Focus On... SuSE

Written by Jono Bacon

Suse http://www.suse.com/ Linux distributor, consultant, support

SuSE are one of the oldest surviving Linux distributors in the market today, and they have had a lot of success with their high quality distribution.

SuSE have been a supporter of KDE for a number of years, and have a slightly modified (for SuSE tools) version of KDE as the default desktop when you run SuSE Linux. This means that you can buy a copy of SuSE Linux and be up and running straight away with KDE. SuSE also include an very large amount of software with the boxed sets (up to 7CD's / 1 DVD) and lots of printed documentation. This can provide your business with a solid solution with all the tools you need and KDE as your default desktop out of the box.

SuSE's support of Linux and KDE does not stop there though, and SuSE have a number of employees working for them on a number of different projects such as the kernel, porting SuSE Linux to other types of hardware and of course supporting KDE.

Jasmin UI-Haque from SuSE explained some of the things they do:

How does SuSE use KDE on office machines?

KDE is the default desktop environment that is shipped with each SuSE distribution. Because it is so intuitive to use, many current employees already use it as their standard desktop and new employees (especially beginners to Linux) are first introduced to Linux via the KDE interface.

How does SuSE support KDE (e.g - payed developers working on KDE)

For SuSE KDE is an essential component to create a competitive product. We have several people on our payroll who work either full or part-time on KDE. Furthermore, several SuSE developers ensure that we integrate KDE properly with the rest of the system. And last but not least, SuSE is a member of the KDE League and actively promotes KDE.

What typical KDE software does SuSE use?

The companies default office suite is currently still StarOffice; however, many individuals have been trying out KOffice and we have heard good feedback from these sources. Several members of staff are actively using KOrganizer, which has the added feature that it integrates nicely with several Hand-Held devices.

SuSE offer a number of support and contracter services available and are a good contender if you want to move to Linux and be supported.

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