Novell on Monday unveiled its latest Linux desktop operating system, Linux Desktop 9, that it's aiming at enterprises which want an alternative to Windows.

The new OS, which will ship Nov. 12, is based on Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, and is bundled with several open-source applications. Included with Linux Desktop 9 are the Novell edition of OpenOffice.org's OpenOffice application suite, Mozilla's Linux version of the Firefox browser, the Evolution collaboration client, and ZenWorks Linux Management, an administrator-run app for deploying, monitoring, and managing desktop PCs running Linux.

"The IT industry has been asking when Linux will be ready to take on the desktop," said Jack Messman, Novell's chief executive officer, in a statement. "Novell Linux Desktop is not about the wholesale replacement of Windows, but about identifying where and when an open source desktop can be a sensible, cost-effective alternative. In our view, the time is now for specific desktop users to reap the benefits of open source."

Among those users, said Novell, are those in call centers and support services, who have used beta versions of Desktop 9 and successfully integrated it with their other open-source software.

Novell lined up the usual Linux supporters -- AMD, Intel, and IBM -- to back the operating system, as well as other software vendors such as Macromedia and RealNetworks.

Linux Desktop 9 will be sold through Novell's channel partners for $50 per system, which includes one year's worth of upgrades and updates.