Today Novell announced that Ron Hovsepian is to succeed Jack Messman as CEO. So Novell - what took you so long! For months there has been pressure from stockholders to oust Mr. Messman because of failure of strategy to return Novell to growth.
The strategy to embrace Linux and Open Source seems sound, but there has been a lack of success at Novell. Last year Novell cut 10% of the work force (I was part of that) and kept promising that Novell would return to growth. However just last May Novell reported disappointing results that wiped more than a fifth from the company's share price.
In my opinion 66 year old Messman just lacked the energy and leadership to turn Novell around. I am excited about Ron Hovsepian, a former IBM executive, who is 45 years old. He has the sales background, enthusiasm, and excitement to really make a difference. If you've ever been to Brainshare and listened to Ho Hum Messman, you know what I'm talking about. Mr Hovsepian has the spark that is so much needed at Novell right now. Novell lost that spark when Chris Stone departed Novell back in November of 2005. Stone was instrumental in Novell's acquisition of two Linux companies, Ximian and SUSE Linux. Novell declined to comment on the reasons for Stone's departure. Back then Novell appeared to be finally making the right moves and Brainshare sessions were the most attended and upbeat I had seen in a long time. After Chris left, the energy left with him.
Now the question is can Novell take this new energy and execute? Novell customers are the most loyal and faithful customers around. But the customers are barely hanging on by a thread. Novell has lost so much credibility. The faithful are mostly the techies and not the decision makers. I know. I'm now a Novell faithful customer / techie, but the big M Migration is looming around the corner and I'm afraid it may be too late in my own IT world to stop it. I'm sure other Novell techie customers are feeling the same heat. Novell has the best technology, but Novell is becoming a non issue.
However, with Microsoft losing key execs, and Bill Gates announcing his departure in the very near future, and with the delay of MS Windows Vista, Novell has bought time with this new accouncement and may have found the spark to help generate new sales. Wall Street likes this move. I know the customers will like this move. C'mon Novell!! What took you so freakin long! We're cheering for you! Let's execute!!!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
SUSE Linux and MS Vista - Head to Head Compare
This is a great article from CRN as they take the pre-release of Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 and Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2 on a head-tohead comparison.
Read the Article
Conclusion from the Article:
"The basic question here is, can solution providers count on Linux to fill the gaps? The simple answer is yes.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 has the feature set, compatibility and flexibility to meet the needs of most corporate desktop users. What's more, at a price point roughly one-tenth of what Vista and Office 2007 will cost, SUSE Linux becomes harder to ignore.
That said, there still will be challenges. Channel players will need to train employees and customers on Linux, equivalent applications may not exist in the Linux world to meet line-of-business needs, and inherent complexities can slow the adoption of Linux.
Microsoft delivers what corporate desktop users need as well, but also provides "the comfort of an old friend" factor, since most users are familiar with Windows".
Read the Article
Conclusion from the Article:
"The basic question here is, can solution providers count on Linux to fill the gaps? The simple answer is yes.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 has the feature set, compatibility and flexibility to meet the needs of most corporate desktop users. What's more, at a price point roughly one-tenth of what Vista and Office 2007 will cost, SUSE Linux becomes harder to ignore.
That said, there still will be challenges. Channel players will need to train employees and customers on Linux, equivalent applications may not exist in the Linux world to meet line-of-business needs, and inherent complexities can slow the adoption of Linux.
Microsoft delivers what corporate desktop users need as well, but also provides "the comfort of an old friend" factor, since most users are familiar with Windows".
Friday, June 09, 2006
Ethereal changes name to Wireshark
Yes this is true. The world's most popular network protocol analyzer has changed names from Ethereal to Wireshark. Gerald Combs, founder of the Ethereal project announced that he's changing jobs, moving to a new location, and taking the project and its core developers with him.
So why the name change?
Combs former employer, NIS, registered the Ethereal trademarks and now there is no agreement on who gets the trademarks so the trademarks stay with NIS. Combs is accepting a job with CACE Technologies, best known for WinPcap, and they will continue development on Ethereal, but the name will be changed to Wireshark.
Read more about it.
http://www.wireshark.org
http://www.ethereal.com
So why the name change?
Combs former employer, NIS, registered the Ethereal trademarks and now there is no agreement on who gets the trademarks so the trademarks stay with NIS. Combs is accepting a job with CACE Technologies, best known for WinPcap, and they will continue development on Ethereal, but the name will be changed to Wireshark.
Read more about it.
http://www.wireshark.org
http://www.ethereal.com
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