Requirements for SuSE 9.1

[GreenBMP]

at SuSE website it says requirements are

Processor
Intel: Celeron, Pentium® to Pentium® 4, Xeon®, EMT64®
AMD: K6/II/III, Duron(tm), Athlon(tm), Athlon(tm) XP/MP, Athlon 64(tm)
Main memory
At least 128 MB are required for the installation with YaST2 in graphical mode; 256 MB recommended

so, could I install it with a GUI and not with this "YaST2" and have it run OK? I only have 64 mb RAM 566mhz computer with onboard graphics?
I want to start using Linux and have only used Knoppix but my CD drive runs too slow or something because it lags and I don't think it's because the graphics/cpu.

[LocoCoyote]

64 MB is a bit low for a GUI. The YaST2 (Yet another System Tool 2) is SuSE's GUI configuration console.
However, If you want to run SuSE with a GUI (text mode will work just fine) I suggest you don't use KDE or Gnome, but rather ICEWM or Blackbox. (or any other from the dozens low resource GUI's out there!)
Knoppix is a good benchmark for performance.
Best bet...add some RAM..it's cheap!

[Karnevil9]

I don't know about SuSE, Haven't used it myself other than the Live Eval version. The YaST2, if I am not mistaking, is their program to install updates and extra programs to the system. I am not sure there is an option to install SuSE without YaST. Unless you have your heart set on a SuSE system, why not just install Knoppix to your HD if it's already working for you. Or you can try Morphix Gnome, an offshoot of Knoppix. The reason I say this is because many of the other Linux flavors are ok to run on systems with minium requirements such as yours, but SuSE is a bit different since it is trying to be a true Windows subsitute.

[LocoCoyote]

Karnevil..that's not fair. SuSE doesn't do anything that RedHat, Mandrake, and scores of others don't do. It isn't SuSE that trys to be windows like, it's KDE and Gnome! SuSE is just another Linux. It is a well put together distro with much thought and care put into the entire operation.
As I mentioned above, YaaST isn't the probelm (it runs as a text mode tool as well). The problem is the 64 Megs of RAM. I am at a loss to think of a single modern OS with GUI that will run quickly and efficently on a system with only 64 MB of RAM. You lose all your advantage (speede wise) to disk swapping.

[Karnevil9]

I didn't mean that to be an insult to SuSE. What I was trying to get across was that other Linux flavors such as Slackware and Debian as an example, while having a graphical interface also want to stay true to a text mode. The others like SuSE, Mandrake, Redhat etc, are trying harder to woo window users by being more user friendly with easier installs and better hardware detection. That is not to say that it is a bad thing to do so. I wasn't even sure that SuSE allowed for a text based mode as the others do, having only used the live eval for a short period to test their hardware recognition.
Your post wasn't on the thread when I posted mine, otherwise I would not have responded at all since you answered the question that I couldn't.
I agree that more ram would be a good solution, but not knowing his system specs, I didn't know if it was an option for him, so I figured perhaps a Linux system that was designed to run on a leaner system with less ram and CPU speed. Since he has Knoppix and it operates, albeit slowly, he may want to try installing that to his hard drive and if it works faster that way, then there would be no need to get another system.
I too think SuSE is a fine system and wasn't trying to put them down. Sorry if my wording made it appear that way.

[LocoCoyote]

I guess I came off a bit strong! Sorry, it wasn't my intention. SuSE is linux is every way shape and form. I often use it in "pure" text mode. I think that is one of the joys of *nix.....it's common base.
The GUI issue with linux bothers me. I grant it is a important tool and make daily use more intuitive. What I don't like, is the trend (as happened with Windows and as all GUIs tend to do) to get away from the command line and the understanding of what is really happening when I "click" on a button. I greatly fear the dumbing down of computer interfaces. After all, it was that need to figure out how things work that has allowed people and computer technology to advance so rapidly. I can't help but to get the feeling that GUIs are turning the masses into a kind of "script kiddie".