Every new Linux distribution, particularly from an established vendor such as SuSE, brings with it the question "Is it ready to take on Microsoft on the desktop?" We recently got a copy of the Novell Linux Desktop, which was created to offer an alternative corporate desktop operating system that meets the needs of most structured task workers.

What does a Windows alternative need to be a viable player? First, it has to play well with other Windows machines and servers. It should be able to share files and printers with little-to-no effort. Common application formats, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint should be supported. Connectivity to corporate e-mail servers, including Microsoft Exchange, should just work.

NLD supports these requirements and more with only a few minor hiccups. The issues we had were minor, and all had a workaround. When NLD is installed, it gives the option of either the KDE or Gnome desktops. Gnome looks a lot like the last version of the Ximian desktop and is the closest in look and feel to Windows XP.

Novell has enhanced the Open Office product suite, including its Evolution for e-mail, contact and schedule management. We could open Word, Excel and PowerPoint files over the network without any trouble. The only glitch was with a few JPEG image files that included a file extension that NLD didn't recognize.

Windows networking is not yet completely seamless. We had some trouble browsing for network shares using the Nautilus utility under Gnome, although we could connect to a Windows share using the 'Connect to Server' menu option. In KDE, we had to enter the share name into an address bar. We would be happier if the process were smoother - especially if passwords were synchronized over the network. The Gnome Personal Settings tool works like the Control Panel in Windows and even has a "New Printer" wizard that makes it easy to connect to a shared printer on a Windows network.

There are ways to handle password synchronization between Linux and Windows, but NLD doesn't offer that out of the box. Another irritation was the default for user passwords to Data Encryption Standard encryption, which only supports passwords up to eight characters long. To enable longer passwords, manually select MD5 as the default encryption method.