Novell Inc. will open a Linux research and development center in Beijing by the end of this year, focusing on Linux on the desktop, international and localization issues and high-performance computing. Novell’s expanded Chinese presence will apparently serve both as a development and support arm for Novell’s current business, as well as an attempt to create new business opportunities within China.
Linux on the desktop never made it. It’s a failure because there is no linux operating system.
Novell needs to concentrate on the server so it can compete with Solaris and the BSDs.
Linux on the desktop never made it. It’s a failure because the desktop is so 1995.
Novell needs to concentrate on the open SUSE version that can run on my PS2 Portable so I can be worm free when viewing my massive pr0n collection.
Wont be too long now before we start seein’ pirated copies of Linux on the streets of Beijing.
I recall reading something once that most asian countries are against supporting the US market, and hence there are gov. funded asian linux distros. Is Novell not a US company? If this is the case does this not seem like a fatal error for Novell?
I recall reading something once that most asian countries are against supporting the US market, and hence there are gov. funded asian linux distros. Is Novell not a US company? If this is the case does this not seem like a fatal error for Novell?
According to TFA Novell became the leading supplier of Linux in China in the first half of this year, according to figures from market researcher IDC released last week. Novell had a 32.9 percent market share compared to 29.5 percent for Turbolinux Inc. and 24 percent for Red Flag Software Co. Ltd. For the same period last year, Novell could only claim a 5 percent market share, according to the company spokesman. so the above was most likely a false alarm or coined specifically against MicroSoft.
Many companies take advantage of cheap Chinese programmers. BEA is one of those companies Novell is one now too. China is the next major ecomonic power not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing considering the culture.
Actually, China only excels in its supply of cheap unskilled labour, which is great for assembly plants, but poor for software houses. In fact, by local standards, skilled labour can be quite expensive due to the short supply (though that’s being slowly rectified) and heavy demand as more and more internationals set themselves up in China. There are quite a few stories of people sent over from Europe and the US to get things going for the “first few years” who are still stuck over there as they can’t find any skilled local replacements who’ll stay.
I imagine the main reason Novell set up a subsidiary in China is because they hope that the Chinese government (which, lets not forget, controls everything) will be more likely to buy software from a Chinese subsidiary than a purely western company like RedHat. However given the lack of value put on software in the country thanks to mass piracy, and the availability of free-in-cost alternatives that can be customised, I don’t think they’ll do as well as they hoped. Look at what happened to Sun’s famous Linux Desktop deal.
Linux on the desktop never made it. It’s a failure because there is no linux operating system. People that want a desktop Unix are using OSX.
Novell needs to concentrate on the server so it can compete with Solaris and the BSDs.
>Linux on the desktop never made it. It’s a failure
>because there is no linux operating system. People that
>want a desktop Unix are using OSX.
Most stupid opinion I’ve seen in a long time. I know probably a dozen people that use Linux for their desktop and have for years – just inside my circle of friends.
If you can’t use Linux on the desktop, it’s because you’ve decided that you must use some product or products that you can’t apparently live without. Not because you can’t for some technical reason.
Why not keeping infrastructure in the own country ? They dropped people in US, dropped people in EU but opened in INDIA and now CHINA. Ok for the costs it’s of course a pro argument but for the own income and tax or the entire IT infrastructure for US it’s a big mega con. This shouldn’t be celebrated or anounced as something great – this in my opinion is a nightmare. And to clear this up of course I don’t have anything against chinese people.