Novell has announced the release of OpenSUSE 11.0, which offers more than 200 new features and hundreds of application updates.

The new features include a redesigned and simpler installer, a choice of desktop environments, including Gnome 2.22 and KDE 4, and the latest version of OpenOffice.

"OpenSUSE 11.0 is a really exciting and groundbreaking release, perfect for Linux enthusiasts and developers as well as users who are new to Linux," said Joe Brockmeier, OpenSUSE community manager.

"The OpenSUSE Project contributors, inside and outside Novell, have worked hard and should be very proud of this release. It sets the bar for what a Linux distribution should be."

OpenSUSE 11.0 is also the first Linux distribution to include the 1.0 Banshee release, enabling users to manage and play back digital music and video content.

Novell said that the improvements and enhancements will help shape the Suse Linux Enterprise 11 technology which it plans to roll out next year.

"The OpenSUSE Project is an important part of Novell's Linux strategy and is one of the ways we demonstrate our commitment to the open source community," said Roger Levy, senior vice president and general manager for open platform solutions at Novell.

"OpenSUSE serves as the foundation for our enterprise products and gives Novell an important opportunity to work closely with the community."

The new version is available for download immediately. A full DVD image or Gnome and KDE live CDs enable users to run OpenSUSE from the CD without modifying their computer.