Linux & Open Source - eWeek

Linux & Open Source: eWEEK Labs Examines SLED 11, the Microsoft-Friendly Linux


The latest release of Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, SLED 11, is probably the most Microsoft-friendly Linux desktop ever, with support for various Microsoft formats and protocols that extend the functionality of Linux desktop regulars such as OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox and Evolution. These additions, combined with Novell's enterprise-friendly support plans, might just convince companies that the time is right to make a move from Windows.

SLED 11 has a great deal in common with the OpenSUSE 11.1 release that eWEEK Labs reviewed Feb. 17, but the biggest difference between SLED 11 and so-called community-oriented Linux options such as OpenSUSE and Ubuntu is the relatively limited selection of software packages available for SLED. eWEEK Labs Executive Editor Jason Brooks takes a look.
 
  • Support for .pst in Evolution
    In SLED 11, the Evolution mail client gains support for importing messages stored in Microsoft's .pst file format. This feature worked for me without a hitch.
  • MAPI Support in Evolution
    SLED 11's mail client also gains support for Microsoft's proprietary MAPI (Messaging API) protocol for communicating with Outlook Exchange. Unlike my experience with the .pst support, I haven't yet managed to get our Exchange server talking to Evolution.
  • WMV Support in Firefox
    Through Novell-Microsoft collaboration around Mono, the open-source implementation of .NET, the companies have made available WMV codecs for use on Linux—including on non-Novell Linux systems.
  • Moonlight in Firefox
    Moonlight, the Mono equivalent of Silverlight Version 1, broadens access to certain rich Web content. If Silverlight becomes more widely deployed, this could come in handy.
  • Macro Support
    Novell's version of OpenOffice.org 3.0 includes improved support for Microsoft Office macros.
  • Activation
    As a subscription-based product, SLED 11 must be activated to access bug-fix and security patches.
  • Your Linux Updates Are Ready
    SLED 11 makes use of the multidistribution PackageKit project to check for available updates.
  • PackageKit plus PolicyKit
    One of the best things about PackageKit is its integration with PolicyKit, another multidistribution framework for bringing finer-grained system privilege management to Linux.
  • PolicyKit in Action
    In this picture, taken from Novell's SLES 11, PolicyKit settings clash with the GNOME desktop's desire to automount removable media.
  • Additional Modules
    For SLED and SLES 11, Novell is introducing the concept of additional support modules for functions such as server application hosting via Mono. These development packages appear to fall outside the terms of my evaluation SLED subscription.
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