The newest minor version of openSUSE Leap is released. openSUSE Leap 15.3 is the most recent, rock-solid addition to the openSUSE 15.x series that carries all the positive attributes of its predecessors. The OpenSUSE Linux (Leap) distribution is mostly popular for servers, clouds, thin client devices, and enterprise deployments.
Bridging path to enterprise
Besides SUSE Linux Enterprise source code, openSUSE Leap 15.3 is built with the exact same binary packages. Large development teams can use openSUSE Leap 15.3 to optimally run and test workloads that can be lifted and shifted to SUSE Linux Enterprise Linux 15 SP3 for long-term maintenance.
The release manager of openSUSE Lubos Kocman said,
“The software craftsmanship of this release makes server, workstation, desktop and container use on openSUSE Leap a desirable distribution for IT professionals, entrepreneurs, hobbyists, small businesses and educational practitioners.”
The openSUSE 15.3 brings updates to packages, desktops to their stable versions. It is supported until December 2022.
What’s new?
New major features are in Xfce 4.16. It now has a new visual identity. With new icons and palette, Xfce shines a little more out of the box. While the settings manager received a visual refresh of its filter box, the search capabilities of the filter box were improved by searching the descriptive ‘Comments’ part of each dialogue’s launcher (aka .desktop) file A new plugin in the panel dubbed “statustray” combines both StatusNotifier and legacy Systray items.
Container technologies
In terms of container technologies, Leap 15.3 has the same versions of container technology packages as Leap 15.2, but there are security updates to all the packages like containerd, podman, kubeadm and cri-o.
Leap 15.3 gives more power to develop, ship and deploy containerized applications using the newer container technologies that are being maintained in the distribution. According to the announcement, Kubernetes gives a huge boost to container orchestration capabilities, allowing users to automate deployments, scale, and manage containerized applications. Even with Docker, the use of microservices will be secure thanks to more container packages arriving in this release.
The Long-Term-Support version of KDE’s Plasma 5.18 is once again available in Leap 15.3. The LTS has a significant amount of polish and quality features.
Linode cloud images of Leap are available today and ready for all infrastructure needs. Cloud hosting services will offer images of Leap 15.3 soon such as Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Compute Engine and OpenStack.
Upgrading from previous versions of Leap
It is needed to note that openSUSE Leap 15.2 will have its End of Life (EOL) six months from today’s release. Upgrading directly from versions before openSUSE Leap 15.2 is not recommended. Due to the upgrade path, it is highly recommended to upgrade to Leap 15.2 before upgrading to Leap 15.3.
FAQ
What is the latest version of openSUSE?
The latest version of openSUSE is openSUSE Leap 15.4 and it was released on 08 June 2022.
How to upgrade openSUSE from an older version?
To upgrade openSUSE from an older version, you can use the "zypper dup" command. This command will upgrade your system to the latest version of openSUSE while preserving your user data and settings. Before you begin, it is important to backup your important data, and also make sure your system is fully up-to-date by running "zypper update". Then, open a terminal and run the command "sudo zypper dup" to begin the upgrade process. The command will update the system, download and install the new packages, and remove the packages that are no longer needed.
What is the difference between SUSE and openSUSE?
SUSE is a commercial Linux distribution that is developed and maintained by the company SUSE and it is closed-source, while openSUSE is a community-driven and open-source Linux distribution that is based on SUSE. openSUSE is developed and maintained by a community of volunteers and it is open-source. Both distributions provide different levels of support and services.
What is the difference between openSUSE Leap and Tumbleweed?
In summary, openSUSE Leap is a stable version of openSUSE that follows a regular release schedule, it aims to provide a consistent environment and a set of packages that are known to work well together, making it suitable for enterprise and production use. On the other hand, openSUSE Tumbleweed is a rolling release version of openSUSE that always contains the latest versions of packages available, it aims to provide the latest features and software, making it suitable for users who want the newest features installed on their systems.
Is openSUSE free?
openSUSE is a free and open-source operating system that can be used for any purpose, including commercial use, without the need of paying any licensing fees. It is widely adopted and supported by the openSUSE community and SUSE company, which makes it a reliable and stable choice for businesses and organizations.
How is openSUSE governed and managed?
openSUSE is governed and managed by the openSUSE Project, which is a community-driven and open-source project. It has a board of directors, a council, and several teams that work together to ensure the overall direction and development of the distribution, as well as a large community of contributors and volunteers who contribute to the project with different aspects.
Why is openSUSE not popular?
openSUSE is a reliable and stable distribution that has a dedicated user base and community, but it may not be as popular as some other distributions due to factors such as market share, enterprise focus, lack of mainstream software, and limited commercial support.
What desktop environment does openSUSE use?
openSUSE uses the KDE Plasma desktop environment by default, but it also offers the option to use other desktop environments such as GNOME, Xfce, and LXDE during the installation process.
Can openSUSE be installed on a virtual machine?
Yes, openSUSE can be installed on a virtual machine. A virtual machine (VM) allows you to run an operating system within another operating system. This means that you can install openSUSE on a virtual machine and run it on top of your current operating system, without the need to replace it or partition your hard drive. To install openSUSE on VMWare, you can refer to our article: How to create VM and install a Linux distro on VMWare Workstation