The much anticipated OpenSUSE 11.2 is scheduled for the final release in November. The last milestone for OpenSUSE was the OpenSUSE 11.2 Milestone 8 (M8) which features numerous bug fixes, Linux kernel 2.6.31, improved partioning, social networking clients, and new versions of packages including GNOME 2.28, says the project.

OpenSUSE which was launched in 2005 by Novell as a community version of SUSE Linux, had its last major release in June 2008 with version 11.0, which was issued in final form in June 2008. Version 11.0 featured 200 new features, a redesigned installer, KDE 4.0, GNOME 2.2.2, and the Compiz Fusion 3D window manager.

OpenSUSE 11.2 offers partitioning and filesystems enhancements, as well as the coronation of ext4 as the default file system, and early support for the Btrfs filesystem. Other OpenSUSE improvements include interface enhancements to the YaST partioner interface, improved package management and mirror handling, and Zypper command line enhancements. Besides that, OpenSUSE 11.2 also offers improved social networking clients, with GNOME’s Gwibber supporting Facebook, Twitter and Identi.ca., and KDE’s Choqok client supporting Twitter and Identi.ca.

OpenSUSE 11.2 Milestone 8 is available to download for 32 and 64 bit x86 systems as a DVD or LiveCD image, here, with the final release expected in November 2009.