Short version: I just installed the 10.2 version of openSUSE, and it is still the slowest distribution I have ever used.

Long version: Ubuntu was giving me some serious issues with wireless networking. I was needing to do things like restart X to get the network manager to connect. I had never had issues like this with other distributions. I decided I would remove the older of my two Ubuntu partitions and install another distribution. I had had great experiences with Gentoo in the past, so I decided I would install it. There are two ways: the traditional method (tedious), and the Live CD method. I prefer the traditional method for a variety of reasons, but unfortunately it takes a long time. I figured before committing to a Gentoo install, I would check to see if SUSE was still as bad as it was the last time I tried it. The installation was easy, and it took less than an hour to get the wireless network working perfectly (most of that time was spent figuring out that only a 64-bit driver would work, and locating that 64-bit driver). Unfortunately, SUSE is still very, very,slow. It takes forever to boot. It takes a good 30 seconds to bring up the YaST control center to change settings, and almost a minute to bring up the package manager. Worst of all, getting software working is a real PITA. While some software is available as 64-bit SUSE packages, the many that aren't cause real problems. Yes, you can blame me for installing the 64-bit version, but the number of problems I have outweighs the convenience by far. I never had problems with 64-bit Ubuntu or Gentoo. I can't wait to get Gentoo up and running.

I run 10.2 on my laptop, and it may take a little long to boot up, it's certainly no worse than windows.

Yast started up in 2 seconds. I use the Smart Package Manager, and that took 18 seconds. It has to load all of the package lists, so give it a break.

I don't know why you seem to be having trouble getting software to work. I don't have too many problems, just once in a while.

Maybe it is the 64-bit version that is the problem. I only use the 32-bit.

I would check to see if SUSE was still as bad as it was the last time I tried it.SUSE is not a bad distro (rather, its one of the best distros) .... speed alone does not mean its bad ... maybe just based on your own subjective criteria

Unfortunately, SUSE is still very, very,slow. It takes forever to boot.Yes, the boot time of 10.2 is still slow ... but hey, multitask in those situations (i.e. go grab a coffee, take a leak, let the dog out so it can take a leak...). In any regard, 10.3 (which is scheduled to be out in about 6 weeks time) has addressed this: http://news.opensuse.org/?p=104

It takes a good 30 seconds to bring up the YaST control center to change settingsafter typing in my root password, it takes approximately 3s for YaST control centre to load ... have no idea why you are seeing 30s.

Now then, that said, there are many things about YaST that I dislike and hope that the SUSE folks begin to put some attention into it for some long overdue updates....in particular, it (or some of its components) could be greatly streamlined ... too many screens to click through for simple tasks, antiquated look, not enough info at times etc etc .....

and almost a minute to bring up the package manager.Yes, the package manager situation is a bit frustrating. 10.1, with its switch to ZMD, was a nightmare. 10.2 is greatly improved but still problematic. Anyway, the solution to that is to remove ZMD and to opt for the openSUSE updater & use Smart for regular package handling. Smart is very good, though I find it just a tad slow, but I think that that is largely due to the lack of indication at times that anything is being updated (i.e. if there was a progress bar indicating the progress of cache updates I'd probably think Smart was blazing fast ... instead I get impatient with the spining clock). 10.3, again, is addressing this by the complete removal of ZMD/(libzypp too?) from the release. May not even have to rely on smart (or apt if that floats your boat ... or whatever else) anymore.

Worst of all, getting software working is a real PITA.??? What are you talking about?
While some software is available as 64-bit SUSE packages, the many that aren't cause real problems. huh?
Yes, you can blame me for installing the 64-bit version, but the number of problems I have outweighs the convenience by far. I never had problems with 64-bit Ubuntu or GentooI run 64-bit and have no problems with openSUSE. Have no idea why you are.

Yes Suse is generally a little sluggish. The biggest reason is that they tend to throw everything including the kitchen sink into it. Personally I've settled on Ubuntu or Debian. That's just me. Maybe you should check out Arch Linux. It's geared towards experienced users who don't feel like waiting for the GCC screensaver (aka Gentoo) to finish. It's in that sweet spot of in between Slackware and Gentoo with a little Debian thrown in that a lot of experienced Linux users want. Another option is to use something like Sabayon which is basically Gentoo all pre-packaged and configured out of the box.

Because things take a while to compile, I am posting from links right now. I did exaggerate the difficulty of installing certain software in Suse. In reality, compiling things from source in Suse that aren't available as packages is not much more difficult than compiling things from source in other distibutions. I just found it frustrating compared to other distros, but that is very subjective. The severity of the speed issue in Suse is also dependent on your peronal opinion. I personally can't stand constantly waiting for things to happen. I would prefer to spend the extra time all at once compiling things myself rather than have to deal with the slowness every day.