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Red Hat Readies Desktop 5 To Compete With Novell: Page 2 of 4

Version 5's support for OpenOffice 2.0, Firefox 1.5 and Gnome 2.16 is expected to significantly improve the desktop experience for end users, Red Hat maintains. For instance, OpenOffice 2.0's support for the Oasis file format OpenDocument as well as a new slide-panel presentation user interface, new icons and theme/skin switching capabilities will make the desktop more compelling.

RHEL 5 Desktop's file manager, meanwhile, offers integrated search support, e-mail integration and allows users to share public directories over the local network.

The software also offers improved wireless support via the inclusion of a default Network Manager that will automatically connect the desktop to known networks. In addition, RHEL 5 will offer fully integrated VPN support.

In its new corporate desktop, Red Hat also is trying to dazzle new users with improved digital camera integration, support for encrypted USB peripherals and use of Accelerated Indirect GLX. New applications include the Evince document reader, Totem and Ekiga, an open-source phone-to-PC feature.

Red Hat did not respond to calls for comment on this story.