From:	 meck@suse.de (Martina Eckstein)
To:	 lwn@lwn.net
Subject: "SuSE Linux 8.0: Linux Easier Than Ever"
Date:	 Wed, 13 Mar 2002 17:57:23 +0100 (CET)

Dear  LWN-Team,

please find enclosed our latest press release. 
Boxshots are available for download from our image 
database at 
http://www.suse.de/en/press/services/images/

Kind regards 
Martina Eckstein

--------------------------------------------------

SuSE Linux 8.0: Linux Easier Than Ever

Personal and Professional Versions Available from 
Mid-April

Nuremberg, Germany, March 13, 2002 - Today, SuSE 
Linux, the international Open Source technology 
leader and solutions provider, announced the launch 
of the eighth generation of Europe's most popular 
Linux operating system and applications package to be 
available from software retailers from mid-April. 
Increased security, the newest KDE desktop, KDE 3, 
super fast installation and expanded multimedia 
capabilities highlight the most advanced Linux 
distribution for professional and private desktop 
users.

An almost fully automated installation routine and 
the comfortable graphical desktop environment KDE 3 
make SuSE Linux 8.0 the ideal choice for all Linux 
newcomers and private users, who want to benefit from 
the advantages of the Linux operating system on a 
desktop computer.

The improved hardware detection greatly facilitates 
the installation. The SuSE system assistant YaST2 
(Yet another Setup-Tool) detects existing Windows 
95/98/ME partitions and makes useful suggestions for 
allocating hard disk space and selecting software. 
The fast installation finishes by simply entering a 
user name and password and confirming monitor 
resolution. Even printer, sound card, and TV card are 
installed automatically with a mouse click.

KDE 3 - The Comfort-Desktop

SuSE is the first Linux provider to present KDE 3, 
the latest version of this first-class graphical 
desktop environment. Intuitive menus help newcomers 
with their first steps in the Linux world. The 
Internet-oriented KDE desktop system provides 
professional users with a host of valuable tools. The 
combined universal browser and powerful file manager, 
Konqueror, displays a small preview of file contents, 
which is especially useful for image and graphic 
archives. Even audio and video files are briefly 
played when the mouse is moved over the song title.

Integrated Office Package

The program package KOffice and the e-mail client 
Kmail have reached a mature and highly stable state. 
Apart from standard applications such as the text 
processing application, KWord, and the spreadsheet 
application, KSpread, KOffice comes with a 
presentation program, KPresenter and an illustration 
module. The extensive drag & drop features between 
the individual programs alleviate daily office chores 
to a great extent. KDE 3 also offers interesting new 
applications such as vocabulary trainer, kvoctrain; a 
geometry-drawing program, kgeo; and a planetarium 
environment, kstars.

In SuSE Linux 8.0, the massive applications offering 
is arranged in groups with names such as archiving, 
graphics, publishing, and network, and can be started 
comfortably with KDE Menu. The KDE team has revised 
many utilities, including the organizer, e-mail 
client, and various media players, and has 
substantially enhanced their functionality. Important 
for users of older versions: KDE 3 from SuSE is 
compatible with KDE 2.x applications. In addition, 
KDE 3 enables direct access to frequently used data, 
programs, and utilities. Clear symbols and smart 
menus guarantee a smooth migration to the newest 
version.

Fun and Games

SuSE Linux 8.0 pays very close attention to the needs 
of multimedia enthusiasts; features such as writing 
CDs, watching and editing videos, mixing sound, 
editing studio and synthesizer are available without 
any surcharge. Version 8.0 also includes the new and 
convenient scanning program, Kooka, from the KDE 
series, which uses the libraries of the SANE system. 
After almost two years of development, SuSE is the 
first Linux edition to present version 0.9 of the 
Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA). ALSA 
supports most common sound cards, including many 
high-end sound cards and professional cards for sound 
studios. The possibility to write DVDs in Linux is an 
entirely new feature of SuSE Linux 8.0. Moreover, the 
collection of games was expanded and improved 
considerably. Get energized by the space game 
"Vegastrike", the 3D car race "Racer", the flight 
simulator "FlightGear", and the adventure game 
"Nethack Falconseye".

Be on the Safe Side!

SuSE Linux 8.0 offers a wide array of possibilities 
for protecting data and computers. The enhanced SuSE 
Personal Firewall 2 can be activated with a simple 
mouse click during the installation. Even in the 
event of theft, a crypto file system protects the 
data of laptops and hard disks. GNU Privacy Guard 
(GPG) encryption prevents all but the authorized 
recipients from reading e-mail messages sent through 
SuSE Linux. SuSE Linux 8.0 integrates professional 
security concepts and the latest security 
technologies such as OpenSSH, PAM, and IPsec.

Power for Professionals

SuSE Linux 8.0, based on Kernel 2.4.18 with more than 
1200 drivers and glibc 2.2.5, represents state-of-
the-art Linux technology coupled with user comfort 
and superior performance. XFree86 4.2 provides 
optimum support of current graphics cards. In 
addition to numerous improvements in the areas of 
firewall configuration, ISDN, modem, and mail, YaST2 
now comes with a new module for the activation of 
high-rate data transfer modes for hard disks (direct 
memory access), thus providing even more ease of use. 
Of course, the latest versions of central Linux tools 
are also included, e.g. the web server Apache 1.3.23 
and the file and print server for Windows networks, 
Samba 2.2.3a. Basic system advantages like memory 
protection, preemptive multitasking, optimized memory 
management, and excellent network properties make 
SuSE Linux the best choice for professional 
deployment and ambitious home users.

In Stores from Mid-April

SuSE Linux 8.0 will be available from software 
retailers from mid-April 2002. The recommended retail 
price for SuSE Linux 8.0 Personal (3 CDs, 2 manuals, 
60 days of installation support) is EUR 49.90; SuSE 
Linux 8.0 Professional (7 CDs, 1 DVD, 3 manuals, 90 
days of installation support) is EUR 79.90. 

About SuSE

SuSE Linux is one of the world's leading providers of 
complete solutions based on the Open Source operating 
system Linux. In addition to operating systems and 
application software for private customers, SuSE 
offers software solutions and complete systems for 
the deployment of Linux in companies.

SuSE supports its enterprise customers with a 
comprehensive range of qualified consulting, 
training, and support services. The company, which 
hosts the world's largest development team for Open 
Source solutions, has made its unique project and 
support know-how accessible via the Internet in the 
largest existing Linux knowledge database.

For more information, please visit 
http://www.suse.de/en/

Press contact:
SuSE Linux AG
Martina Eckstein
Deutschherrnstr. 15-19
90429 Nuremberg
Germany
Martina.eckstein@suse.de
Phone: +49-(0)911-74053507