Release Notes for SuSE Linux 9.0

3-D Support for nVidia Graphics Cards

The RPM packages NVIDIA_GLX and NVIDIA_kernel for the nVidia driver with 3-D support are no longer available as of SuSE Linux 8.2. To install the nVidia driver, use the new nVidia installer for Linux from the nVidia web site (http://www.nvidia.com). The drivers for 2D support are still included in SuSE Linux 9.0.

XDG Menu Structure

As of version 9.0, the menu system of KDE and Gnome is based on the XDG standard. The configuration files are distributed to fewer directories. Administrators can easily adapt the menu structure for their users by editing the XML file /etc/xdg/menus/application.menu. The new structure is the result of a backport from the upcoming KDE version 3.2. The included KDE version features XDG support, which was backported from KDE 3.2. Furthermore, menu branches are automatically condensed if a submenu only contains one entry. This characteristic can be deactivated with /etc/opt/kde3/share/config/kickerrc:ReduceMenuDepth.

kaffeine - The New Standard Video Player

kaffeine is a very efficient application for playing video files. It is based on the xine engine. For legal reasons, we are not allowed to distribute support for some video formats. More information is available online at http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/2003/09/xine_dvd.html

Split Software Selection "Advanced Development"

To facilitate the selection of software, "Advanced Development" has been split up as follows:

"Experienced User" contains various applications experienced users are fond of.

New YaST Modules

In addition to the YaST administration modules covered in the manual, additional modules are also included. Here is a list of new modules:

Except for the "NTP Client" and "Samba Client" modules, these new modules are only included in the Professional edition.

Kernel 2.6 Test Version

The distribution includes a test version of kernel 2.6 for kernel developers. This kernel cannot be installed with YaST, but only with rpm from the command line. The package is located in the directory /unsorted on DVD 1.

WARNING:

Conclusive and exclusive specification of the kernel package:

This kernel version is in an early, unstable, entirely experimental stage! Its utilization can lead to data loss and even to the total destruction of the system. Therefore, do not use this kernel on productive systems and back up all important data before you start experimenting with this kernel. Following the installation of this test kernel, you are no longer eligible for any kind of support. This package is intended exclusively for use by experienced Linux developers. All other users are strongly discouraged from installing this package!

Changes in the CUPS Print Service (cupsd)

Upon start-up, cupsd changes from the user root to the user lp, thus providing a substantial security advantage.

Consequences:

Generalized functionality of BrowseAllow/BrowseDeny: The access permissions set for BrowseAllow/BrowseDeny now apply to all accesses to cupsd. Therefore, accesses from unauthorized hosts are rejected immediately without analyzing the content of the packages. This too represents a substantial security advantage.

For detailed information, refer to the Support Database article "Printer Configuration for SuSE Linux 9.0", which is available online at http://sdb.suse.de/en/sdb/html/jsmeix_print-einrichten-90.html.