Novell has signed agreements with Hewlett-Packard and IBM to expand support for its SuSE Linux operating system on their PCs and servers. HP announced that it will begin certifying and supporting a desktop version of Novell"s SuSE Linux software, called SuSE Linux Professional, by the second half of the year. HP already supports SuSE Linux on its server products; and in certain regions, it sells desktop systems with Linux from a variety of Linux vendors, including MandrakeSoft SA and Turbolinux. Under the terms of the new agreement, however, SuSE Linux will become HP"s standard worldwide Linux distribution across its line of business desktop and notebook PCs.
The arrangement will make the Linux desktop more appealing for enterprise customers, some of whom have begun asking about Linux on the desktop, says Martin Fink, HP"s vice president for Linux. Fink declines to say whether HP"s Linux desktop offerings will cost less than its Windows products, because pricing will ultimately depend on precisely how HP supports the SuSE Linux.
"There are a variety of different ways we can deliver this," Fink says. Service for the desktop could be provided either by Novell or by HP, for example, and the Linux desktop could even be available as one of HP"s managed desktop services, Fink says.