Novell’s latest open Linux distie for servers and desktops also has a netbook focus
Software & Services | 16 Nov 2009 :
Novell has announced the arrival of openSUSE 11.2, its Linux-based OS for desktop and server - just weeks after Ubuntu was updated.
The new version includes version 2.6.31 of the Linux kernel, as well as a desktop specific kernel for the first time. It includes KDE 4.3 and GNOME 2.28 too.
"For users coming from 11.1, openSUSE 11.2 actually features two GNOME releases worth of updates," noted open source community manager Joe Brockmeier in a post on the site. "Because of the lengthy release cycle, openSUSE skipped the 2.26 release and jumped to GNOME 2.28, which was made available in September."
Drivers have been updated, with "special attention" paid to making the OS work on netbooks. OpenSUSE can also be installed from a USB, making it even more netbook friendly.
Version 11.2 includes Firefox 3.5, OpenOffice 3.1, and a host of social networking applications built in. In all, the package comes with more than 1,000 open source desktop apps, as well as a suite of server and development tools, Novell noted.
The filesystem has been upgraded to ext4, and the entire disk can now be encrypted. In addition, it includes what Novell said is the first tech preview of WebYaST, a new web-based admin tool.