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OPINION: Novell Buys Unix, Again: Page 2 of 2

To me, the SuSE purchase is notable on several fronts. First, it is (yet another) a victory for the open source movement and shows how serious the commercial software players have become in trying to compete with -- and actually sell -- their products. The recording industry isn't the only one worried about freely distributed software. Why should enterprises pay for their application, Web, and database servers when they can get a perfectly good and free thing from the open source community? IBM has been singing out of the open source hymnal for quite some time, but this represents a very big and obvious push forward for them. If Novell and IBM can make good on their promises, they might have a shot at showing why customers should pony up some cash for Linux servers.

Second, the purchase could signal the final deconstruction of Netware's services, and the end of the Netware era as a recognizable file/print server. Some would claim that the Netware era ended somewhere around 1996, when the Web and Windows whipsawed IT departments into submission. But SuSE's integration into Novell could make it harder for anyone to recognize what Netware has become, and make it irrelevant as its services get placed on other platforms. Who cares what operating system is running on your file and print servers these days, as long as you can share these resources around your network? It isn't important. We have come to expect that all of these services can run on anything across the corporate network, and IT managers can swap out a server or consolidate them and still provide the same functions and services across the board. Netware, Windows and Linux offer the same features: file sharing, printers, directory management, et al. What matters is can I get to my applications, can I put up a new Web server that has access to my databases, and can my customers update their accounts over the Internet without having to load some special software?

Buying Unix was the beginning of many distractions for Novell, including trying to move Netware to a wider variety of platforms and adding TCP/IP protocol support to the product line. The company has never recovered from those glory days of the early 1990s. One can only hope that the second time is the charm for Novell. It has a shot with a solid foundation of Linux products in today's world that runs on TCP/IP and the Internet. The trick will be convincing people that they still need the collection of Netware services and products to get the job done, rather than going the freeware open source route.