Novell Renames Community Linux Distribution 'openSUSE'

Novell Renames Community Linux Distribution 'openSUSE' 

 

Novell will ship openSUSE for Linux enthusiast community and SUSE Linux
Enterprise for enterprise customers 

 

WALTHAM, Mass. - Aug. 10, 2006 - Novell today announced simplified
branding to make it even easier for customers to identify the right
Linux* product for their needs. SUSE(R) Linux, Novell's award-winning
community Linux distribution, will now be known as "openSUSE(TM),"
echoing the name of the Novell-sponsored open source Linux project,
openSUSE.org. Novell's enterprise Linux products will continue to be
designated "SUSE Linux Enterprise." 

 

An end-user-oriented distribution that Novell(R) makes available to
Linux users everywhere via free download and free redistribution,
openSUSE is not intended for business deployments but provides Linux
enthusiasts and corporate evaluators with an excellent first look at the
latest Linux and other open source technologies. Technologies previewed
in openSUSE, when refined and fully supported, may appear in future
Novell enterprise Linux offerings. The current version is 10.1, and
openSUSE 10.2 is scheduled to ship in late 2006. 

 

"The new name 'openSUSE' distinguishes our community distribution from
our enterprise products, helping us maintain clear brands for our two
main Linux constituencies," said John Dragoon, senior vice president and
chief marketing officer at Novell. "The spotlight is shining on Novell's
Linux offerings, as shown by the great success of the year-old openSUSE
project and the tremendous reviews received by our SUSE Linux Enterprise
10 products." 

 

openSUSE is created by the openSUSE.org project, the Novell-sponsored
community initiative that promotes the use of Linux everywhere,
especially among traditionally non-technical audiences with a retail
boxed product. Available for free download or in the convenient packaged
retail edition, openSUSE delivers reliability and security at an
affordable price. The openSUSE.org project has more than 30,000
registered members, and SUSE Linux 10.1 (now openSUSE) recently topped
350,000 verified installations since its launch in May. 

 

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 is the next-generation platform for the open
enterprise. SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 from Novell includes SUSE Linux
Enterprise Server and SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, providing a secure
and reliable foundation for enterprise computing from the desktop to the
data center - a lineup of enterprise-class solutions matched by no other
Linux vendor. 

 

For more information on Novell's Linux offerings, visit
http://www.novell.com/linux.

 

About Novell 

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) delivers Software for the Open
Enterprise(TM). With more than 50,000 customers in 43 countries, Novell
helps customers manage, simplify, secure and integrate their technology
environments by leveraging best-of-breed, open standards-based software.
With over 20 years of experience, 5,000 employees, 5,000 partners and
support centers around the world, Novell helps customers gain control
over their IT operating environment while reducing cost. More
information about Novell can be found at http://www.novell.com.