From the press release, which is slashdotted right now. Note especially that it will release on June 9th, and that SuSE will be including it in future releases of the distro.
---------------------------------- Ximian Announces Ximian Desktop 2 to Provide Complete Enterprise Desktop for Linux Major Upgrade Offers Full Application Suite, Enhanced Usability and Robust Windows Interoperability to Enable Enterprise Adoption BOSTON, MA — June 2, 2003: Ximian, Inc., the leading provider of desktop and server solutions enabling enterprise Linux adoption, today announced Ximian® Desktop 2, a major new version of its popular Linux desktop software installed by over 1,500,000 users worldwide. Ximian Desktop 2 provides a complete productivity application suite, breakthrough usability features, and seamless Windows interoperability to enable organizations to easily and affordably deploy Linux desktops in mixed Windows/Linux environments. Innovations include an intuitive interface, the Ximian Edition of OpenOffice.org for Microsoft Office file-compatible documents, one-click Windows network navigation and easy printer setup to reduce training and support costs. Ximian will demonstrate Ximian Desktop 2 publicly at the Jupiter Media Enterprise Linux Forum in Santa Clara, Calif. on June 5 and 6. The product will be available for purchase and electronic installation the week of June 9. "Our goal with Ximian Desktop 2 has been to enable enterprise customers to cost-effectively adopt and support Linux desktops," said Nat Friedman, co-founder and vice president of product development at Ximian. "Ximian Desktop 2 is the culmination of direct feedback from strategic design partners including over 25 enterprise customers and business partners worldwide. The result is an enterprise-ready Linux desktop that is easy to use, supports existing Windows infrastructure, and is affordable to manage." "Siemens Business Services is seeing increasing interest from customers for Linux desktop solutions, especially in the public sector," said Duncan McNutt, senior project manager at Siemens Business Services in Germany. "Our evaluations show that Ximian Desktop 2 can be a great fit for Linux workstation deployments. Its familiar interface for Windows users, full application suite, integration with Windows environments and centralized management through Red Carpet™ Enterprise™ can help reduce support costs for enterprise customers." Ximian Edition of OpenOffice.org Highlights Application Suite Based on the open source GNOME 2.2 project, Ximian Desktop 2 delivers a tightly integrated suite of applications with robust support for Windows file formats, networks and standards. It starts with the Ximian Edition of OpenOffice.org, a significantly enhanced version of the open source productivity suite, which lets users create, edit and save Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint 97/2000/XP documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Ximian improvements to OpenOffice.org include default Microsoft Office file formats, 800 new icons, a host of user interface enhancements, GNOME desktop theme and font consistency, and the ability to seamlessly browse, open and save files on remote file systems. Ximian Desktop 2 also features Ximian Evolution™ 1.4, the new version of the award-winning email and personal information management application that can optionally be integrated with Microsoft Exchange 2000 and other messaging and collaboration servers (see related release, "Ximian Announces New 1.4 Versions of Ximian Evolution, Connector for Microsoft Exchange..."). It also includes the Mozilla-based Galeon web browser along with Microsoft Windows metric compatible fonts and common browser plug-ins to provide access to and faithful rendering of virtually all web content. Ximian Desktop 2 additionally provides built-in Linux software updating with the new Red Carpet 2.0 application. Other capabilities include: * drag and drop CD burning * built-in terminal emulation, instant messaging, chat and other applications * third-party components (part of Ximian Desktop 2 Professional Edition only), including Agfa fonts, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Macromedia Flash, Real Player, and Java2 Run Time. Printing Enhancements Among Key Usability Improvements Ximian Desktop 2 provides a host of usability enhancements to help users get up and running fast. Ximian Desktop 2 speeds printer setup and configuration with CUPS printing system integration, automatic local and network printer detection, and an intuitive printer setup wizard. It also offers a "My Computer" metaphor for consistent, one-click navigation of files, content and systems, including NFS, Windows and Samba network shares. In addition, the GNOME 2.2 based Ximian Desktop 2 offers a one-stop control center for setting system preferences, as well as familiar menus and graphical file management to virtually eliminate the need for user training. "SuSE and Ximian are both committed to delivering enterprise quality Linux solutions that reduce customers' overall computing costs," said Uwe Schmid, vice president of marketing at SuSE Linux. "Ximian Desktop 2 is an elegant and interoperable desktop environment that directly addresses the needs of corporate customers. We're very pleased to extend our partnership with Ximian to include offering Ximian Desktop 2 as an option to our SuSE Linux desktop customers." Unique Interoperability in Windows Environments Ximian Desktop 2 is designed to offer an alternative to Windows for targeted user populations within the enterprise. In addition to traditional technical and engineering Linux workstations, these include transactional desktops and business appliances, which often use a web browser as a front-end application for solutions such as customer service, retail store management and manufacturing shop floor. The public sector, especially in Europe and South America, is increasingly looking to Linux and open source for cost savings. Ximian Desktop 2 provides the interoperability with Windows file formats, applications and networks to enable organizations to cost-effectively deploy and maintain Linux while keeping training costs to a minimum. In addition to support for Microsoft Office file format and Windows networks provided by Ximian Desktop 2, the Ximian Evolution email client supports POP, IMAP, LDAP and other corporate standards. The software even features familiar Windows keyboard shortcuts for saving files, printing, copy/paste and more. Pricing and Availability Ximian Desktop Professional Edition will be available for purchase and electronic installation from the Ximian web store at www.ximian.com beginning the week of June 9. Priced at $99, Ximian Desktop 2 Professional Edition includes bundled third party components, 30 days of installation support, the "Introducing Ximian Desktop" PDF guide, and one year of high-speed Linux software updates via the Red Carpet Express service. The software supports leading Linux distributions including SuSE (version 8.2) and Red Hat (7.3, 8.0, and 9). A free version of Ximian Desktop 2, without support and third-party software, is available for download from the Ximian web site. About Ximian, Inc. Ximian is the leading provider of desktop and server solutions enabling enterprise Linux adoption. Ximian products, in use by over 1,000,000 people worldwide, provide the interoperability, management functionality and ease of use required to integrate Linux users and systems into mixed corporate computing environments. Ximian offers both a complete Linux desktop environment and productivity application suite and enterprise software management solutions to dramatically reduce the cost of deploying and maintaining Linux systems. Ximian founders are pioneers of the open source GNOME and Mono™ projects. The company has secured funding from leading venture firms Charles River Ventures and Battery Ventures. It can be reached at www.ximian.com.