Last year, with openSUSE Leap 15.2 release they aimed to close the gap between SUSE Linux Enterprise by building it with the same binary packages used in the enterprise version.
This would ease up the migration process for the deployments if anyone switches to the SUSE Linux Enterprise after testing with openSUSE. Also, openSUSE Leap will be the easy choice for development teams for testing.
Finally, with openSUSE Leap 15.3 release, that is a reality. Here, I shall highlight the key changes of this release.
openSUSE Leap 15.3: What’s New?
The most considerable change is that it is built with the same binary packages as you’d find in SUSE Enterprise Linux.
However, the release announcement mentions the benefit of this massive change as:
This release is hugely beneficial for migration projects and user acceptance testing. Large development teams gain added value by using 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.
In addition to this big change, there are several other essential changes that makes it an exciting release.
With Xfce 4.16 desktop, there are visual changes that include new icons and palette. The Settings Manager also received a visual refresh providing a cleaner look.
KDE Plasma 5.18 is also available with this release as an LTS option if you need. And, GNOME 3.34 includes some subtle changes in the look and feel for certain applications. While Cinnamon has no major changes, you will find a new pattern for it.
You will find the addition of GNU Health 3.8 in this release with new features for you to explore.
An update to DNF package manager was planned, but it looks like you will be getting it with a maintenance update following this release.
IBM Z and LinuxONE (s390x) are two of the new architecture support added with Leap 15.3.
The container technologies included still remain the same, but they have received security updates with this release. Of course, you should find the latest cloud images available with the hosting solutions like Linode.
Several application upgrades include OnionShare 2.2, Chromium 89, and more. You can find more details in the official feature list.
Download openSUSE Leap 15.3
It is worth noting that from today onwards, Leap 15.2 will have six months until its End of Life (EOL).
You will have to ensure that you are running Leap 15.2 before trying to upgrade to Leap 15.3. You can find more information about the upgrade process in their official release notes.
Get the latest ISO from the official download page linked in the button below.
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