Novell Expands Worldwide Availability of Linux with the Launch of the openSUSE Project

    SAN FRANCISCO, (LinuxWorld Conference & Expo), Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ --
 Novell (Nasdaq:   NOVL) today announced the creation of the openSUSE(TM)
 project, a new initiative sponsored by Novell aimed at promoting the adoption
 of Linux* worldwide. Hosted at http://opensuse.org , the project provides free
 and easy access to the world's most usable Linux distribution, SUSE(TM) Linux.
 The project also opens the development process for SUSE Linux by giving
 developers in the open source community access to the review, testing and
 development of the SUSE Linux distribution. Community participation begins
 this week, with the first beta release of SUSE Linux 10.0. As a result,
 developers around the world will be able to contribute to future versions.
     "It is clear that Linux is growing in use both as a desktop and as a
 server operating environment," said Dan Kusnetzky, IDC vice president for
 system software research. "Two impediments the Linux community has been
 working to overcome are the availability of key applications and increasing
 levels of Linux expertise in organizations of all sizes. Novell hopes that its
 new openSUSE project will make the process of obtaining a working Linux
 environment easy for both end users and developers. The openSUSE project
 appears to be targeted at removing both of these impediments to Linux
 adoption."
     The openSUSE project will offer access to frequent developer builds of the
 SUSE Linux distribution, beginning today with the first beta release of SUSE
 Linux 10.0. The beta release will offer the latest state-of-the-art features,
 including new desktop environments and desktop productivity applications,
 Linux application security based on Novell(R) AppArmor, improved desktop
 search, the latest Xen virtualization technology, updated Mono and Eclipse
 development packages, and enhanced multimedia capabilities. When completed
 later this fall, SUSE Linux 10.0 will be made available for free download at
 openSUSE.org. Novell will continue to deliver a packaged edition of SUSE Linux
 10.0 for enthusiasts and first time Linux users in retail stores and online
 shops, with installable media, additional software and plug-ins, comprehensive
 documentation and installation support.
     "I'm pleased to see Novell give early access for developers to their
 popular SUSE Linux distribution as soon as the first beta release," said
 Andrew Morton, maintainer of the Linux 2.6 kernel. "This is a useful step that
 we hope will attract more developers to contribute to the kernel and encourage
 more users to try Linux."
     "The Free Standards Group applauds Novell's openSUSE community effort,"
 said Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Free Standards Group. "OpenSUSE
 will promote broader user adoption of Linux, as well as greater transparency
 in the development and release of this important Linux distribution. This
 transparency will lead to greater coordination among the Linux community and
 will aid our efforts in the Linux Standard Base. Through efforts such as this
 and the Linux Standard Base, the Linux community will continue to deliver to
 users reliable, open, and trusted software."
     "In 2003, we moved our company to Linux. Now we want to move the world to
 Linux," said David Patrick, vice president and general manager, Linux, Open
 Source Platforms and Services at Novell. "With openSUSE, our goals are to make
 it easy for anyone to get access to SUSE Linux and to provide a place where
 developers can advance the state of the art of Linux. The project provides an
 environment where new ideas are welcomed, incubated and implemented rapidly."
     More details on the development calendar and guidelines can be found on
 the openSUSE.org website.
 
     About Novell
     Novell, Inc. is a leading provider of infrastructure software and services
 to over 50,000 customers in 43 countries. With more than 20 years of
 experience in data center, workgroup and desktop solutions, Novell's
 6,000 employees, 5,000 partners and support centers around the world are
 meeting customer requirements for identity-driven computing and Linux
 solutions. By providing enterprise-class software and support for commercial
 and open source software, Novell delivers increased operating flexibility and
 choice at a lower total cost of ownership. More information about Novell can
 be found at http://www.novell.com .
 
     NOTE:  Novell is a registered trademark and openSUSE and SUSE are
 trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. *Linux is
 a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. LinuxWorld is a registered trademark
 of International Data Group. All other third-party trademarks are the property
 of their respective owners.
 
 

SOURCE  Novell, Inc.