10.2 partitioning. Sucks!

I've a user who's using 10.1. We wanted to update/replace that with
OpenSuse 10.2. I've oodles of experience doing Linux installs; a
decade or more of them, actually. I'm very proficient with raw fdisk
and SystemRecueCD, for example. I run Debian on my own machines.

From what I've seen, OpenSuse 10.2 install is broken, partitioning-
wise.

On this box, we have Xubuntu, Suse 10.1, Kanotix, Win95, and Zenwalk
(all of which I built it for him). 10.2 wants to do psychotic stuff
in partitoning, as in re-allocating detected filesystems. Even with
"Expert" mode, it:

- does not list the existing swap partition, which the installer
just activated and is using!

- de-select "suggest separate /home ptn" still tries to use
Xubuntu's root for Suse 10.2

- Wants to use /dev/hda9 (a non-existent ptn) for (some random Suse
10.2 ptn).

- Wants to use Xubuntu's root ptn in Suse as /usr or /boot or /home
...

I expect "expert" means *expert*, as in, "here's what you have to work
with. *Don't* you dare touch any of the others, damnit!"

OpenSuse 10.2 failed. We're abandoning Suse. Zenwalk 4.6.1 (as an
example) got it all right, as does stock Debian stable. OpenSuse 10.2
apparently cannot be trusted in a multi-boot setting to *leave the
others alone, damnit.* I definitely won't be back as long as this is
the way it behaves.

Back to the drawing board? I was impressed with Suse when I used it a
few years ago. This installer (wrt partitioning) is broken and
unusable in multi-boot settings. Caveat emptor.


--
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(*) Linux Counter #80292
- - http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc1855.html Please, don't Cc: me.
.

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