Jumping on the app store bandwagon, Novell has released its SUSE Gallery, an online showcase for registered SUSE Studio users to publish appliances. With SUSE Gallery, users can browse and download the appliance free of charge.
SUSE Gallery is part of the SUSE Appliance Program that helps ISVs simplify appliance creation, reduce development and support costs, and extend applications to the cloud. A technology component of the SUSE Appliance Program is SUSE Studio, a web-based appliance creation tool. The Program also includes the SUSE Appliance Toolkit, which enables ISVs and enterprises to build, manage and update appliances regardless of location.
SUSE Gallery offers a free, web-based venue for ISVs and other users to publish and market appliances. Novell will not charge developers for putting their appliances in SUSE Gallery, nor will Novell charge end users for downloading appliances. SUSE Gallery provides a friction-free venue for the exchange of ideas, innovation and best practices across all sectors of the software industry.
Serving as a central repository of appliances, SUSE Gallery targets developers and other users searching for commercial and community-oriented appliances. Appliance templates and tailored operating system images can also be published, facilitating reuse that further accelerates appliance development. Each published appliance will have a dedicated web page with a unique URL, making it possible for software vendors to conduct targeted marketing and sales campaigns and track results.
In a related announcement, Novell is also announcing the First Annual "Dister" Awards, a SUSE Studio award contest that will run from July 27 to September 30. Novell is looking for innovative software appliances in two categories: Community Use and Commercial Use. After Novell narrows the field to a list of finalists, a panel of industry-leading judges will then select and award each of the two winners a $10,000 grand prize. For more information, click here.
