Staupp, whose department is in the process of making a Linux switch, was similarly pleased: "The virtualization with [SUSE] Server is huge," he said, citing it as a major step forward for businesses that can't afford VMware licensing.

While the new versions of SLED and SLES may attract current Novell users, it's newcomers to Linux -- or those that haven't wanted to buy VMware GSX licenses -- that Novell targeted with its preview release in June. "The value of SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 can best be experienced hands-on," said Novell's director of product marketing Justin Steinman in a statement. "We firmly believe that those people who take some time to kick the tires will end up wanting to drive it off the lot when it's formally released in the next few weeks."