Beginning December, customers of SUSE LINUX 9.0 Personal or Professional will be able to purchase an add on -- SUSE LINUX Wine Rack - that enables stable and secure utilization of numerous Windows applications in Linux.

For $39.99, SUSE will provide CrossOver Office and CrossOver Plugin from Codeweavers -- giving Linux users access to applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint from the MS Office 97, 2000, and XP packages, Visio 2000, Intuit Quicken, Apple Quick Time, Adobe Photoshop 7.0, and IBM Lotus Notes.

Gamers get WineX from Transgaming, which enables the use of game classics such as Half-Life: Counter Strike, Diablo 2, EverQuest, Warcraft III, Battlefield 1942, Starcraft, Civilization 3, and many other games in SUSE LINUX 9.0. The 3-D arcade game MarbleBlast from Garagegames is also included on the CD.

Bought separately, the four program packages CrossOver Office (about $60), CrossOver Plugin ($35), WineX (60 $/year), and MarbleBlast ($20) would cost about $117 more - a savings of more than 70%.

"This package breaks a barrier and renews our commitment to provide the most comprehensive Linux offering for the consumer market," said Holger Dyroff, general manager, Americas, SUSE LINUX. "Customers can opt for Linux, knowing that they can take advantage of both open source - and proprietary applications."

Information on the Windows applications supported by CrossOver Office and CrossOver Plugin is available at URL:
http://www.codeweavers.com/site/products/cxoffice/supported_apps/

Information on the games supported by WineX is available at URL:
http://www.transgaming.com/searchgame.php