openSuse is a godsend! All hail openSuse!! I was always bombarded with a question that all would-be linux enthusiasts always ask:”To install Linux, do i boot in M$Windows and pop in the CD?” They did not know about the F9 or even the BIOS key! Upto now my answer would have been a big disappointing NO! I used to start with the BIOS and then go on to explain about partitioning. Not any longer. You just pop in the CD while working in windows, do your stuff, reboot, and Voila! you boot straight into the Suse install. No partioning needed (for newbies), just like windows, but better looking plus you get to install what you want from the huge database in the DVD!

What they’ve basically done is make an initrd on the primary partition.

The initial ramdisk, or initrd is a temporary file system used by the Linux kernel during boot and is basically used for making preparations before the real root file system can be mounted. In the initrd system, files to be accessed by the kernel at boot-time are stored on a ramdisk, whose contents are found in a filesystem which has been made on a loop mounted file. The location of this initial ramdisk (initrd) is provided to kernel by a boot loader.Click Here for more on initrd.

It had all the newbies in my coll clamouring up for more. In essence, the guys at openSuse have sounded the death knell for Install Fests. Takes just under an hour for an uncustomised install.Will take an hour for customising partitions and packages.