Linux vendor Xandros will this week ship version 4.0 of its desktop distribution, Xandros Desktop OS. The new package is expected to include better support for wireless networking, an integrated security suite, plus the ability to read and write to a Windows NTFS partition – features that may attract firms looking for an alternative to Windows on some systems.

Xandros, which is based on the Debian open-source distribution, is popular with consumers. Desktop 4 will ship in three versions: a Standard edition; a Deluxe edition with enhanced security and multimedia features; and a Business edition with administration tools.

The exact feature set for Xandros Desktop OS Version 4 has yet to be disclosed, but the company said it will support Wireless Profiles to help laptop users connect to Wi-Fi hotspots and store settings. It will also feature Xandros Security Suite, a set of tools including a personal firewall and antivirus features to protect PCs against spam, spyware and viruses.

Earlier versions of Xandros offered seamless file sharing on Windows networks through authentication to Primary Domain Controllers and Active Directory servers.

The new edition will extend this with the ability to read and write to an NTFS partition, the native file system used by Windows.

Included with the Business edition is the Xandros Desktop Management Server (xDMS), which gives administrators a graphical tool for deploying Xandros to client systems across a network.

Xandros Desktop 4 will also ship with the latest versions of Mozilla’s Firefox browser and Thunderbird mail client, as well as the OpenOffice.org productivity suite and CodeWeavers’ CrossOver Office, which enables Linux systems to run Microsoft Office and a selection of other Windows applications.