SUSE Linux is an increasingly popular Linux distribution that competes head-on with Red Hat’s Linux versions. SUSE Linux’s fortunes have been on the rise following Novell’s acquisition of Germany’s SUSE Linux AG for $210 million. SUSE is looking for more growth in the U.S. marketplace, helped in part by IBM’s $50 million investment in Novell as part of the SUSE acquisition deal. On another positive note, after acquiring SUSE, Novell announced that SUSE’s famous YaST installation and configuration tool will become open source, licensed under the GNU General Public License. All these developments have generated a distinct “buzz” around SUSE Linux as the up-andcoming Linux distribution for everyone from home users to enterprise servers.

A significant factor in SUSE Linux’s increasing popularity is that unlike its competitor Red Hat’s singular focus on the enterprise market, Novell continues to address both the enterprise market and Linux enthusiasts. Specifically, the SUSE Linux Professional product is aimed at small-office/home-office users as well as those wishing to experiment with the SUSE Linux as their desktop system. SUSE Linux Professional is sold as boxed sets through distributors as well as online stores. SUSE Linux Professional with a typical retail price tag of $89.95 (with lower prices for students and for those updating from a previous version) is a complete Linux distribution, suitable for small office/home office or even an enterprise. This book includes a DVD with a Special Edition version of SUSE Linux Professional, with everything you need to use it as a personal desktop system. This book also includes a coupon that you can use to purchase a copy of the full SUSE Linux Professional distribution.

If you are starting out with SUSE Linux, you need a beginner’s guide that not only gets you going with the installation and setup of SUSE Linux, but also shows you how to use all the tools that come with your desktop. That’s why I wrote SUSE Linux 9.3 For Dummies in plain English, using a breezy style, that quickly gets to the step-by-step instructions for accomplishing a task, be it installing a printer or crafting a memo with OpenOffice.org Writer. My goal is to minimize confusion and keep things as simple as possible. I present the essential steps for specific tasks, but avoid inundating you with too many details.