Novell Ships OpenSUSE 10.2

WALTHAM, Mass., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Novell today announced the availability of openSUSE(TM) 10.2, the newest version of Novell's award- winning community Linux* distribution. OpenSUSE 10.2 was created in full partnership with the open source community, and it provides everything a user needs to get started with Linux. Available for free download or in a convenient packaged retail edition, openSUSE 10.2 delivers rich, reliable and secure home computing at an affordable price.

"The openSUSE project promotes the use of Linux everywhere, and its resulting offering -- openSUSE 10.2 -- is the world's most usable Linux distribution," said Carlos Montero-Luque, Novell(R) vice president of product management for Open Platform Solutions. "For new or experienced Linux users, for Linux hackers or application developers, openSUSE contains the technical components and open collaboration environment to provide a leading-edge Linux and computing technology experience."

OpenSUSE 10.2 features more than 1,500 software packages containing the latest open source innovations, including redesigned KDE and GNOME* interfaces and Wink tutorial creation software. The new openSUSE provides a complete desktop experience for new Linux users, with the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, the latest Firefox* 2.0 Web browser, Beagle(R) desktop search, GAIM instant messaging client, multimedia tools and graphical software.

OpenSUSE 10.2 provides a rich graphical environment with familiar cascading menus, icons and dialog boxes to help ensure a smooth transition to Linux. In addition, openSUSE 10.2 is the most interoperable Linux system available, with applications like OpenOffice.org that make sharing files with Microsoft* Windows* and Office users easy, as it reads and creates files compatible with Office, including via a Visual Basic macro interpreter. Users can also easily use PDF, RealMedia* and Flash files in openSUSE and employ the automatic Linux-Windows dual-boot configuration for flexibility.

For technical enthusiasts, openSUSE 10.2 also offers the latest open source applications for developing applications, setting up a home network and running a Web server, as well as the latest previews of virtualization software, clustering file systems and technologies.

An end-user-oriented distribution that Novell makes available to Linux users everywhere via free download and free redistribution, openSUSE is not intended for business deployments but provides corporate evaluators with an excellent look at technologies like Xen* virtualization, the OpenOffice.org 2.0 office productivity suite and the Mono(R) open source development environment. OpenSUSE 10.2 was created by the openSUSE project, the community initiative sponsored by Novell that promotes the use of Linux everywhere, especially among traditionally non-technical audiences. According to DistroWatch.com, which tracks page hits per day for the top 100 Linux distributions, in the last 30 days second-place openSUSE has seen an increase in daily hits, gaining on first-place Ubuntu and widening the gap between openSUSE and third-place Fedora*. The openSUSE project has more than 30,000 registered members.

Availability and Pricing

OpenSUSE 10.2 is now available for free download at http://www.opensuse.org . The retail edition of openSUSE 10.2 will be available on http://www.shopnovell.com later this week, as well as in select retail locations. It delivers the same packages as the downloadable version on an installable DVD and CDs, along with a comprehensive user manual and 90 days of installation support for a suggested $59.95. For retail locations and more information, visit http://www.novell.com/products/opensuse/resellers/index.html . For more on openSUSE 10.2 and the openSUSE project, visit http://www.opensuse.org .

About Novell

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers infrastructure software for the Open Enterprise. We are a leader in enterprise-wide operating systems based on Linux and open source and the security and systems management services required to operate mixed IT environments. We help our customers minimize cost, complexity and risk, allowing them to focus on innovation and growth. For more information, visit http://www.novell.com .

NOTE: Novell, Beagle and Mono are registered trademarks, and openSUSE is a trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.