Novell's SuSE JeOS is "just enough" Linux, according to ChannelWEB, for virtual appliances. The beta version of the stripped-down OS, free of graphical desktop applications, word processing applications and other general purpose software, is available for VMWare offerings as well as for Citrix's Xen Server.

Writer Fahmida Rashid notes:

Yes, it's possible to sit down and rip out unwanted components from the standard OS, but it's always easier to build up from the absolute minimum and adding additional packages from SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, than it is to go the other way. Even using application repositories...which automate the process of customizing the OS for an appliance, can involve some fiddling. SuSE JeOS is pre-tested and removes a lot of the guesswork.

Unlike other virtual platforms, the story says, the process of customizing JeOS is "very manual" rather than automated and "one size fits all." But Novell apparently does plan to include automation tools as part of its SuSE appliance program, through which the company plans to target independent software vendors.

The parallel open source project, based on OpenSuSE, is aptly named LimeJeOS.