Selecting Packages to Install on SuSE

The summary screen shows the packages selected for installation, as shown on the right. If you click Software, you see the choices shown in Figure 4-32.

Figure 4-32. The system types for SuSE 9.0.

If you select either Minimum or Minimum graphical system, your Linux system will not include a desktop, so Default is usually best. To change the package selection for the Default system, click Detailed selection to see the screen in Figure 4-33.

Figure 4-33. The software selection screen for SuSE 9.0.

The software selection screen in Figure 4-33 contains the following three selection panels:

• Package groups(upper left): Selected groups of software packages are checked. Check or uncheck groups to change package selections. For instance, KDE is the default desktop. However, if you are a new Linux user, you may want to try both KDE and GNOME before deciding which desktop you prefer. You can check GNOME and both KDE and GNOME will be installed.

• Packages(upper right): The individual packages for the highlighted group are listed in this panel. For instance, in Figure 4-33, Games is highlighted in the left panel. In this panel, you can check and uncheck individual game packages.

• Package descriptions(lower right): The description of the highlighted individual package in the right top panel is displayed in this panel. For instance, in Figure 4-33, the package Armagetron is selected in the top panel, and its description is displayed in this panel.

When you have selected the packages you want installed, click Accept.

The packages selected are installed during the Linux installation procedure. If you are sure which packages you need, it's convenient to install them when installing the system. However, this selection is not final. It's easy to install or remove software packages after your Linux system is installed. Adding and removing software is discussed in Chapter 10.