Questions about openSUSE

[Furion02]

Hello everyone,

I have a few questions because i'm interested in having a dual-boot system with Windows XP, and openSUSE. I've done a lot of research and have decided that openSUSE seems very friendly and a good way to learn Linux. Now i've heard that openSUSE tends to be a memory hog, is that true? Is there a way to configure it so it doesn't use as much? And now for my second question, can openSUSE be installed on AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3500+ ? With an ASUS mobo? And is there a special download like Debian has for all different types of computers? Thank you for your help.

[daark.child]

I use openSUSE on my laptop and on our desktops. The memory usage is no different to other distros like Fedora or Ubuntu. You should be able to install it on a 64 bit AMD machine, but to make sure that it will work smoothly, you can try one of the live discs. There are 32 bit and 64 bit versions available, so choose whichever you want.

[Furion02]

Excellent! Thank you for your prompt and friendly reply, I think i would need the 32 bit considering the processor arch type is an x86. Or actually looking at the openSUSE download site it says that AMD Athlon(tm) 64 can run the 64 bit version. Is there a noticable difference in either of them? Which one would you recommend? One more question does the Installer come with GRUB or LILO so i can dual-boot with Windows XP? I looked at the installation steps yet havent seen an option for it.

[daark.child]

So far I have stayed clear of 64 bit OSes, so can't tell you which would be best for you or whether there is any difference in performance although I am positive your system can run both 32 bit and 64 bit OSes. openSUSE use GRUB as the bootloader and will automatically add your windows installation to the grub boot options.

[Furion02]

So far I have stayed clear of 64 bit OSes, so can't tell you which would be best for you or whether there is any difference in performance although I am positive your system can run both 32 bit and 64 bit OSes. openSUSE use GRUB as the bootloader and will automatically add your windows installation to the grub boot options.

My thoughts exactly never tried 64-bit OSes and don't really want too, but I thought it might be time for a change but i think i'll stick with the 32 bit. Excellent thank you for answering my questions

[Chris H]

I'm running 32 bit opensuse on a laptop with an AMD 64 bit chip, 1Gb RAM. Works fine, no memory issue.

I have tried 64 bit distros before but there's still to much too get compatible to make it worthwhile imo.

[gogalthorp]

I run 64 bit. Just cuz. There is no speed differences, at least for most apps. Might make a difference for an app that is optimized for 64 bit but just recompiling a 32 bit to 64 does not make a difference in speed. You only need 64 bit if you have a serious need for more then 3gig of memory. This can help on speed if you run loads and loads of processes.

Other considerations. With 64 bit you will have more trouble with non-oss apps like skype and flash and such because they come in 32bit only and don't play well in 64bit environments. Also non-oss drivers can be a problem.

Best to keep to 32bit unless you need tons of memory for some reason.