openSUSE Leap 15.6 is your last chance to use this version before it switches to immutable

ZDNET Key Takeaways

• openSUSE Leap 15.6 is now available to download and install for free.
• openSUSE Leap is a very powerful desktop operating system that can grow with you as you learn the ins and outs of Linux.
• This is the latest iteration of the Non-Immutable Leap.

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openSUSE has been around for a long time and has earned a reputation for being very powerful and stable, and is primarily aimed at the enterprise desktop. However, that doesn’t mean that openSUSE won’t fit perfectly into your personal desktop.

I’ve always considered openSUSE to be one of those desktop operating systems that I knew I could count on, and every time I used the operating system, I came away impressed.

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But with openSUSE Jump 15.6 (the latest version), we are seeing the last chapter of this particular story. When version 16 is released, it will be the first immutable version of openSUSE Leap. At that time, the operating system will be based on SUSE’s Adaptive Linux Platform (ALP), which is an immutable kernel. From then on, updates will be managed through application containers, such as Flat pack.

Ultimately, this change will mark a huge leap forward in security, so if you think openSUSE was already a highly secure distribution… wait.

As for 15.6, it’s not much different than previous versions, which weren’t much different than previous versions, and so on. These minor revisions have always been a big selling point of openSUSE. You always know what you’re getting. Sure, you might see new features on any desktop you choose (between GNOME or Plasma) and there’s always something new under the hood, but for the most part, openSUSE has always been that familiar face that you’re always happy to see, knowing that you’d never It will disappoint you.

Once you have installed openSUSE Leap, log in and you will be greeted by a welcome application that includes links to:

• Read me.
• Documentation.
• A website that allows you to find apps to install (more on this in a moment).
• A contributor page.
• openSUSE build.
• Donations.

Honestly, the welcome app could use a lot of attention. Not only does it look outdated, but the app’s website doesn’t work well because it doesn’t seem to support Leap. This could be due to the changes coming to Leap, but it’s hard to say.

Fortunately, the desktop app store (I chose the Plasma route) makes it easy to install the app. I assume that once Leap transitions to the ALP platform, this won’t change.

Outside the Box

But let’s talk about what we have now. Out of the box, you get Plasma 5.27.11 or GNOME 45, kernel 6.4.0, and X.org (instead of Wayland). You’re probably thinking, “Well, that seems outdated.” If you prefer your software to be of the newer type, your assumption would be correct. But this is quite common for a distribution like openSUSE. Like Debian, openSUSE does not include the latest versions. That’s good because it means everything is solid and stable. And since openSUSE is already a reliable desktop operating system, that’s saying a lot.

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The Plasma desktop is set up in a fairly pedestrian manner. It’s the usual bottom panel, desktop menu and icons, system tray, and not much else. Of course, you can customize the Plasma desktop to your liking (such as a floating panel, widgets, and more). You can even change the desktop menu from a traditional one to a desktop overview style.

YaST and system configuration

As for pre-installed software, you get apps like Firefox, LibreOffice, Dolphin (file manager), Emoji Selector, File Light (disk usage tool), Kate (text editor), KMail, KNotes, Konversation (chat app) , TigerVNC Viewer, VLC (media player) and (of course) YaST (SUSE’s powerful configuration application). YaST (yet another configuration tool) comes in two forms: configuration and software. The software side is another route for installing applications. I would recommend you stick with the desktop app store (Discover for KDE and Software for GNOME) because the YaST software, while powerful, is not as easy to use.

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YaST allows you to configure almost everything you need on your desktop, from software, hardware, system, network, security, virtualization and more. If you just want to configure your desktop, go with the traditional System Settings app. Because? Because YaST is more oriented towards administrators. The good news is that YaST makes it easy to configure things like network shares, Windows domain membership, and much more.

Who is openSUSE Leap for?

I would be remiss if I said that openSUSE Leap is for everyone. It’s not. You really need to have at least a minimum of Linux experience to get the most out of this distribution. That said, it could easily serve as a desktop OS, as long as you hold off on YaST until you know what you’re doing. That being said, openSUSE has always been a great Linux distribution for those who want to hit the ground running and expand their skills, without having to keep migrating to another (more powerful) distribution.

Should you try openSUSE Leap? If you really want to try this distribution, I would wait until version 16 (when it is immutable) or stick with Tumbleweed (which is the rolling release version). That’s not to say you should avoid the current version of Leap, but with a major change on the horizon, I’d be more inclined to wait… or stick with Tumbleweed.