openSUSE 11.1 is moving ever closer to its December release date. The fourth beta release became available Monday, with some new bug fixes, updated versions of GNOME, Banshee and the kernel, and webcam support re-enabled. One of the changes long time openSUSE users will notice right away is the new YaST disk partitioner.

I had the chance to kick the tires of the new partitioner this week. It "does what it says," but the box looks very, very different.

openSUSE's new partitioning module is full-bodied and feature rich, and works quite well. It offers the same function and achieves the same end as the previous partitioner, but the presentation is radically different.

Though those installing openSUSE as a clean install (or for the first time) might find the default partition configuration is sufficient, many will find they need to work with the new expert partitioner. Whereas the former partitioner tended to show less and require more "click through" dialogs, the new partitioner focuses on delivering as much information as quickly as possible.

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