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Manjaro vs openSUSE: What are the differences?
Comparison between Manjaro and openSUSE
Introduction
This article highlights the key differences between Manjaro and openSUSE, two popular Linux distributions. Both Manjaro and openSUSE offer unique features and cater to different user needs.
- Package Management: Manjaro uses the Arch User Repository (AUR) and Pamac package manager, providing users with access to a vast collection of software packages. On the other hand, openSUSE utilizes the Zypper package manager and offers the Open Build Service (OBS) for package creation and distribution. Manjaro's AUR and Pamac provide a simpler and user-friendly experience for software management.
- Release Cycle: Manjaro follows a rolling release model, providing users with frequent updates and ensuring access to the latest software versions. In contrast, openSUSE follows a regular release model, with stable major releases occurring approximately every eight months. Manjaro's rolling release model offers a continuously updated system, while openSUSE's regular release model prioritizes stability.
- Desktop Environments: Manjaro offers a variety of official and community-supported desktop environments, including Xfce, KDE Plasma, GNOME, and more. In openSUSE, the default desktop environment is KDE Plasma, but users can choose from other environments like GNOME, Xfce, or LXQt. Manjaro provides a wider range of desktop environment options compared to openSUSE.
- Installation Process: Manjaro provides an intuitive graphical installer that simplifies the installation process for users. It offers an easy-to-follow step-by-step installation wizard. On the other hand, openSUSE offers a slightly more advanced installer with additional customization options, including manual partitioning and advanced system settings. Manjaro's graphical installer aims for simplicity, while openSUSE offers more flexibility and customization during installation.
- Community Support: Both Manjaro and openSUSE have active and supportive communities. However, Manjaro's community is known for its helpfulness and quick response time. Manjaro's forum and community resources are widely recognized for providing excellent support to users. openSUSE's community support is also robust but may not be as fast-paced as Manjaro's.
- Enterprise Focus: While openSUSE provides an enterprise edition (openSUSE Leap) suitable for businesses and production environments, Manjaro primarily caters to home users and enthusiasts. openSUSE offers Long-Term Support (LTS) releases, ensuring stability and extended support for enterprise usage. Manjaro places more focus on delivering cutting-edge features and user-friendly experiences for personal use.
In Summary, Manjaro excels in user-friendly package management, frequent software updates, and a wide choice of desktop environments. On the other hand, openSUSE offers a more stable release model, advanced customization options during installation, and enterprise-focused support. Choosing between these two distributions depends on individual preferences and requirements.
I liked manjaro a lot, the huge support it has and the variety of tools it provides is just awesome. But due to its parent platform being Arch Linux it has bleeding-edge technology and that meaning, we get updated 'daily', and if we keep updating the system daily, due to the bugs in the recent updates the system sometimes used to crash, this made the OS really unstable. However, one can avoid such crashes using periodical and careful system/package updates. I now use LinuxMint which is based on Ubuntu, and this OS is completely stable with reliable(mostly tested) updates. And, since this OS is backed up by UBUNTU the concerns/questions one can encounter while using the OS can be easily rectified using the UBUNTU community, which is pretty good. Though this is backed up on UBUNTU it most certainly does NOT include the proprietary stuff of UBUNTU, which is on the bright side of the OS. That's it! Happy Computing.
Pros of Manjaro
- Good for beginners9
- AUR is huge8
- Very stable6
- Friendly community5
- Pacman is very fast3
- Highly customizable2
- Nice-looking bootloader2
Pros of openSUSE
- Stable4
- Lightweight for server3
- Snapshot2
- Rolling release2
- Reliable2
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Cons of Manjaro
- Would you give your grandma linux?6
- Occasional freezes if wrongly configured3
- Not highly stable2
- High data requirement frequently1