Novell Ships SUSE Linux Enterprise 10

Novell on Monday released its much-anticipated SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform.

Novell CEO Ron Hovsepian sent out an e-mail letter to announce worldwide general availability of the upgraded Linux server and desktop. In addition, the Waltham, Mass., software vendor launched the Novell Customer Center, an online resource that allows business customers to view the status of their products, subscriptions and services plus download critical updates.

Novell officially launched SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 at its annual Brainshare conference in March. The company said it plans to showcase the product at the LinuxWorld Expo in August.

Linux competitor Red Hat is preparing to launch its upgraded Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 platform later this year.

Novell is making SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscriptions available in two forms--for mainframe or non-mainframe servers--and with three support options: basic, standard and priority. Subscriptions start at $349 per user, with no additional cost for virtual server images, Novell said.SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop subscriptions will cost $50 per device per year, or $125 for three years, according to Novell.