OpenSUSE Says Farewell to SaX2
When the graphical interface setup under openSUSE didn't work just right, one could always run SaX2 to correct it. Now Novell wants to retire the tool.
Linux users of only a few years may not be familiar with the SUSE Advanced X setup tool, known as SaX2. However, even for inexperienced users, it was handy in configuring the desktop, touchscreen, mouse and keyboard. At least that was its main function. Now Novell developers have removed the module as a static configuration option from openSUSE 11.2, as they decided that the X server from X.org has evolved enough to do this job automatically. So SaX2 is to be phased out completely.
In a thread in the openSUSE mailing list with the title "The Future of SaX2," developer Egbert Eich lays out the reasons behind the move. In most cases the desktop setup occurred automatically without a problem, therefore maintaining SaX2 to keep up with X Window System development had been a struggle. Bugs that were fixed for SaX2 could just as easily have been fixed in the X server. Novell therefore decided to stop investing in SaX2 development and invest it in X server improvements instead.
The case is settled for Novell, but Eich warrants that there's still a ray of hope for SaX2. The answer is the community. Because complete software freedom exists for the tool, as it does for all openSUSE components, the community can continue to build openSUSE packages with enhancements to SaX2. As Eich says, "the sky's the limit!"
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SAx2 - SuSE - Novell
SuSE under Novell is no SuSE anymore. Novell is striping part by part ergonomic and inferiority of SuSE.
build by Germans. This is a next factor which proved it.
I miss Sax-too
Then i resorted to another clean install with the same problem - black screen with a non-blinking cursor at top. Worth mentioning here is that the computer would completely stop functioning at this point no matter what i tried (ctrl+alt+1~7, ctrl+alt+del). Though i noticed pressing the power button produced a small noticeable hard-disk activity which is of no use.
After all this frustration with a brand-new dvd-download, i finally tried an init-3 through the boot menu, got into test-only and tried playing with Sax2 (--reinit, etcetra) with the same issue. Googled it and found no workaround.
Two things worth noticing here: 1) guys at openSuse want you to use the search engines every now and then. and 2) removing support for Sax2 is not a good idea at all if the X server is not intelligent enough to 'automagically' support a not-so-obsolete graphics hardware - I have an ATI Radeon x1950pro (pcie) installed and I have been an openSuse fan since release 10.2 when i first gave it a shot - both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors with least frustrations each time trying to get the GUI to work.
Hope they offer an easy workaround this time.
(AliF)
If no SaX2
Thank goodness I HAD SAX2
I guess it's okay to de-emphasize it, but PLEASE don't drop it out completely! If I didn't have SAX2, I'd have been going through a lot more effort, and stepping on more new mines than I really have the time or inclination to do.