Open Source @ Novell

The open source development model delivers high-quality, flexible software.

Working with the open source community, developers and industry partners, Novell creates innovative software for your business.

At Open Source @ Novell, developers and business partners can learn all about the Novell's participation in the open source community, the value of open source and all of the benefits it offers.

Open source software is developed and driven by communities. As part of the community, Novell realizes that the open source model provides unparalleled value and rapid innovation unmatched by traditional development models. Though cost remains a key driver for open source adoption, many companies are now realizing that open source also provides value through exceptional reliability and flexibility. As enterprises realize this value, Novell is the ideal partner to help bridge the gap between community development and enterprise deployment.

Working with the community to build the next generation of open source.

Novell is Part of the Open Source "Family"

Without standards, organizations can't realize the full benefit of open source. Novell is part of the community working hard to develop, promote and implement open standards. Standardization, innovation and community participation will continue to be our hallmarks, and Novell will be continuing its commitment to open source through increased participation in community projects and fostering increased community involvement in its own projects.

Contributions and Affiliations

Learn how a growing team is working to develop Linux Drivers for everything. Get the freedom to build Linux packages—not only for openSUSE® and SUSE® Linux Enterprise, but also Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, CentOS and other distributions. Novell is active in many open source projects—learn more

The openSUSE project. Opening minds around the world.

Sponsored by Novell, the openSUSE project is a world-wide open source community that promotes the use of Linux everywhere by providing a best-of-class Linux-based operating system. Through openSUSE, users around the world have free and easy access to Linux.

At opensuse.org, you can join an open source community of users and developers, all working towards the same goal—to create and distribute the world's most usable Linux.

openSUSE—A Growing Community

Novell's openSUSE project has more than 64,000 registered users, and thousands of contributors who test openSUSE and provide feedback to the project. The openSUSE distribution is the basis of Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise platform, and rigorous community testing coupled with Novell's quality assurance ensures that the Enterprise platform is without peer.

openSUSE users can choose from more than 6,000 open source applications packaged for openSUSE, from which Novell selects about 2,000 for additional testing and inclusion in SUSE Linux Enterprise.

Bringing Linux everywhere.

Everything You Need to Get Started

openSUSE is available for free download, or in a convenient packaged retail edition. It provides everything you need to get started with Linux. openSUSE provides a cutting-edge user interface, Microsoft Office file compatibility through the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, enhanced multimedia support and an extensive library of the latest open source applications for desktops, servers and application developers.

Learn More

Whether you're an experienced Linux developer or an end user just getting started with Linux, there are many ways for you to participate in the openSUSE project. Find out more at www.opensuse.org.

You are wondering who is behind openSUSE? Let's have a look: the people of openSUSE.

Easy development makes it easier to innovate.

SUSE Linux Enterprise is the only enterprise Linux distribution to include Mono®, an open source implementation of the .NET framework that allows corporate IT and ISV developers to develop new applications, or to port their existing .NET applications to Linux—without investing major resources to rewrite code.

NET Client and Server Applications

.NET on Linux
Microsoft .NET connects systems, information and devices through Web services so people can collaborate and communicate more effectively. However, the .NET framework only supports Windows platforms.

Running and developing modern .NET client and server apps.

Avoid Costly Licensing and Maintenance Costs

In an effort to reduce license and maintenance costs, as well as increase security and reliability, more IT organizations are turning to Linux and other UNIX platforms to run their mission-critical enterprise applications.

Mono

Mono offers companies and software developers another option for running .NET applications. An open source development platform based on the .NET framework, Mono allows corporate IT and ISV developers to port their existing .NET applications to Linux without the need to invest major resources in rewriting their code.

Moonlight

Microsoft describes Silverlight as a cross-browser, cross platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences and rich interactive applications. Soon after Microsoft's Silverlight introduction, our Mono team began working on the Moonlight implementation on Linux.

Moonlight is a project to create a Silverlight plug-in for the Mono environment, which will run on Linux, Mac and Windows. So far, their Moonlight work has met with a high degree of enthusiasm from Linux users.

Involved in more projects and putting Linux on more desktops.

Committed to helping Linux succeed on the desktop, Novell is a major contributor to KDE, GNOME, the Better Desktop project, OpenOffice.org, Evolution, and many other projects that help Linux compete on the desktop. Through its community involvement, Novell is ensuring that the Linux desktop is ready to meet your needs.

Novell employs many contributors to open source desktop efforts, and has provided a clear and consistent vision for the Linux desktop that enterprises and the open source community alike can depend on.

Actively Supporting GNOME

Novell contributes to GNOME through sponsorship of the GNOME Foundation and its maintenance of Evolution and the GNOME control center, contributions to NetworkManager, and work on Mono applications like Tomboy, F-Spot, and many others.

Linux on the Desktop.

Leading Contributor to KDE

SUSE Linux Enterprise has a long and rich tradition of providing the best distribution of KDE available. Novell is a patron of the KDE project and employs several developers who are dedicated to developing and improving KDE. Novell has contributed several key features to KDE4, and will be shipping KDE 4 as a desktop option for openSUSE 11.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Novell is committed to supporting the Linux desktop and user choice. By supporting and packaging KDE, GNOME and other desktop environments, contributing to usability efforts, and supporting internationalization, Novell is making the Linux desktop easier to use for all users.

The world needs open source. And open source needs you.

The best part of open source is that anyone can participate. Whether you're a developer, power user, or new to computing in general, there are ways to get involved with the open source community through Novell.

openSUSE.org—A Cast of Thousands

The openSUSE project has more than 64,000 users, and thousands of contributors. There's room for more, however. As openSUSE grows, we want to make it possible for external developers to contribute to and influence the distribution in order to provide the best Linux possible!

Anyone Can Contribute

Not a developer? No problem. The openSUSE community needs contributors to provide testing and feedback, documentation, artwork, marketing support, and community members to attend trade shows and discuss openSUSE with users who are interested in learning more about the project. Just by using openSUSE you're contributing to the project by enjoying and testing the distribution.

No matter what your skill set, we want you!

Shaping the future of open source.

openSUSE Build Service

Already involved with an open source project? We can help you provide packages for openSUSE and other distributions—including Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux—via the openSUSE Build Service. Help the community by provide a wide variety of packages for your project!

Mono

Want to see .Net applications running flawlessly on Linux? Join the Mono effort, an open source implementation of the .Net framework and C# and common language runtime. With Mono, developers can target Windows and Linux at the same time.

The Mono team is looking for developers to write applications in Mono, and for developers and contributors to assist with the Mono Project. Whether you want to develop with Mono, or develop for Mono, we want to hear from you!