Novell's home free with Linux

NOVELL'S NEW LINUX package for home users, SUSE Linux Professional 9.3, is out today.

The latest retail version comes as the complete Linux operating system as well as productivity software and home networking capabilities. Novell says much thought has been given to ease of use and security in the new version.

The small office/home office (SoHo) user will find the product comes complete with an impressive if bewildering 3,000 open source packages, including a complete set of desktop applications, installation media, as well as comprehensive documentation and installation support.

Tucked away in the apps are a copy of the OpenOffice productivity suite, the Firefox web browser, email and instant messaging tools, digital photo organizers, multimedia viewers, mobility support and basic networking capabilities.

More advanced users will find tools for setting up a secure home network, running a Web server, developing applications, and creating a virtualized environment. In addition, SUSE LINUX Professional offers up several previews to the open source community, including Xen technology for virtualization, Beagle desktop search and Linphone for voice over IP.

If all this just leaves you wanting more, then you really do expect a lot. It sounds like everything including the kitchen sink to us. µ

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