OpenSuse aims to gain ground for Linux on tablets, notebooks
New OpenSuse 11.3 release brings broader support for mobile computing, plus it's packed with options for virtualization and code development
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For the time being, Apple dominates the mobile platform market, though Google, Microsoft, and HP are hungrily eyeing that pie. But there's also a dark horse contended in the field -- or perhaps more accurately, a flock of dark penguins. A newly released version of OpenSuse draws upon various flavors of Linux to bring further support to tablets and netbooks -- and to a far lesser degree, smartphones.
At the same time, the new 11.3 release comes packed with open source alternatives to virtualization offerings from EMC VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix, as well as options galore for developers. In all, the free package highlights one of Linux's greatest attributes: It can draw on a broad array of freely available technologies -- from desktop platforms such as Gnome and KDE to virtualization technologies including Xen and KVM -- to give users plenty of choices.
[ Also on InfoWorld.com: Rumor has it that HP is delaying its Android tablet in favor of WebOS. | InfoWorld's Galen Gruman says why Windows 7 slates won't happen and Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 will fail big time. | Stay ahead of advances in mobile technology with InfoWorld's Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. ]
OpenSuse's strongest mobile-platform play appears to be in netbooks. Users have two flavors of netbook desktop environments from which to choose: the KDE project's Plasma Netbook Workspace or an OpenSuse-tailored version of the MeeGo project, headed up by Intel and Nokia. Both are designed to deliver a visually rich netbook UI, as well as support for social media networks.
On top of that, OpenSuse includes the SpiderOak cloud-based storage client/service, with further strengthens the OS's potential for netbooks and tablets, considering such devices aren't necessarily up to the task of storing users' increasingly growing collections of files and apps.
