SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop

Improve Usability

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 compares favorably with Windows Vista in usability and functionality while gaining the lead over Microsoft in desktop innovation. Novell delivered in July 2006 functionality that Microsoft has been trying to produce since Windows XP was released in 2001 – capabilities such as 3-D desktop effects and universal desktop search.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop offers usability and functionality comparable to and even exceeding that of Windows in many cases. The following table provides a brief comparison.

Capability	SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10	Windows Vista
Usability-tested user interface	"Design first" methodology	Extensively tested interface
Integrated search	Beagle	Vista Integrated Search
Complete Web browsing	Mozilla Firefox	Internet Explorer
Multimedia applications	RealPlayer from RealNetworks Macromedia Flash Player Totem Helix Banshee F-Spot	Windows Media Player Microsoft Photo Editor Windows Movie Maker RealPlayer from RealNetworks
3-D rendered interface	3-D desktop effects	Aero Glass
Productivity applications	OpenOffice.org 2.0 with Visual Basic support Tomboy	No office suite included. The typical choice is Microsoft Office at an additional cost.
Collaborative applications	Novell Evolution Gaim instant messenger	Windows Mail

Novell conducted hundreds of controlled tests and shot thousands of hours of test subject video to observe how office workers use desktops. Based on the findings, Novell implemented a "design first" development methodology to deliver an innovative graphical environment in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop. The graphical environment provides a dramatically improved user experience with features like application tiling and thumbnail-view alt-tabbing, which allow users to quickly organize their desktops.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop includes new integrated search capabilities, powered by Beagle, which provide real-time indexing throughout the entire desktop. You have fast, easy access to all content and no longer need to worry about how, where, and when you stored your work. Simple keyword searches return your documents, applications, e-mails, instant messages and recent Web searches–all in a single results window.

Because desktop users have to work within a company's existing infrastructure, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is designed to easily coexist with Windows, UNIX, Mac, and other environments and interoperate with Microsoft, IBM, and other enterprise technologies. It connects easily to mixed networks using Novell eDirectory, Microsoft Active Directory, and most other flavors of LDAP.

In addition, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop ships with Novell Evolution, one of the most widely used collaboration clients in the world. Novell Evolution features direct connections to Novell GroupWise, Microsoft Exchange 2000/2003, and any other collaboration server that supports the IMAP and POP standards. Connectivity to Lotus Notes is available via the Notes plug-in for IBM's Workplace client technology. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop also introduces the first version of OpenOffice.org with advanced Microsoft file compatibility, including support for pivot tables and Visual Basic spreadsheet macros.