Re: Diff: Boxed vs Free distros of SUSE 9.0

From: Martin (nospam_at_example.org)
Date: 12/13/03 

Date: Sat, 13 Dec 2003 11:49:36 +0000

Stephen Boddy wrote:

> Anyone know what packages are actually missing from the ftp/el cheapo
> disks?

Not in detail, as I was happy to spend a small amount of money (it's on
discount at Amazon) to contribute to the sizeable engineering effort
required to produce the distro and then maintain the automatic
free-of-charge YOU updates. Good systems integration and security patch
engineering doesn't happen by itself. As it is, I wonder whether they
should charge for YOU in year 2, or something. You can install SUSE on as
many boxes as you like, and run YOU for free on all of them - excellent
value.

> I've downloaded (most) of the ftp version, and the one I've noticed that
> is quite blatant appears to be Java. If I start YaST I get a dependency
> failure for OOo, where (if memory serves) libjawt is missing. It still
> runs, but this sort of thing is a little irritating. Is that going to be
> popping up warning dialogs all the time, or is there a simple way to fix
> this?

ISTR that Sun Microsystems don't allow Java to be included in free packages.
You can download it for free from Sun (and that's the obvious way to fix
your setup) but if you want to include the Java runtime in your own
product, you must license it from Sun. Same issue occurs with FreeBSD:
they make it easy for you to download and install the JRE, but Sun won't
let them include it in their distro.

> Plus, do they put updates to "commercial" packages on the website?
> If they put up an updated Java package, surely I now have access, and this
> makes a mockery of removing the packages in the first place?

Two possibilities. Either they could put up deltas, or the YOU updater could
have the intelligence to know what packages you have before it tries to
update them. Anyhow, it would be easier to go straight to Sun if you want
Java.

- Martin.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Diff: Boxed vs Free distros of SUSE 9.0
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