OPENuse

OpenSUSE, sometimes stylized as openSUSE or openuse, is a free, community-driven Linux distribution developed by the openSUSE project with support from SUSE. It aims to provide a stable, versatile operating system with strong administration tools and a focus on accessibility for users, developers, and sysadmins.

The project originated in 2005 as a community distribution derived from SUSE Linux. Today it offers two main editions: Leap, a regular release aligned with SUSE Linux Enterprise for stability and long-term support, and Tumbleweed, a rolling-release edition that provides the latest software. The two editions share core packages and infrastructure, but target different update philosophies.

Package management centers on RPM packages, using the Zypper command-line tool for package operations and YaST, a comprehensive graphical and text-based system management interface. Open Build Service (OBS) enables community and third-party developers to build and host packages and distributions. Snapper provides filesystem snapshots, commonly with Btrfs, to simplify rollbacks and system maintenance.

Desktop environments available include KDE Plasma, GNOME, Xfce, and LXQt, among others, with users choosing during installation. Leap emphasizes tested, enterprise-grade stability, while Tumbleweed emphasizes up-to-date software through a rolling release model, making openSUSE suitable for desktops, servers, and development environments.

Governance and community are driven by the openSUSE project, with support from SUSE and contributions from volunteers and partner organizations. The project maintains infrastructure and release platforms, including Leap, Tumbleweed, and the OBS ecosystem, to facilitate collaboration and distribution.