SuSE Linux 8.0: Linux Easier Than Ever

Personal and Professional Versions Available from Mid-April

Nuremberg, Germany, March 13, 2002 - Today, SuSE Linux, the international Open Source technology leader and solutions provider, announced the launch of the eighth generation of Europe's most popular Linux operating system and applications package to be available from software retailers from mid-April. Increased security, the newest KDE desktop, KDE 3, super fast installation and expanded multimedia capabilities highlight the most advanced Linux distribution for professional and private desktop users.

An almost fully automated installation routine and the comfortable graphical desktop environment KDE 3 make SuSE Linux 8.0 the ideal choice for all Linux newcomers and private users, who want to benefit from the advantages of the Linux operating system on a desktop computer.

The improved hardware detection greatly facilitates the installation. The SuSE system assistant YaST2 (Yet another Setup-Tool) detects existing Windows 95/98/ME partitions and makes useful suggestions for allocating hard disk space and selecting software.  The fast installation finishes by simply entering a user name and password and confirming monitor resolution. Even printer, sound card, and TV card are installed automatically with a mouse click.

KDE 3 - The Comfort-Desktop

SuSE is the first Linux provider to present KDE 3, the latest version of this first-class graphical desktop environment. Intuitive menus help newcomers with their first steps in the Linux world. The Internet-oriented KDE desktop system provides  professional users with a host of valuable tools. The combined universal browser and powerful file manager, Konqueror, displays a small preview of file contents, which is especially useful for image and graphic archives. Even audio and video files are briefly played when the mouse is moved over the song title.

Integrated Office Package

The program package KOffice and the e-mail client Kmail have reached a mature and highly stable state. Apart from standard applications such as the text processing application, KWord, and the spreadsheet application, KSpread, KOffice comes with a presentation program, KPresenter and an illustration module. The extensive drag & drop features between the individual programs alleviate daily office chores to a great extent. KDE 3 also offers interesting new applications such as vocabulary trainer, kvoctrain; a geometry-drawing program, kgeo; and a planetarium environment, kstars.

In SuSE Linux 8.0, the massive applications offering is arranged in groups with names such as archiving, graphics, publishing, and network, and can be started comfortably with KDE Menu. The KDE team has revised many utilities, including the organizer, e-mail client, and various media players, and has substantially enhanced their functionality. Important for users of older versions: KDE 3 from SuSE is compatible with KDE 2.x applications. In addition, KDE 3 enables direct access to frequently used data,  programs, and utilities. Clear symbols and smart menus guarantee a smooth migration to the newest version.

Fun and Games

SuSE Linux 8.0 pays very close attention to the needs of multimedia enthusiasts; features such as writing  CDs, watching and editing videos, mixing sound, editing studio and synthesizer are available without any surcharge. Version 8.0 also includes the new and convenient scanning program, Kooka, from the KDE series, which uses the libraries of the SANE system. After almost two years of development, SuSE is the first Linux edition to present version 0.9 of the Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA). ALSA
supports most common sound cards, including many high-end sound cards and professional cards for sound studios. The possibility to write DVDs in Linux is an entirely new feature of SuSE Linux 8.0. Moreover, the collection of games was expanded and improved considerably. Get energized by the space game "Vegastrike", the 3D car race "Racer", the flight simulator "FlightGear", and the adventure game "Nethack Falconseye".

Be on the Safe Side!

SuSE Linux 8.0 offers a wide array of possibilities for protecting data and computers. The enhanced SuSE Personal Firewall 2 can be activated with a simple mouse click during the installation. Even in the event of theft, a crypto file system protects the  data of laptops and hard disks. GNU Privacy Guard (GPG) encryption prevents all but the authorized recipients from reading e-mail messages sent through SuSE Linux. SuSE Linux 8.0 integrates professional security concepts and the latest security technologies such as OpenSSH, PAM, and IPsec.

Power for Professionals

SuSE Linux 8.0, based on Kernel 2.4.18 with more than 1200 drivers and glibc 2.2.5, represents state-of-the-art Linux technology coupled with user comfort and superior performance. XFree86 4.2 provides optimum support of current graphics cards. In
addition to numerous improvements in the areas of firewall configuration, ISDN, modem, and mail, YaST2 now comes with a new module for the activation of high-rate data transfer modes for hard disks (direct memory access), thus providing even more ease of use. Of course, the latest versions of central Linux tools are also included, e.g. the web server Apache 1.3.23 and the file and print server for Windows networks, Samba 2.2.3a. Basic system advantages like memory protection, preemptive multitasking, optimized memory management, and excellent network properties make SuSE Linux the best choice for professional deployment and ambitious home users.

In Stores from Mid-April

SuSE Linux 8.0 will be available from software retailers from mid-April 2002. The recommended retail price for SuSE Linux 8.0 Personal (3 CDs, 2 manuals, 60 days of installation support) is EUR 49.90; SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional (7 CDs, 1 DVD, 3 manuals, 90 days of installation support) is EUR 79.90.

About SuSE

SuSE Linux is one of the world's leading providers of complete solutions based on the Open Source operating system Linux. In addition to operating systems and application software for private customers, SuSE offers software solutions and complete systems for the deployment of Linux in companies.

SuSE supports its enterprise customers with a comprehensive range of qualified consulting, training, and support services. The company, which hosts the world's largest development team for Open Source solutions, has made its unique project and support know-how accessible via the Internet in the largest existing Linux knowledge database.