Novell launches next-generation Linux desktop
http://desktoplinux.com/articles/AT7426654704.html
http://www.computerworld.com/softwar...109359,00.html
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1935771,00.asp
http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/preview.html
Quotes from all over:
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Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 (SLED 10), launched at the CeBIT conference in Hanover, Germany, is the first version of Novell's desktop Linux that is "good enough" for enterprises to replace Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system in more than just limited deployments, Jaffe said.
"Our new SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop now meets the needs of the basic office worker," he said.
Jaffe acknowledged that desktop Linux has barely made a dent in the enterprise, though a migration from Windows to Linux on enterprise desktops has been predicted for years. However, he said that he expects enterprise pilots of SLED 10 to begin in earnest late this year.
Once companies realize how painlessly they can integrate a Linux desktop into an enterprise dominated by Windows, the trend to use Linux alongside or to replace Windows in the enterprise should catch fire by 2008, Jaffe said.
"I don’t think mass migrations will come until 2007, maybe 2008, but this is the year to really prepare for it," he said.
Nat Friedman, vice president of Linux desktop engineering at Novell, demonstrated SLED 10, which appears to share many of the same features as early test versions of Windows Vista. Vista is the next major upgrade to the Windows operating system and is expected to ship at the end of the year.
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Novell created a 3-D graphical user interface for SLED 10, which is similar in appearance to the interface Microsoft has demonstrated in Vista in that it allows for 3-D maneuvering of Windows on the desktop. It also allows users to make windows transparent so they can see what is in the background while working on another application in the full screen.
Novell also created new features to fix some of the common problems Linux on the desktop has had in the past, Friedman said. For instance, the company created a new plug-and-play mechanism for SLED 10 that immediately recognizes hardware devices and allows users to work with them much in the same way that Windows does.
Novell also created its own music player software for SLED 10 with the help of RealNetworks Inc. The software, called Banshee, looks somewhat like Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes. It allows users to listen to MP3s legally on Linux, something that previously was not available in mainstream open-source software because of the complexities of licensing the patented MP3 codec for use in open-source software, Friedman said.
"Linux users used to download an MP3 player from some site in Russia," he said, not entirely joking. "This gives you the out-of-the-box experience."
Jaffe said it has not lined up any hardware partners yet to ship SLED 10 on their PCs and laptops, but he expects those will come once the system is available.
"Part of [hardware vendor adoption] is to get the message out that the Linux desktop is going to happen," he said. "All the hardware OEMs are going to listen carefully to that message."
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So, for example, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop integrates seamlessly with existing Active Directory networks. It will also include support for Lotus Notes applications, databases, and email via IBM's planned Lotus Notes Application plug-in for the IBM Workplace Client Technology.
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In addition, Novell has worked on OpenOffice.org 2.02's interoperability with Microsoft Office. The Novell version will support many Visual Basic macros and Excel pivot tables.
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There are other improvements. I'll doubtlessly be reviewing them in beta once I get my hands on a copy. These include -- take that Vista Aero -- Xgl-based 3-D graphics support. Those features are almost beside the point. The real goal of this release is to beat Vista to the office.
Even if you think I'm dead wrong about Vista's technical defects, I think anyone who knows office IT has to conclude that Novell is on to something.
Let's look at the facts. The new Novell desktop is an inexpensive -- less than 10 percent of the cost of XP and Office combined -- modern business operating system and office suite that will run on existing hardware and work with existing Microsoft Office documents, and can drop right in on existing W2K or Server 2003-based networks.
I don't know about you, but I think any office IT decision maker must take the SUSE Enterprise Linux Desktop seriously when it comes time to put the XP, W2K, and older desktop operating systems out to pasture. It just makes too much dollars and cents sense to ignore.
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In Novell's favor is the fact that the SUSE desktop will be out and in the market long before Windows Vista is released. It also has integrated search, good usability and rich technology solutions like its F-Spot photo-management tool, which will have more functionality than the photo-management tool in Windows, Mancusi-Ungaro said.
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SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is an all-in-one desktop solution that helps organizations better address the challenges of increasing competition, spiraling costs, growing security threats and demanding customers.
Its technology innovations and usability breakthroughs-including integrated desktop searches, accelerated graphical interfaces and numerous application improvements-make SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop easy to learn and easy to use.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop delivers market-leading usability plus an exceptional end-user experience. Seamless interoperability and standards support allow SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop to readily coexist with Windows, Mac, UNIX and other operating systems. Dozens of productivity applications provide all necessary functions for the basic office worker.
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop can be deployed in a variety of environments, including thick- and thin-client settings. It can also be tailored to fit fixed-function or special-purpose roles such as shared workstations and kiosks.
Don't forget screen shots:
http://www.novell.com/products/desktop/preview.html
