way to manage wine apps)
• VMware (6.5.1 needs kernel-source)
• Games:
  • armagetronad (NOTE: package armagetron provided in SUSE repo doesn't work)
  • frozen-bubble
  • xlogical
  • solarwolf

aMule

1. Reference: amule.org (firewall)
2. Reference: amule.org (ed2k links handling)
3. Install amule from packman.
4. Open firewall ports (TCP: 4662, UDP: 4672 4665) in YaST.
5. Configure firefox with ed2k link handler.
   1. open about:config
   2. New Boolean network.protocol-handler.external.ed2k value true
   3. New String network.protocol-handler.app.ed2k value /usr/bin/ed2k
   4. New Boolean network.protocol-handler.expose.ed2k value false
   5. Open any ed2k link, firefox should prompt for an application to launch.
   6. The default ed2k is not working for me. Choose other, locate /usr/bin/ed2k, and check remember option.
   7. Once confirmed amule correctly receives the link, delete the string we previously added in about:config.

Wine

1. Some programs cannot be run in NTFS.
2. Copy them to ext3, and wine it.
3. Some dlls need to be in wine's system32:
   • mfc42.dll
   • msvcp60.dll
   • zlib1.dll
4. Working programs:
   • StarCraft
   • ePSXe (once emulation started, don't press ESC for menu, otherwise it won't receive any key input when resumed)
   • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Disable "Soft smoke edge" and "Depth of view")
5. Issue
   • Chinese Windows programs don't show characters well.

Fingerprint

1. Configure in YaST.
2. Working with GDM and tty login.
3. Unlike Windows, only one fingerprint can be stored per user. You need to select you account before swiping.

Issues

• You must switch on integrated WiFi to get external PCMCIA WiFi card working in NM.
• The chess game doesn't show me any pieces when I switch to 3D view.
• It's GNOME: middle button always paste things when you're unawared. Hope GNOME can disable this "feature", or at least offer a decent way to.
• Sometimes Banshee refuses any playback command, while its GUI is not freezed.
• Monsoon (BT client) is unstable, crashes sometimes.
• I haven't found any way to hot-plug Ultrabay drive.

openSUSE 11.1 with KDE on ThinkPad

NOTE: Please refer to my another post about GNOME.
Prologue

• Default install brings you nearly ready-to-use OS.
• Centralized YaST control center makes SUSE the most friendly distro I've used.

Install

1. Boot from DVD.
2. Choose your screen size using F3. (NOTE: this is the screen size of installation process, tty and boot splash. Your runlevel 5 screen size can be changed in your DE.
3. Proceed to summary page:
   • Add language support if you need to.
   • Search and remove beagle-related packages. (NOTE: I don't like beagle, so do it if you're alike. And if you're not removing it here, it will call a handful of dependency when you do it later.)
4. Finish install and log in your account.

Status

• Display is 16-bit even if shown 32-bit in configuration dialog.
• Amarok doesn't play mp3.

Network

1. It seems KNetworkManager does not provide a way to connect xDSL.
2. In YaST: Turn NM off, setup a DSL, and use '/sbin/ifup dsl0' to get online.

Update

1. Disable update applet if you don't like it.
2. The default repositories (OSS, Non-OSS, update) are already set. So Update directly.
3. What takes my attention from update:
   • fluendo mp3 support (NOTE: this mp3 codec seems producing a lot of static noise.)
   • Microsoft fonts
   • Flash player

NTFS

1. Reference: en.opensuse.org
2. Default NTFS does not allow normal user to write.
3. Modify NTFS entries in /etc/fstab so they look like this:

   /dev/sda1 /windows/C ntfs-3g user,users,gid=users,fmask=113,dmask=002,locale=en_US.UTF-8 0 0

4. If you don't want to reboot, remount all NTFS partitions.

Repositories

1. Now YaST has a priority system for software repositories.
2. SUSE Collection: opensuse.org
3. Packman: gwdg.de
4. nVidia: nvidia.com (NOTE: web access forbidden)
5. libdvdcss: linuxin.dk (NOTE: web access forbidden)

Multimedia

1. Reference: opensuse-community.org
2. Ensure packman and libdvdcss repo are enabled.
3. Install:
   • ffmpeg
   • k3b-codecs
   • libdvdcss
   • libxine1-codecs
   • w32codec-all
   • amarok-xine

Qt SDK

1. Till this writing, libqt4 in openSUSE has bugs.
2. Download SDK from qtsoftware.com.
3. Install libqt4-devel first to ensure all dependencies are ready, then remove libqt4-devel.
4. Install downloaded qt-sdk.

Amule

1. Reference (firewall): amule.org
2. Reference (ed2k links handling): amule.org
3. Install from packman.
4. Open ports (TCP: 4662, UDP: 4672 4665) in YaST.
5. Configure firefox with ed2k link handler.
   1. open about:config
   2. New Boolean network.protocol-handler.external.ed2k, true
   3. New String network.protocol-handler.app.ed2k, /usr/bin/ed2k
   4. New Boolean network.protocol-handler.expose.ed2k, false

Optional software

• unrar
• p7zip
• blender (3D modeling)
• wireshark (packet analyzer)
• kchmviewer (KDE3 application; Okular is too slow to open chm files)
• picasa (Better than digiKam)
• virtualbox
• Games:
  • armagetronad
  • frozen-bubble
  • kde4-knetwalk
  • kde4-konquest