Novell Launches Desktop Linux

Novell today finally shipped its long-awaited desktop version of Linux. Dubbed Novell Linux Desktop 9, the operating system completes Novell's objective of fielding a complete product lineup ranging from desktops to servers, and sits alongside the company's flagship SuSE Linux Enterprise Server OS.

The Desktop 9 offering incorporates code Novell has drawn from its recent acquisitions of SuSE and Ximian, which gave the company a solid base of OS technology and of open-source desktop software, respectively.

On the marketing front, the OS gives Novell a mainstream desktop product with which to compete against open-source rival Red Hat (Novell currently offers a desktop SuSE-based OS, but it's positioned as a "user friendly" product rather than as an enterprise offering.) At the same time, Novell doesn't see the Desktop 9 as a "Microsoft killer," acknowledging that customers may need a few more years until they cotton on to the idea of Linux on the client.

"They're being very pragmatic in not trying to set too great of an expectation," says Gary Hein, senior analyst at IT researchers Burton Group in Midvale, Utah. "I don't think it's going to change the market overnight." However, Hein believes the OS could ultimately capture 1 percent of the overall desktop market. That small number isn't insignificant, because it's often cited as the rough total market share for all Linux desktop distributions combined.

For Novell, which will sell Desktop 9 for $50 with one year of support included, the pitch to the channel centers on integration."This should be very compelling to a lot of resellers because not only can they get Linux across the board, but they can get classic Novell services, too," says Ted Haeger, Novell's director of marketing. "What we see as the product's distinguishing factor is it's built on SuSE Linux, which is the security-hardened version, and it's backed by Novell."

The product's appeal will likely be boosted by Novell's decision to bundle a rich set of applications and productivity tools with the basic OS. The Desktop 9 package includes a copy of OpenOffice.org, the open-source office suite that's compatible with Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint file formats. The OS also is bundled with Mozilla Firefox, the open-source Web browser that has lately gained ground over Microsoft's Internet Explorer because it incorporates a pop-up ad blocker.

On the administrative side, Desktop 9 is integrated with Novell's ZENworks Linux management program. This helps IT departments remotely deploy, control and patch the OS across their enterprises. According to analyst Hein, "It [Desktop 9] looks very similar to a lot of the other [Linux] desktop distributions. What they've done is given a lot of attention to stability, and to making it easy to install and manage."

Novell's big desktop announcement comes a scant four days after the company announced the departure of vice chairman Chris Stone. Stone, who was with the company less than three years and had been influential in Novell's acquisition of SuSE, said in a statement that he was leaving to "pursue other professional opportunities." Stone will receive $2 million in cash severance payments from Novell during the next 18 months.

A Novell spokesman declined to provide any additional comments on Stone's departure. "Our Linux strategy remains full-speed ahead," the spokesman told VARBusiness. "Jack Messman will take over Chris' responsibilities on an interim basis."Stone remains widely respected throughout the industry. "Chris Stone has played a key role in the acceleration of Linux," Stuart Cohen, CEO of Open Source Development Labs, the Linux consortium in Beaverton, Ore., said in a statement.

"He should be given a lot of credit for moving Novell into the Linux domain," Hein adds. "But Novell has a very good Linux team now. His departure is going to have more of an effect on how they're perceived, rather than on their Linux execution."