* Novell launches latest SuSE Linux desktop
For SuSE desktop Linux fans, good news came out of that product’s fatherland last week, as SuSE Linux Professional 9.3 was unveiled at the CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Germany.
The new desktop features updated versions of OpenOffice, the Firefox Web browser as the default Web surfing tool, and features aimed at a mix of end users with design, digital music software development and home networking interests.
For starters, users can choose either the KDE (Version 3.4) desktop or the Gnome 2.10 desktop environment. From there, SuSE Linux Professional includes Version 2.0 of the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, which includes word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software – all of which is Microsoft Office compatible, to some extent. The popular GIMP 2.0 image-editing tool is included, as well as software wizards for configuring the system to run on wired or Wi-Fi-based networks. Bluetooth drivers were also added for supporting wireless peripherals, such as printers or input devices.
For hackers (the good kind), Kdevelop and Mono and Eclipse software development environments are included in the desktop package. SuSE also threw in security tools, such as a built-in firewall, spam filter and virus-scanning software. Apache Web server is also included for setting up small Web sites, as well as other server tools, such as Samba for sharing files with Windows clients, and CUPS for managing printing on a mixed network. Hardware supported includes 32-bit and 64-bit processors from Intel and ADM.
U.S. pricing was not set for SuSE Linux Professional 9.3, but is expected to be close to$100. U.S. availability is expected to be announced soon.
