The openSUSE Project has hit release 11.1, the latest version of its free open source Linux distribution and the widgetry that the upcoming SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 will be based on.

This time there's a new license that eliminates the EULA. The project has removed proprietary software like Acrobat from the code that used to make it difficult for the purists to redistribute openSUSE.

It's also the first version completely developed using the openSUSE Build Service, which is supposed to bring greater transparency to the development process and additional contributions from the community.

This release is supposed to deliver a richer user experience with significant enhancements to desktop productivity, entertainment applications, and software and system management.

There are some 230 new features altogether, improvements to YaST, major updates to GNOME and KDE, Liberation fonts and openJDK. The Novell version of OpenOffice 3, for instance, is supposed to have performance features not in the common release.

The widgetry is based on the new 2.6.27.7 Linux kernel, which adds support for a number of new devices and improved video camera support.

A retail box version is available for $60 at http://shop.novell.com and includes 90 days of installation support, commercial applications, drivers and codecs not on the main DVD, as well as a printed manual.