| Can Novell lift the Linux Desktop to the next level? |
by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (Mar. 9, 2006)
For a while now, Novell has produced some great Linux desktops, like the OpenSUSE line. At the same time, though, Novell insisted that for businesses, its only desktop interest was in thin-client-style worker-bee desktops, like its Novell Linux Desktop.
To quote Jack Messman, Novell's chairman and CEO, "Novell Linux Desktop is not about the wholesale replacement of your Windows systems, but rather it's about identifying where and when an open-source desktop can be a sensible, cost-effective alternative."
Things have changed.
First, Novell's new CTO, Jeff Jaffe, recently said that the Linux desktop is "about to take off. As I see it, if you segment the market, there are those for whom the Linux desktop has been fine for the past few years -- fixed function, transactional users, thin clients -- but I think what we are about to see is adoption by the basic office worker."
Which was nice of him to say, but saying it's a good idea isn't the same thing as saying you're going to put a product in people's hands.
Then, things really changed.
At the CeBIT 2006 tradeshow in Hannover, Germany, Novell announced its replacement for the Novell Linux Desktop, the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop.
Instead of a desktop for line-workers who only have one job to do, the next-generation desktop is, according to Novell, a comprehensive, full-function desktop containing enhanced power management, integrated desktop search, high-performance graphical interfaces, and numerous application improvements.
In case you don't see what Novell is doing here, Greg Mancusi-Ungaro, a director of Linux and open source at Novell, made it clear in an interview with eWEEK's Peter Galli that Vista is the target.
In a statement, Novell executive VP and CTO Jeff Jaffe said, "With (the) SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, we are now positioned to serve the sweet spot of the market, the general office worker."
With this "introduction of SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop, Novell is keeping a promise it made last year, to invest in delivering a desktop that is designed for the business user, rather than for experienced Linux users," said Gary Barnett, research director at Ovum.
Again, those are all nice words, but exactly what it is that Novell is proposing to deliver?
From what, I can see, the new desktop is not meant to be the ultimate Linux desktop -- it's meant to be a drop-in replacement for an existing Windows business desktop.
So, for example, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop integrates seamlessly with existing Active Directory networks. It will also include support for Lotus Notes applications, databases, and email via IBM's planned Lotus Notes Application plug-in for the IBM Workplace Client Technology.
Despite rumors you may have heard, a true Lotus Notes client for Linux is still more of a dream than a plan. The Workplace Client Notes plug-in is a great improvement over the Web-based iNotes interface that Linux users have been stuck with until now. The bundled groupware client, Evolution, has long supported Exchange email and calandering.
In addition, Novell has worked on OpenOffice.org 2.02's interoperability with Microsoft Office. The Novell version will support many Visual Basic macros and Excel pivot tables.
There are other improvements. I'll doubtlessly be reviewing them in beta once I get my hands on a copy. These include -- take that Vista Aero -- Xgl-based 3-D graphics support. Those features are almost beside the point. The real goal of this release is to beat Vista to the office.
Even if you think I'm dead wrong about Vista's technical defects, I think anyone who knows office IT has to conclude that Novell is on to something.
Let's look at the facts. The new Novell desktop is an inexpensive -- less than 10 percent of the cost of XP and Office combined -- modern business operating system and office suite that will run on existing hardware and work with existing Microsoft Office documents, and can drop right in on existing W2K or Server 2003-based networks.
I don't know about you, but I think any office IT decision maker must take the SUSE Enterprise Linux Desktop seriously when it comes time to put the XP, W2K, and older desktop operating systems out to pasture. It just makes too much dollars and cents sense to ignore.
 About the author: Ziff Davis Internet editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has been using and writing about technology and business since the late '80s and thinks he may just have learned something about them along the
way.
Do you have comments on this story?
Talkback here
NOTE: Please post your comments regarding our articles using the above link. Be sure to use this article's title as the "Subject" in your posts. Before you create a new thread, please check to see if a discussion thread is already running on the article you plan to comment on. Thanks!
Related stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
