• PC World
• » Software
• » Operating Systems

SuSE Linux now plans to ship its SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop operating system in June, a delay from original plans to ship it during the just-ended first quarter of 2003.

SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, which is being beta-tested now, will cost $129 per desktop, though discounts will apply to high-volume purchases, said SuSE's marketing vice president, Rafael Laguna, on Tuesday.

SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop will be the company's third desktop operating system, joining SuSE Linux (the entry-level member of the family, aimed at individual users) and SuSE Linux Office Desktop (aimed at small offices looking for strong networking and disk-partitioning capabilities), Laguna said.

OS Options

Many companies currently use Microsoft's Windows as a client to SuSE Linux's server operating system. SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop will offer those companies the option of running SuSE software on the desktop as well, Laguna said.

SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop will share the code base with SuSE's other desktop and server operating systems, giving users a high degree of compatibility across the company's line of operating systems, Laguna added.

SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop will be tuned for companies and government agencies of all sizes--from 10 users to over 100,000 users, Laguna said. Consequently, it will be engineered for easy, automated, centralized large-scale deployment and management through administration and installation tools from SuSE, such as YAST (Yet Another Setup Tool) and AutoYAST, and from third-party vendors, such as Ximian's Red Carpet Enterprise.

The OS will have fonts that are metric-compatible with Microsoft fonts, simplifying the job of importing Microsoft Office documents, Laguna said. The product will ship standard with one year of maintenance and support, giving users access to patches, product updates, and security fixes; buyers can opt to pay extra for additional years of maintenance and support, he said.

SuSE Linux plans to provide more details about the operating system when it officially announces the product in May, a spokesperson said Wednesday.

• See more like this:
• SuSE,
• desktop,
• Linux,
• operating system,
• OS,
• SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop,
• office,
• business,
• Microsoft,
• Windows