Novell, HP Push SUSE Linux to PCs, Laptops
The first HP-Compaq desktops and notebooks running SUSE Linux are slated to come out in the second half, said Martin Fink, vice president of HP's Linux division in Palo Alto, Calif. Details on how SUSE Linux will be offered on HP-Compaq computers are still being hashed out, he added.
The move fortifies the companies' existing relationship with SUSE Linux in the server space, Fink said. "This is an extension and support of Novell SUSE Linux globally on all server platforms and an extension to the desktop and laptop," he said.
Having SUSE Linux on HP-Compaq clients will give HP more firepower to compete with IBM and Sun Microsystems for dominance of the open-source desktop space, Fink said.
The HP/Novell SUSE partnership for Linux clients won't trump HP's relationships with other Linux distributors, such as Turbo Linux and Red Hat, Fink said. Turbo Linux has strategic value for HP in the Asian markets, while Red Hat has "made the decision not to pursue the [desktop] client at this time," he said.
The new push to bring SUSE Linux to HP-Compaq desktops and notebooks won't affect HP's relationship with Microsoft on the PC operating-system front, Fink said. "We have a multi-OS [operating system] strategy, and this is just an extension," he said.