HP to Certify SUSE Linux (SLED 10) on Laptops

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has no plans to preload versions of the upcoming Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) 10 on PCs but will certify the operating system, CRN published.

Plans call for HP to certify SLED 10 for select laptops. including the nx6310, nx6320, nc6320, nc2400, nx6315 and nx6325 models, before year’s end, a spokeswoman for HP said to CRN.

She said HP doesn’t plan to offer Linux as a preload on business notebooks thus far, but added that the Palo Alto, California based company, is actively assessing the market for Linux clients and sees much potential for SLED 10.

Novell is set to launch SLED 10 next month. The OS contains desktop features similar to Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows Vista but takes up a fraction of the hard-disk space and costs about $50 per seat, several hundred dollars less than current Microsoft operating systems.

HP Actively Assessing SLED 10 Prelaunch - Hewlett-Packard, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop - CRN