“Corel’s aggressive Linux alliance-building programme – six
deals in five weeks – shows no sign of slowing down, with the
Tuesday announcement of Corel having taken up to a 30 per cent
stake in Ottawa-based OE/ONE.com for an undisclosed sum. No wonder
Corel thinks it has only done five deals, according to its Q4
financial statement, although that was issued only hours after the
OE/ONE deal….”
“What are we to make of this? Is it as straightforward as the
company avows: building its Linux business? Most of the alliance
partners are small start-ups, some with historical links through
former Corel people or former Corel development products that did
not make it. There are so many start-ups in the Linux world,
including some bigger and healthier ones, that perceptions and
clout will prove to be important in the survival stakes. In this
respect, Corel as an alliance partner may not be a bad thing.
Cowpland said in the quarterly results analysts call that Corel
will not be directly helping alliance partners with sales calls,
but might provide some marketing assistance and use of the Corel
help-desk set-up.”
“The future of Corel’s Linux alliance programme will ultimately
depend on Corel’s performance. With only four profitable quarters
in four of the last eleven quarters, the situation is still a
little shaky, although the quarter just reported will calm some
nervousness.”