Linux adds desktop tools

Suse's small-business product, Linux Office Desktop, will ship in January, offering lower costs, greater security and vendor-independence. It will be followed within two months by Linux Enterprise Desktop, with more advanced features. Both products will ship with tools to ease the transition from Microsoft technologies.

On Linux Office Desktop, the Yast2 installer detects the Windows setup and suggests a way to partition Linux via Acronis's OS Selector utility.

Users can also run Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes under Linux, using the bundled CodeWeavers CrossOver Office. KDE and Gnome graphical user interface options are provided, alongside the Evolution email client.

Linux Office Desktop will cost $129 (£83).

Other Linux-based desktop efforts are well under way. Red Hat, which recently launched Red Hat Linux 8.0 for desktops, will next month follow up with Technical Workstation, a more comprehensive business desktop with applications certified to run under the environment. UK PC maker Evesham.com recently began offering low-cost systems pre-loaded with Lindows, a Linux distribution with Windows interoperability features.

But Linux's near-term corporate success is still more likely to be on the server side. Suse said over 500 downloads of the UnitedLinux beta are being requested every day. UnitedLinux is an attempt to create a standard Linux configuration backed by Suse, SCO, Turbolinux and Conectiva.

A report issued by analyst firm Butler Group last month suggested that Linux vendors and Microsoft will gain users from proprietary Unix offerings such as Sun Solaris, IBM AIX and HP's HP-UX.

"UK investment banks are making significant steps from Unix to Linux," said Scott Harrison, Red Hat director for northern Europe. "Linux is moving to the core."

Red Hat UK customers include Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston, which has migrated its equities trading system from Solaris to Linux.

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