openSUSE is a Linux distribution that is known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive package management system. The openSUSE Review: A User’s Perspective is an in-depth analysis of the openSUSE operating system from the point of view of a user. The review provides valuable insights into the features, performance, and overall usability of openSUSE, making it an essential resource for both new and experienced users.
“The target users of openSUSE are people who need to get work done, and want something stable and usable for their every day needs. They are users who are interested in technology, willing to learn if needed, capable of reading documentation or asking questions on forums. But also people who don’t want to do that if they don’t have to. In short, the productivity-focused professional. This includes power users, developers, system administrators but also office workers who sit behind a computer all day. A convenient definition would be someone who regularly reads computer magazines or technology sites and works with computers a lot. So we are NOT targeting people who don’t use a computer very often – if your grandma only checks mail and Facebook once a week, give her a Netbook interface like MeeGo or Plasma Netbook, not the default openSUSE Plasma or GNOME desktops.
Our user wants control over his or her computing experience – but at the same time doesn’t want to WASTE time – things should work out of the box and offer flexibility and configurability only where needed. And this user is empowered to help his or her favorite distribution – it is easy to contribute back to openSUSE!“
Besides the expected need for grammatical tightening, I have a few problems with the current draft. First, I think using the term “professional” is limiting, as I am currently a student, and I’ve known of many power users who won’t be of age to become professionals for quite a few years. At the same time, I think people who don’t care much about computers would find using openSUSE Plasma Desktop to be much easier than using Plasma Netbook (which I wouldn’t say is very intuitive, even for the more computer savvy among us) or MeeGo (which is just different).
If I were to cut this vision down to its core, here is what I would deem the most accurate way to portray openSUSE:
“The target users of openSUSE are people who want something stable and usable for their every day needs. They may be users who are interested in technology, willing to learn if needed, capable of reading documentation, or willing to ask questions on forums. openSUSE gives power to productivity-focused users, including powerusers, developers, system administrators, and office workers who sit behind a computer all day. openSUSE users want control over their computing experience. Things should work out of the box and offer flexibility and configurability only where needed.
And if users feel inclined to help their favorite distribution, they should find that it is easy to contribute back to openSUSE!“
What this does is focus on who openSUSE is intended for, without alienating those for whom it is not. If Grandma wants to use openSUSE, we should welcome her, not tell her that she needs to go elsewhere. We may feel that she may be better off working in a distribution targeted towards new users, but if she finds that opening Firefox in openSUSE is easy enough for her, and she likes the way the lizard looks in the bottom left hand criteria, then she should know that she is welcome to use openSUSE for as long as she wants.
I also feel that this abridged version is more in line with
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