Lenovo And Novell Offer Linux On Notebooks

Buyers of Lenovo ThinkPad notebook PCs will be able to get Novell's version of the Linux operating system pre-loaded on their machines and obtain direct support for both their hardware and the OS, according to an announcement Monday from the two firms.

The OS is Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, which is aimed at enterprise commercial users; the firms said that the Linux-preload would now be available for individual customer purchase.

While Lenovo and Novell have been offering the Linux OS on workstations, servers, and on a limited number of notebooks, Monday's pledge of support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is aimed at broadening the user base.

"We have seen more customers utilizing and requesting open source notebook solutions in education, government, and the enterprise since our ThinkPad T60p Linux announcement, and today's announcement expands upon our efforts by offering customers more Linux options," said Sam Dusi, VP of product marketing, Lenovo Notebook Business unit, in a statement.

Roger Levy, Novell VP and general manager of Open Platform Solutions, said the companies are offering a fully certified and supported package of software. The offering also includes the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, which is file-compatible with Microsoft's office software offerings.

Microsoft and Novell have teamed up on some Linux offerings, and the software giant has said users of Novell open source software won't be sued for any alleged intellectual property violations involving Novell software.