Novell's acquisition of open-source start-up Ximian almost a year ago marked a turning point for the networking giant. Losing out to Microsoft in the struggle for domination of the network operating-system market precipitated a downward slide that saw the company pushed to the peripheries of directory and security software.
But the rise and rise of Linux, together with some savvy management by newly appointed chief executive Jack Messman, offered the side-lined firm a much needed toe-hold back into the big league. Snapping up Ximian, a provider of desktop and network management software for Linux and Unix, followed closely by the SuSE Linux distribution, at a stroke put the former proprietary provider into the bosom of the open-source community.
Through Ximian's Desktop software, exchange-compatible groupware application Evolution, and Red Carpet software-management tool, Novell has the potential to make serious in-roads into Microsoft's domination of the desktop. The main offensive will begin this summer with the launch of Novell's business desktop which will combine the best of Ximian's management tools with SuSE's desktop product.
Novell is also pushing forward two high-profile initiatives in which Ximian and its developers have played a central role: Gnome, one of the two main graphical user environments used with Linux and Unix desktops, and Mono, which allows applications written using Microsoft .Net to run on Unix and Linux. Novell's Mono is due to start shipping in late July although the product is already available as a test download.
ZDNet UK caught up with ex-Ximian chief executive David Patrick, now Novell's general manager responsible for the resource management, and Alan Murray, director of Novell Resource Management, to discuss the repercussions of the acquisition 12 months down the line and plans to inject competition back into the desktop.
What do you see as the major inhibitors of greater penetration of desktop Linux and what is Novell doing to overcome them?
Patrick: We are working on our next-generation Linux desktop, we are going to take the best from SuSE Desktop and Ximian's into one, along with adding Novell's product functionality into a new product due to ship later this year. City of Munich has confirmed that they are holding tight now with their decision to go for Linux.
