New SUSE Linux-based IBM point-of-sale solution

Yesterday, IBM announced a new SUSE Linux-based point-of-sale solution. The product, IBM Retail Environment for SUSE Linux, will be available in the first half of the year. The software is specifically tailored for the retail market to help retailers reduce the complexity of the Linux operating system for retailers' in-store POS solutions. IBM also expects the software to assist retailers in lowering their total cost of ownership through the open-source Linux operating system.

The SUSE Linux distribution can scale across multiple hardware platforms across the retailer's entire enterprise. For retailers already running IBM POS systems, it can be deployed on select existing IBM terminals; one target market for the product includes companies currently using older DOS operating systems that want to add new applications and services which require a new operating system platform.