Novell released SUSE Linux Professional 9.3, which includes a complete Linux OS, more than 3,000 open-source packages and hundreds of open-source applications, productivity software and home networking capabilities. Designed for both Linux newcomers and longtime users, SUSE Pro 9.3 offers many new features, including an OS built on kernel version 2.6.11, KDE 3.4 and GNOME 2.10, Firefox 1.0, OpenOffice.org 2.0, F-Spot photo organizer, The GIMP 2.2, Mono 1.1.4, KDevelop 3.2, Eclipse 3.0.1 and improved VoIP support. SUSE Pro 9.3 also offers improved mobility support for Wi-Fi connections and Bluetooth devices, PDA and phone synchronization; iPod compatability; an integrated firewall, spam blocker and virus scanner; and Novell Evolution 2.0 and Kontact 3.4. Also included in version 9.3 are the XEN virtualization environment and intuitive search engines, plus support for AMD Athlon 64 and Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology.

Novell Enterprises, 404 Wyman Street, Suite 500, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, 781-464-8000, www.novell.com.

OPTion is a virtual thin client for the Linux workstation desktop. Compatible with GNOME and KDE, it provides a single application to connect to all major free and commercially available terminal server environments. All client sessions are configured and managed centrally, and all configured client sessions are presented and executed from within a central launcher. Client sessions include standard XDMCP, full screen and/or within a desktop window; secure direct X; secure X login, full screen and/or within a desktop window; RDP, full screen and/or within a desktop window; xRDP with integrated Ericom seamless applications for WTS 2000/2003 and a cost-free RemoteView terminal server agent; ICA with server and application browser; Ericom PowerTerm Emulator suite; NoMachine NX Client, supporting NX Server 1.3 and 1.4; and native Tarantella. Supported Linux distributions include MandrakeLinux, Fedora, Novell/SUSE and Xandros.

SmartFLeX Technology, Inc., 623 Selvaggio Drive, Suite 220, Nazareth, Pennsylvania 18064, 610-746-2390, www.smartflextech.com.

Plextor Corporation announced the availability of a free Linux software developers kit (SDK) for ConvertX video capture devices. The SDK can be used to develop for Plextor ConvertX PVRs, which offer real-time hardware-based MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and Motion JPEG video encoding in a USB 2.0 video peripheral. The Linux SDK supports the Video for Linux 2 (V4L2) and Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) specifications. It also supports deprecated Open Sound System (OSS) applications by way of the OSS compatibility layer provided by ALSA. The new driver, which requires the Linux 2.6 kernel, includes sample code that can be reused in open-source or proprietary applications to help developers get started.

Plextor America, 48383 Fremont Boulevard, Suite 120, Fremont, California 94538, 510-440-2000, www.plextor.com.

SMGateway is an open-source e-mail/security application from Fortress Systems, Ltd. SMGateway offers all of the functionality provided by MailScanner and SpamAssassin along with extensions and enhancements to provide a Web-based interface for users and administrators. These added features allow administrators to install, control and configure e-mail gateway operations, while allowing users to set their own spam preferences. It is designed to provide all e-mail gateway, Web access, SQL database, LDAP directory and monitoring applications on a single server. SMGateway features three levels of authentication; connectors to Microsoft Active Directory, POP or IMAP enabled directory service; an SQL configuration database; LDAP configuration data storage; and DCC, Pyzor and Razor2. SMGateway is free for customers to download, and Fortress Systems provides three levels of support options.

Fortress Systems Ltd., 3807 Fulton Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202-338-1670, www.fsl.com.

Plus Three, LP, released ARCOS 4.0, an application built on Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl and designed to be used by fundraising organizations. Standard features and uses of ARCOS are constituent relationship management, e-mail and link tracking, event management, social software and an on-line activism center. New features include improved real-time report generation from databases, an enterprise-class redundancy backup system, and a larger and faster user database. ARCOS' e-mail publishing feature allows users to organize and distribute e-mail lists based on a variety of factors stored in the database. The Web publishing tools offer customizable contributor pages and tell-a-friend pages. In addition, the e-mail and Web publishing tools are integrated to allow users to process up to two million messages an hour.

Plus Three, LP, 180 Varick Street, Suite #1126, New York, New York 10014, 212-206-7819, www.plusthree.com.