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GNU Emacs VS openSUSE

Compare GNU Emacs VS openSUSE and see what are their differences

GNU Emacs logo GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editorโ€”and more.

openSUSE logo openSUSE

openSUSE is a free and Linux-based operating system for your PC, Laptop or Server.
  • GNU Emacs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-19
  • openSUSE Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-12

GNU Emacs features and specs

  • Highly Extensible
    GNU Emacs is highly customizable, allowing users to configure nearly every aspect using Emacs Lisp. This makes it remarkably adaptable for various workflows.
  • Rich Plugin Ecosystem
    There is a wide array of plugins available for Emacs, extending its functionality for programming, text editing, project management, and more.
  • Versatile
    Aside from text editing, Emacs can function as an email client, web browser, terminal emulator, and more, making it a powerful multi-purpose tool.
  • Free and Open Source
    GNU Emacs is free to use and modify, with source code available under the GNU General Public License, encouraging collaborative improvement and transparency.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Emacs runs on many different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Unix-like systems, ensuring a wide reach and consistent experience across platforms.

Possible disadvantages of GNU Emacs

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its vast array of features and unique keybindings, new users often find Emacs difficult to learn initially.
  • Performance
    Emacs can be slower compared to more lightweight text editors, especially when heavily customized or handling large files.
  • Keyboard-Centric Interface
    Emacs relies heavily on keyboard shortcuts, which can be overwhelming and complex, leading to potential finger strain from extensive use.
  • Complex Configuration
    While its customizability is a strength, configuring Emacs to fit personal needs can be time-consuming and complex, requiring knowledge of Emacs Lisp.

openSUSE features and specs

  • YaST
    Yet another Setup Tool (YaST) is a comprehensive system configuration and administration tool that makes managing the OS easy for users of all experience levels.
  • Consistency and Stability
    openSUSE is known for its reliability and stability, making it a great choice for production environments and critical systems.
  • Rolling and Fixed Releases
    openSUSE offers both a rolling release (Tumbleweed) and a fixed release (Leap), allowing users to choose between cutting-edge updates and long-term stability.
  • Strong Security
    The distribution emphasizes security with features like AppArmor, a security module that restricts programs' capabilities, and frequent updates to address security vulnerabilities.
  • Wide Range of Software
    openSUSE has access to a vast collection of software packages thanks to its integration with the openSUSE Build Service (OBS) and other repositories.
  • Community Support
    There is an active and helpful community that offers support through forums, mailing lists, and IRC, making it easier for new users to get help.

Possible disadvantages of openSUSE

  • Learning Curve
    openSUSE's powerful tools and customization options can present a steep learning curve for beginners who are not familiar with Linux environments.
  • Software Delays
    Users on the Leap version may find that some software packages are not as up-to-date as those in other leading distributions, due to the emphasis on stability.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    openSUSE might not support some newer or less common hardware out-of-the-box, requiring users to manually install drivers or make additional configurations.
  • System Resource Usage
    The default installation can be resource-heavy, which might be less ideal for older or lower-end hardware.
  • Complexity for Basic Needs
    For users who need a simple and straightforward desktop environment, openSUSE's numerous features and configurations might feel overwhelming.

Analysis of GNU Emacs

Overall verdict

  • GNU Emacs is widely considered to be a powerful and versatile text editor, especially among programmers and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Highly Customizable: Emacs can be extensively customized with Emacs Lisp, enabling users to tailor the editor to fit their specific workflow.
  • Rich Ecosystem: There is a large variety of plug-ins and extensions available, which can transform it into much more than just a text editor.
  • Built-in Tools: Emacs includes numerous built-in tools such as a debugger, calendar, email client, and file manager, making it a comprehensive development environment.
  • Cross-Platform: Emacs runs on multiple platforms, which makes it accessible to a broad audience.

Recommended for

  • Programmers and developers who appreciate a customizable and extensible tool.
  • Users who want to integrate various development tools into a single environment.
  • Individuals comfortable with learning Emacs Lisp to create and understand custom scripts and configurations.
  • People interested in a text editor that has a strong and supportive community.

Analysis of openSUSE

Overall verdict

  • openSUSE is a reliable and versatile Linux distribution that is suitable for a variety of use cases, from everyday desktop use to complex server environments. Its flexibility and powerful management tools make it a good choice for both beginners and experienced users.

Why this product is good

  • openSUSE is known for its robust, open-source nature and offers two major distributions: Tumbleweed and Leap. Tumbleweed is a rolling release, providing the latest software updates, while Leap offers a more stable, fixed-release cycle ideal for users who prioritize stability. openSUSE is equipped with powerful tools like YaST for system management, zypper for package management, and offers exceptional support for developers and sysadmins. It's also known for its active community and comprehensive documentation.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a robust development environment
  • System administrators who need advanced management tools
  • Users who appreciate stability and security in their operating system
  • Open-source enthusiasts who enjoy contributing to and using community-driven projects
  • Those who want to explore a rolling release (Tumbleweed) or a stable release (Leap) distribution

GNU Emacs videos

Switching to GNU Emacs

openSUSE videos

openSUSE Leap 15 In-Depth Review - Linux Distro Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - openSUSE Tumbleweed w/KDE Overview | Distro Delves S2:Ep17
  • Review - openSUSE Leap 15.2 | Review and Final Thoughts

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU Emacs and openSUSE)
Text Editors
79 79%
21% 21
Linux
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Operating Systems
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using GNU Emacs and openSUSE. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GNU Emacs and openSUSE

GNU Emacs Reviews

14 BEST LaTeX Editor for Mac & Windows in 2022
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It is one of the best LaTeX editor for Mac that allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com
The Top 7 Notepad++ Alternatives for You
Emacs has been around in its various forms since 1976 and is another very worthy Notepad++ alternative. When I first started using Emacs I have to admit that I didnโ€™t find it the easiest to use. But once I got used to it I realized just how powerful Emacs is for the programming community.
10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com
7 open source alternatives to Dreamweaver
Vim or Emacs. Without participating in the holy war between these two traditional text editors, I can safely say that there are a number of enhancements for web editing available for both. So if you're already a terminal junkie, take your pick. Or, if those don't satisfy, try one of these Emacs/Vim alternatives.
Source: opensource.com
10 Best Sublime Text Alternatives in 2019
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com

openSUSE Reviews

10 Most Popular Linux Distros of the Year 2023
openSUSE is a versatile Linux distribution that offers both openSUSE Leap (a stable release) and openSUSE Tumbleweed (a rolling-release version). Known for its YaST configuration tool, openSUSE simplifies system administration. It provides a choice of desktop environments, including KDE and GNOME.
Finding the Best Linux Distro for Your Organization
OpenSUSE Leap is the regular release edition of the open source OpenSUSE Linux distro. It combines the stability of a fixed-release model with the availability of up-to-date software packages. It aims to provide a reliable and user-friendly operating system for both desktop and server environments. OpenSUSE is generally considered to be stable for production use, and those...
The best Linux distributions (operating systems)
openSUSE operating systems are well-optimized for businesses and characterized by user-friendliness and stability. While openSUSE Tumbleweed and its spinoff openSUSE Leap are used for workstations, openSUSE MicroOS is primarily used for edge computing and openSUSE Kubic for container solutions.
Source: www.ionos.com
Best Top 20 Ubuntu Linux Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
OpenSUSE is recognized for its Linux distributions, particularly Tumbleweed and Leap. MicroOS and Kubic are new transactional self-contained desktop and container distributions. The community project started with a beta of SUSE Linux 10. OpenSUSE Leap 15.3 is the current fixed release.
Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)
It's important to note that openSUSE is Linux beginner friendly (like Fedora), however it doesn't necessarily cater to new or transitioning users via ease-of-use. Generally, for brand new users, some brief documentation reading may be required post-install due to the learning curve.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, openSUSE should be more popular than GNU Emacs. It has been mentiond 18 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU Emacs mentions (6)

  • Emacs daemon as sytemd service in debian 12 (gnome)
    Cat .config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/emacs.service [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1) https://gnu.org/software/emacs/ [Service] Type=notify ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/emacs --fg-daemon # Emacs will exit with status 15 after having received SIGTERM, which # is the default "KillSignal" value systemd uses to stop services. SuccessExitStatus=15 # The location of the... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Why does emacs exec path variable not just copy the users path variable?
    ## If your Emacs is installed in a non-standard location, you may need ## to copy this file to a standard directory, eg ~/.config/systemd/user/ . ## If you install this file by hand, change the "Exec" lines below ## to use absolute file names for the executables. [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1)... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Hi DM's, what medium do you use to organise your campaign?
    For gathering notes, writing and organizing, Org-Roam which implies Org and Emacs. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • This Guy is getting out of control at this point.
    I was heading to gnu.org/software/emacs to prove my point and it said:. Source: over 4 years ago
  • opam doesn't see emacs?
    <><> Version-specific details <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ๐Ÿซ Version 1 Repository default Homepage: "http://gnu.org/software/emacs" Bug-reports: "https://github.com/ocaml/opam-repository/issues" Authors: "anil@recoil.org" Maintainer: "anil@recoil.org" License: "GPL-1.0-or-later" Flags: conf Synopsis Virtual package to install the Emacs editor Description This... Source: over 4 years ago
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openSUSE mentions (18)

  • Problem with freshly installed Discord on MicroOS
    I don't understand. What is the alternative way to install codecs on a Tumbleweed/Leap system? There are instructions on how to use the Packman repositories for multimedia on opensuse.org so it is easy for one to assume that this is the recommended proper method. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Something wrong with the Opensuse Leap 15.4 repositories?
    That's the problem, The error messages just that. I tried to download libOpenCL.so.1 because Resolve needs that to run, and every repository my system attempts to reach fails to download. The repository (all coming from opensuse.org by the way) links appear to not have any valid metadata on them, then says the repository types can't be determined, and it moves on to the other links, which also get similar... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Update: I notice that they've replaced the leap 15.4 ad with MicroOS now.
    I've noticed on opensuse.org, you will now see a link to download micro os. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I know I sound dumb but legitimately have no idea
    Why not try it out? You might like it! It's not popular amongst desktops but many users who tried (including me) prefers it over Windows. I would recommend trying out OpenSUSE. You could install it on a virtual machine such as virtualbox if you don't want to affect your existing ones. Source: over 3 years ago
  • is it just me or has TW been super buggy lately?
    TW with KDE is runs fine without any issues on my laptop. Have you downloaded the iso from opensuse.org and checked the checksum after download? Maybe your iso was faulty. Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU Emacs and openSUSE, you can also consider the following products

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Fedora - Fedora creates an innovative, free, and open source platform for hardware, clouds, and containers that enables software developers and community members to build tailored solutions for their users.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.