There are three versions of SUSE. Note: version 10.1 has been reported to be a little buggy still, so for a newbie, I strongly suggest sticking with version 10.0.
1. OpenSUSE is all open source. No proprietary software. It is free, but I think you can only download versions 10.1 or 10.2 (currently pre alpha). OpenSUSE is meant to be cutting edge.
2. Eval SUSE includes some proprietary, but freely distributed software. (RealPlayer, Acrobat Reader, etc.) It is also free, and in spite of the name "eval," there is no time limit.
You can download open and eval versions starting at this page:
http://www.novell.com/products/susel...nux/index.html
It requires making some choices based on your computer (PC, Mac, etc.) and processor (32-bit, 64-bit, etc.).
3. Retail SUSE includes more software, both open source and proprietary. This is the one you have to pay for (about $60.00 US). If you want the full laundry list of options, this is the way to go. Additionally, purchasing the retail version entitles you to some support by Novell (maybe not a whole lot better than you get here, but you can get some information by phone) and a thick user's guide, which I have found quite handy.
So Is Suse Free?
Cleared it up. I apologize, probably should have looked around a bit more before asking :P
