NOUVEAU NOVELL 10/03/2005

Novell has announced that it will be releasing SUSE Linux Professional 9.3 in April. The package will include a full operating system as well as enhanced applications for mobile users. The release is built on the 2.6.11 kernel and offers support for the latest KDE 3.4 and GNOME 2.10 desktop environments.

Novell is positioning SUSE 9.3 as a scaleable operating system, with a setup wizard that will get first-time users up and running within 30 minutes. Experienced users will find that the package comes with a host of development tools to create and maintain open source applications.

While not specifically designed with mobile platforms in mind, mobile computing cannot be ignored. WL spoke to Raj Kharran, Retail Sales Manager, SUSE Linux, Novell UK about the new platform. With regards to the mobile aspect, Kharran said, “9.3 comes with an application called Profile Manager, which allows users to set up specific environments that they can automatically change to. For instance, you can set up a Home Office profile, which is quite different to your Bracknell Office settings. You can configure your firewall and Wi-Fi needs and merely switch when you set up your laptop.”

Kharran went on to mention that while there were no mobile specific applications, there is a Power management utility that allows users to assign processing power to specific tasks. “However,” he said, “while you can act like a car mechanic and fine tune your laptop, you need to be a really advanced user to make the most of the utility. There are Open Source applications that will manage such functions but we have yet to integrate them into the OS.”

SUSE Linux Professional 9.3 comes with a host of applications. Firefox has been chosen as the default browser, while OpenOffice.org 2.0 is a full office suite of applications that work in conjunction with Microsoft Word and Excel, for instance.

SUSE LINUX Professional 9.3 will be available mid-April at the suggested retail price of Euros (€) 77.54 (ex. sales tax). Customers of earlier versions can purchase an update edition for Euros (€) 51.68 (ex. sales tax).

CONTACT:
www.novell.com