[Wolves] SuSE FTP Problems - word of warning

[Peter Evans]

What I get through YOU is either security or recommended updates to the 
'official' s/w installed on the machine, so you are correct that this only 
shows me 'approved' updates.  However there is a way of upgrading some 
components without having to purchase the next version.  This is where the 
ability to add alternative installation sources into YaST comes into its own.

By adding the relevant locations into the 'Change Source of Installation' YaST 
module it's possible to retrieve supplementary updates that have been 
compiled specifically for the SuSE platform.  You're correct in the respect 
that these aren't 'official' releases, but they are made available for your 
use should you choose to do so.  They are compiled and maintained by SuSE 
staffers afaik.  So in this fashion it is possible to install the latest KDE 
environment in a fashion that's compatible with SuSE (i.e. through YaST).

By doing this I don't think I'll receive notification of updates through 
susewatcher anymore because I'm no longer running a vanilla 9.1 install, 
which is why I make it a point to check for updated modules manually.  If you 
have a look at ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/suse/i386/supplementary you will see 
that there are not only KDE updates, but others too.  I've been using this 
method to update my KDE environment quite happily for a while now and any 
problems I'm seeing appear to be common ones encountered on both 9.1 and 9.2 
and other distro's too.  (The README note in the directory explains SuSE's 
policy on what risks you face applying these patches far better than I can).
-- 
Regards,

Pete Evans