NewsFactor: Does Novell Have the Will and Muscle To Make Ximian the Next Windows Killer?

“Novell’s acquisition of Linux software vendor Ximian is
interesting on several levels and in several product areas. One of
the most intriguing components of the software stable that Novell
purchased is Ximian Desktop. Novell’s heritage at the network level
and the fact that the Linux desktop market is still in its infancy
prompt the question of whether Novell will be able to turn the
promising product into a formidable competitor of Windows and the
Mac OS.

“Although some experts see Ximian Desktop becoming ancillary to
Novell’s Linux strategy, that is not the position that Novell
itself is taking. Indeed, Novell clearly intends to compete on the
desktop and already is mapping a strategy to do so.

“‘We’re not going after Microsoft, and we’re not going after
Sun,’ Alan Nugent, chief technology officer at Novell, told
NewsFactor. Nugent did admit, however, that the product would
‘naturally’ compete with Windows. ‘It doesn’t matter what
technology you pick, you compete against Microsoft,’ Nugent
said…”

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