Two years ago when openSUSE decided to move the base of openSUSE Leap to SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE), they were entering uncharted territory. SLE is a tightly controlled enterprise ship that runs on mission critical systems. On the other hand openSUSE has been a community-driven project that, despite sponsorship from SUSE, is relatively independent.
It became clear, though, that moving to SLE source code would solve many problems for both members of the SUSE family. SLE would get a platform from where it can borrow the latest fully tested packages, and openSUSE Leap would get enterprise grade code base to move into CentOS and Ubuntu territory. SLE and openSUSE created a symbiotic relationship in which they were pulling content from each other.
Moving closer
“Initially when we moved the base, our utopian vision was to have a 30-30-30 split from SLE, Tumbleweed and openSUSE into Leap,” said Richard Brown, openSUSE chairman.
“The first version of openSUSE Leap (42.1) didn’t have that equilibrium and there was too much replacement of SLES components from the community. With 42.2, we moved closer and there was enough SLE and enough Tumbleweed and we inherited what we wanted from 42.1. But with the upcoming 43 release, we are exactly where we wanted to be. The base comprises SLE, so you have a fully enterprise grade base, then you have fast moving components on top of it that come from Tumbleweed, which allow you to stay updated on a very stable system. The way I look at it is upcoming release of Leap is 99.9 enterprise grade software; it’s our CentOS, just better and broader with the addition of integrated community packages,” he said.
Leap has essentially created a community platform for those developers and sysadmins who run SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) in their datacenters. The strategy to move codebase to SLES has worked. openSUSE Leap has been a success so far as now even companies like IBM contribute directly to Leap as they know that’s the best and open way to get things into SLES. Fujitsu is shipping Tumbleweed and Leap to their users, according to Brown.
Changing mission statement
Initially openSUSE’s mission statement was to “encourage use of Linux & Open Source everywhere.” But, that’s no longer the heart and soul of openSUSE. OpenSUSE has evolved beyond just a Linux distribution project. They now cater to a totally different audience — developers and sysadmins. So, openSUSE board members drafted a new mission statement: “Openly engineered tools to change your world.” The mission statement is not final yet, but once it’s discussed with the community and everyone is onboard it may become official.