Novell's Linux Desktop 9

Environment Flavors

NLD 9's installation is straightforward. It defaults to a GUI install screen, though text mode is also an option. You can choose your desktop environment from Gnome and KDE (K Desktop Environment). Neither is selected by default, and Novell says it has no preference. I found Gnome slightly more polished than KDE in this distribution. As an administrator, you can install both and let the end user decide which to use.

Mozilla's Firefox Web browser is installed with the Gnome package; Konqueror is installed with KDE. OpenOffice.org is included with both. Unlike other Linux desktop distributions, such as Fedora, NLD 9 doesn't install a host of packages by default. Rather, only a few software programs--such as GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), a Citrix client, RealPlayer 10 and Novell Evolution groupware--are installed. This is appropriate for an enterprise deployment. You don't want to support and maintain hundreds of user programs. Installing RealPlayer by default is a good move--it's the only major streaming media software supported by Linux. You can also install your own software packages using Novell ZENWorks, Ximian Red Carpet or the SuSE Yast2 administration tool. Total space used by the default install is just under 2 GB.

Users can authenticate against a local password file, NIS or over LDAP. Interestingly, neither native Active Directory nor eDirectory integration is available. You can authenticate against these two indirectly over LDAP, but advanced functionality and features aren't supported. This is a giant oversight. At the very least, native AD integration should be included. Apple was able to get OS X to join an AD domain with ease a long time ago.

Novell says it didn't include eDirectory support because NLD 9 isn't targeted at Novell shops. Indeed, there aren't many Novell-specific features to be found In NLD. GroupWise messenger is integrated into the IM client, GAIM, and NLD supports iFolder. That's the extent of Novell-specific integration. The company says native support for eDirectory is coming, but it isn't saying when.

Inspired Interface

NLD 9's desktop environment is one of the most intuitive I've seen on a Linux system. You can tell Novell was inspired by both Windows and Mac OS X user interfaces, especially in the Gnome environment. The Novell logo is ever-present in the upper-left corner, where the famous Apple icon would sit on a Mac. And just as with OS X, the menu bar contains links to your programs, system settings, the help menu and the clock.NLD's program menus are similar to those in Windows and don't appear in this top menu bar but in an application master window. KDE uses a giant dock on the bottom for launching applications, showing open windows, virtual desktops and the time. Konqueror is the interface used for the file manager. This has a Windows 98 feel to it, and I prefer the Gnome approach. However, neither desktop is a cheesy clone. Fancy graphics effects like drop shadows and transparencies are avoided in favor of a faster, less resource-intensive interface.

Printing to a networked printer and file sharing with Windows servers worked like a charm. I autodiscovered printers on my subnet and printed without having to play with configurations. SMB shares show up in the network browser, divided by domain or workgroup.The Gotchas

NLD 9 has a central repository for network user names and passwords. Users may have their passwords stored permanently or until they log out of NLD. When I created a symbolic link to a shared file or folder in KDE, the resulting link displayed my user name and password in clear text in both the actual file name and the metadata. I told Novell about this problem, and it has released a fix.

I was disappointed with NLD 9's help and documentation. Any operating system marketing itself as a desktop alternative needs a strong, clear and easy-to-navigate help center. This is especially true if the company selling that operating system wants to entice users switching from Windows to a Linux desktop. But here NLD 9 falls short. It lacks built-in help and orientation guides. The search feature returns little information, mostly just the release notes.

Also, many Linux users install Wine or VMWare so that they can still run legacy Windows applications. Unfortunately, these programs aren't bundled into the distribution, so you'll have to install them on your own. And good luck figuring out how to set up a VPN client with no VPN wizard.

NLD 9 didn't strike me as vastly superior to other distributions, with the exception that it can be managed by ZENWorks, Novell's desktop and server management suite that also handles Windows clients. When you buy the operating system, you're essentially purchasing a maintenance and support contract. Software updates after the trial are available from the Novell site only to paying customers. Other add-ons include additional support and training courses.NLD 9 is the first Linux system to have a truly big name driving and developing the distribution, not merely supporting or promoting Linux in general. Novell also controls a large amount of money, even though the death of Novell has been predicted every year for several years. They've been saying the same thing about Apple too.

Michael J. DeMaria is an associate technology editor based at Network Computing's Syracuse University's Real-World Labs®. Write to him at [email protected].