Novell, which sells Linux for servers and desktop computers, is considering a move into the market for embedded computing for devices such as cell phones and vending machines. Elsewhere, IBM has made a promised $50 million investment in new Linux power Novell, tightening the companies’ technology partnership. Similarly, HP is expanding its own Novell relationship with a push into desktop PCs.
Novell Eyes Move into Embedded Linux
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It consists of IBM/NOVELL/HP…. and SUN as an outsider.
Dell is left in the cold for now…
2004 was the year for it…
The Linux threat has never been so great for Microsoft…
I think you forgot about Redhat. true they are not as big, but they definatly did alot of work (ntpl if I am no tmstaken) and are one of the big enterprise linux enteties.
RedHat and Dell are too busy being industry leaders (the M$’s of their respective trade) While these other companies have found the only way to win is to combine efforts. Might create a larger scale adaptation of linux with a full team of companies such as this!!!
The linux community is mature but the linux industry is still young. Its not too late for Novell to become “the linux company”.
To do so they need to do much more than just port Groupwise etc to linux. In fact I predict these products will be minor players in the long stretch.
Novell should immediately start marketing Suse Linux as Novell Linux. If I were them I would get rid of all of Suse’s branding – it was never a really strong brand in any case.
Also I would ditch the Ximian name. Its critically important that they tie these efforts to the Novell brand. As long as Ximian and Suse exist as independent brands, people will not associate Novell itself that strongly with linux.
As a real hail mary I would market their server version of linux under the Netware name. What we know as Netware is basically dead, although the name does resonate with some buyers. Not too sure about this.
In any case there is plenty of time for Novell to steal RedHat’s thunder. I welcome the competition – I want to see these vendors really go at each other (for our benefit of course), not just Microsoft.
fairly uninformed and I’d say frankly I’m thrilled u r not the ceo of Novell.
First point is that SuSE is the leading Linux distro in europe so there goes your not a strong brand anyway arg
Secondly… Novell is attempting to get their server market back. The systems running NNLS are all based on the server side product and will not battle RedHat as much as it will M$, Novell’s NLS is based to run on RedHat and SuSE so their intentions are to promote growth in the enterprise through continued use of Novell systems.
Thirdly… it will be our jobs as technical people to help inform these companies, I for one will be getting the CLE and converting my customers to Linux through this move by Novell
I don’t think ‘stealing’ RedHat’s thunder as you put it is such an easy task. RedHat has been in this embedded game for a while, they’ve also partnered with WindRiver who I read is the gloabal leader and using RedHat as the foundation for its products. Quite the jump-start.
>> First point is that SuSE is the leading Linux distro in europe so there goes your not a strong brand anyway arg
then market it in Europe as Suse linux. Most people in North America do not even know how to pronounce Suse or have never heard of it. It is not a well known North American brand. Keeping the Suse brand in North America seems like a dead-end.
>> Secondly… Novell is attempting to get their server market back.
True, but they are also throwing a lot of resources at the desktop. The Ximian purchase is a desktop move. Other than Connector they are 100% desktop in terms of their product.
So I disagree that this is all about servers, and I think it is wise for Novell to stake a claim to the linux desktop space, which is very young, very in need of support, and very much waiting for someone to dominate. RedHat clearly has dropped it as a priority (for now).
Beating RedHat in any space won’t be easy. They have a lot of good will with linux folks so you can’t fight dirty with them like you can with SCO. RedHat also has a lot of prominent coders. Novell’s Ximian purchase does bring Miguel into the fold – he is one of the more well-known names.
In any case, as long as it is a clean fight that does not dilute resources (i.e. leave MS as the only winner), then I see bring it on. Users only stand to gain.
Hmm I don’t remember the Suse booth at ESC. This is embedded, not server, not desktop, settop, tiny linuxes. If Suse has not been in embedded space before they may have a few surprises coming and some ground to cover. I’d wager Novell don’t know jack, just heard there was some more money over here and with some major R&D cap from IBM and an eye on those phone markets going crazy…
>True, but they are also throwing a lot of resources at the
>desktop. The Ximian purchase is a desktop move. Other than
>Connector they are 100% desktop in terms of their product.
I don´t think that´s entirely accurate. There are two products at Ximian that could turn out invaluable for server use. Red Carpet and Mono. The desktop could just be an ´added bonus´.
On the other hand having top Gnome developers in house can turn out quite handy. As you can assure that one of the leading desktop environments works well ´out of the box´ with your server products.
They end up with server application that cater for both the windows PC´s out there as well as the Gnome users. And with SuSe they can do the same for KDE.
That´s really smart they can create a market for their own server products by contributinbg to other free products. These chaps are clever aren´t they?
RedHat … are too busy being industry leaders … While these other companies have found the only way to win is to combine efforts.
That is pure BS and shows that you are probably a troll. How is redhat not ‘combining efforts’? Unlike suse, EVERYTHING redhat released was open to the comunity. Redhat has tried pushing Linux to the desktop till it lost them enough money that ehy just said ‘enough’, and have focused on the enterprise market.
Also, who is this that Novell is ‘combining efforts’ with?
HP for the computers? Thats like saying Walmart is supporting Lindows.
IBM for the financial support? IBM did the exact same thing to RH a number of times.
Novell is just trying to push themselves into the Linux market. By opening many of thier products and buying out ximian and suse they have market share from the community. Now they are trying to find how they can get actual buisness market share.
Notice that with all the working of novell and linux, most people dont know what is really going on (in terms of direction) there as been no real advertisments, and no real ready products.
I am waiting excitdly to see what they will produce.
Microsoft is also looking to move more into the embedded market, Novell plans to get in their before Microsoft can be able to dominate it.
Novell better concentrate on the server market. They can’t afford to be futzing around. They need to focus if they are going to survive. If they don’t make a go of it with Linux it will leave a bad taste in alot of peoples mouths.
In two more years Novell once again will be king of the hill.
go Novell Go.
HP for the computers? Thats like saying Walmart is supporting Lindows.
Umm..No it is not. Walmart sells sub $500 consumer PC’s (for _Wal Mart_ shoppers at that). As opposed to HP’s far reaching hand when it comes to anything “PC”..Whether that business, workstations, media pc’s, or the cheapo consumer models…And this goes without mentioning the gazillion peripherals as well. Since the article only mentioned “desktops”, I can’t mention HP servers too..but I guess I just did.
I agree with blah. The SuSE brand name is weak (as with the majority of Linux distro names). The Gecko sucks too. That’s about the only thing “Red Hat” has on them. Who knows if they’ll eventually use the “NetWare” name, but it’s definitely better.
SuSE isn’t a weak name…And the Gecko is nice. So it would be stupid to kill the name so nobody knows what the heck it is(loosing a lot existing SuSE users). Why do you think they chose SuSE and not someone else? Because SuSE is a well known brand and very succesfull to! When you buy a succesfull name .. you don’t just change the name, instead you ride on their wave of succes
That’s really well spoken, that is.
Not.
When you buy a succesfull name .. you don’t just change the name, instead you ride on their wave of succes
It’s almost a sure thing in the tech world that an acquisition by a larger, more well known party is followed by rebranding. If it was a merger, it’s usually a different situation.
Novell was looking for assets and expertise to get a head start in the Linux world, not a name. SuSE was cheaper than Red Hat, but offered an equal amount of expertise. That was the deciding factor, the name was irrelevant. Novell wouldn’t purchase Ximian and SuSE just to be a mere “vendor” of the products. They did it because they plan on creating something new.