eWeek: Revisions Extend Linux’s Reach

“There’s a strong argument to be made that all the pieces needed
for an effective Linux desktop system for the enterprise now exist.
Less clear, however, is whether a Linux vendor can collect and
package those elements into something that’s ready–right out of
the box–for the mainstream corporate desktop.

“This is what SuSE Linux Inc. set out to do with its SuSE Linux
Office Desktop. Although eWeek Labs found the SuSE product makes a
strong case for desktop Linux, a substantial amount of work remains
to be done–particularly in general fit and finish and key missing
functionality, such as VPN (virtual private network)
support–before Linux Office Desktop can claim parity with
Windows-based systems.

“SuSE’s Linux Office Desktop, which began shipping last month,
is based on Version 8.1 of the company’s very good Linux
distribution, to which SuSE has added software from CodeWeavers
Inc., for limited Windows application compatibility; Sun
Microsystems Inc.’s StarOffice productivity suite; and Acronis
Inc.’s OS Selector, with which users can resize NTFS (NT File
System) partitions to install SuSE Linux alongside Windows XP.
Without the Acronis software, only file allocation table, or FAT,
32 partitions can be resized, so installing SuSE and Windows XP on
the same disk would require setting up separate partitions
first…”

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