Novell released OpenSuse 10.3 Thursday, its latest free version of the open-source operating system.
For those who need a refresher, OpenSuse is the faster-moving but mostly unsupported version of Linux from Novell and various outside contributors. It competes most directly with Linux versions such as Canonical's Ubuntu and Red Hat's Fedora.
Novell has tried for years to pit it against Windows as well, even as it cooperates with Microsoft in a legally thorny partnership. Novell's supported product, Novell's Suse Linux Enterprise Server, is sold in the form of an annual support subscription.
Like most versions of Linux, OpenSuse has a choice of graphical interfaces. Version 10.3 includes new versions of the two most widely used, GNOME 2.20 and KDE 3.5.7, along with some elements of the forthcoming KDE 4.
Novell has been an eager adopter of fancy interface graphics, and 10.3 includes the Compiz and Compiz Fusion infrastructure for 3D effects such as desktop workspaces that map to the faces of a cube, or slightly blurred background windows, or windows that burst into flames upon closing.
For those who want to head the other direction, version 4.4.1 of the minimalist graphics interface XFCE is an option.
You can either download OpenSuse for free or buy a US$60 two-DVD set with a manual 90 days of installation help.
There are some notable new features, according to Novell and OpenSuse News:
This article was originally a blog post on CNET News.com.
Play video
There are currently no comments for this post.