Bonum Certa Men Certa

Novell News Summary - Part III: PlateSpin, GWAVA, Security, People, and Partnerships

Lionhead rock



THERE are many news articles listed here, but none are important in the sense that they really change much. For those who insist on reading on, we only warn that it might be dull.



Misc.



The first report that we deal with suggests that Novell might be dumped for Google in the City of Los Angeles, California. Google is also based in California, but this is unlikely to be related.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was asked on Friday to weigh potential privacy and security risks before allowing the City of Los Angeles to ditch Microsoft and Novell for Google.


Forrester, of Microsoft infamy, wrote about office suites and mentioned Novell as a sleeping contender.



Can Office 2010 save the franchise? Or will a simpler, better customer experience from Google draw in a bigger audience before next summer? And what does it mean for the bit players, independents, and sleepers like the Open Office suites from IBM/Lotus, Novell, and Sun, or for Adobe, Zoho, Thinkfree, Corel …



Finance



Novell's stock is not doing too badly. As the market fluctuates, Novell continues to be mentioned every now and then. See for example:

i. Overnight MarketWatch

Tech stocks made ground with Microsoft, IBM and Apple putting on 1%, 0.9% and 0.8% respectively. Hewlett-Packard gained 1.1%, while Novell and Oracle shed 1.4% and 1.1%.


ii. Market Winners & Losers: AIG, CIT



Novell Inc. (NOVL) Novell closed the session down 1.2% to start the week, bucking sector trends. NOVL last traded at $4.21, a loss of 5 cents on the day.



iii. Market Winners & Losers: Starbucks, Allegheny Technologies



Novell Inc. (NOVL)

The software company helped keep the Nasdaq in positive territory Wednesday, with shares closing up 7.1%. NOVL last traded at $4.68, a gain of 31 cents on the day.



Netware



Novell's Netware was mentioned almost nowhere except this new page about the Lexmark C736dn.

Fortunately, software setup is much more straightforward and the drivers for PCL 6 and Postscript Level 3, both in emulation, together with a monitoring applet, install easily. This printer has drivers available for Windows from 2000 onwards, OSX, a wide range of Linux variants, Novell NetWare and Sun, HP and IBM versions of UNIX. There aren't many places this printer won't fit.


A new Web filtering product has Novell mentioned in the accompanying press release.

LDAP Synchronization with Novell eDirectory (Novell NetWare 6.5) - Netsweeper can now use the LDAP protocol to access your Novell eDirectory group and user information, such that changes to an eDirectory management system automatically update the Netsweeper user and group database. (Previously, Netsweeper could only synchronize with Active Directory users and groups through LDAP.)


Virtualisation



The news about PlateSpin migration is a little antiquated by now, but here are Novell's PR people bringing PlateSpin back to the centre.



Business Service Manager 4.6 also marks a milestone in the integration of Novell’s PlateSpin workload and virtualization management solutions with our business service management solutions — a new PlateSpin Recon adapter is now available for customers to integrate PlateSpin virtualization information into the Business Service Manager analytical and dashboard environment.

[...]

In addition, Business Service Manager 4.6 has added support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, as well as Microsoft Windows 2008 Server.



ITWeb fell behind somewhat, so only days ago it covered the announcement about PlateSpin Migrate.

The company said Platespin Migrate 8.1 is a significant update for customers using Solaris Containers, a form of operating system-level virtualisation.


Novell was mentioned in more articles regarding virtualisation, but mostly as just a minor player, e.g. in:

i. Microsoft Vs VMware: A 'cloud' war of Titans?



Some call VMware a one-trick pony trying to joust with a giant in the backyard. Some say, it's a stallion that will only get stronger as it sweats it out in the real race. So are we sniffing a Novell Vs Microsoft deja vu even as both the companies are surrounded with technology, customer and competition troubles on their own. We try to understand all that and more in this 'twin plate'. Bringing both the rivals together as they prefer not to answer direct questions about each other.



ii. Big Blue animates VM control freak



Look out, VMware. And Citrix Systems. And Microsoft. And Red Hat. And Novell. And Oracle. Here comes IBM crashing the server virtualization management party.



iii. REVIEW: Citrix XenServer 5.5 Is a Good Choice for Cash-Strapped Organizations

With Version 5.5, XenServer now offers support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3, Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 and Debian Lenny. XenCenter also now provides a view that puts resources such as physical hosts, virtual machines, snapshots and storage repositories into folders, and resources can be tagged to create groupings of resources for reporting purposes.


iv. Citrix: A long run to VMware



Citrix is playing the best hand it can put together, just like Novell. Time will tell if either of them can take on their respective opposing juggernauts and make a real run for the money, not just a technical race.


v. Green Subsidies For SaaS

In practice, this means that the purchase of software for virtualization from vendors like VMware ( VMW - news - people ), Citrix and Novell ( NOVL - news - people ) as well as thin client technology from Sun Microsystems ( JAVA - news - people ) is being subsidized by these programs. The logic behind the subsidies is that companies should be given assistance and incentives to make investments that permanently reduce the amount of energy they use.


Mail



There was nothing about GroupWise this time around, but GWAVA made a couple of appearances:

i. GWAVA Announces GWAVACon EMEA in 2009



GWAVA is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its GWAVACon conference in Berlin October 17-19, 2009. Early bird pricing is available through August 15th.


ii. GWAVA Releases Retain 1.7 With Free Stubbing Edition



GWAVA is pleased to announce a new release of its popular Retain product. As part of this release, GWAVA is offering a free stubbing edition of Retain for any customers wishing to try the stubbing technology. Retain is GWAVA's email archiving and retention software designed for Novell GroupWise.


Management



According to eWeek, Novell enters fog computing with identity and access management (also mentioned here).

Novell is unveiling a cloud-based security service to perform identity and access management for hosted applications and hosted storage. The vendor plans to unveil the technology next week at a conference in San Diego.


On a similar or at least related matter, Novell's Alan Murray gets quoted in here:

“Today's data centers are heterogeneous environments with multiple masters and stakeholders, but in order for any organization to make decisions or analyze business performance these mixed environments need to work together simply and seamlessly,” said Alan Murray, vice president of product management at Novell. “Novell is a strong supporter of the Configuration Management Database Federation (CMDBf) standard, because it facilities the interoperability of data from multiple points of view. With a comprehensive view of the entire IT environment, administrators can utilize configuration data to streamline management tasks, resolve issues and, most importantly, effectively manage the components in their IT infrastructure.”


Security



The Burton Group is no reputable entity, but this does not prevent Novell from hooking up with it.

Novell will unveil the industry's first cloud computing security service that provides identity and access management for hosted applications and hosted storage, as well as a compliance reporting suite, at the upcoming Burton Group Catalyst Conference, July 29 - 31 in San Diego. Based on more than 60 cloud-related patents and patent applications, the Novell(R) Cloud Security Service enables Cloud Providers and Software as a Service (SaaS) vendors to ensure their offerings meet the strict security and compliance standards required by global businesses.


A vulnerability recently discovered in Novell Access Manager is still giving them a lot of flak.

Bad news was reported regarding Novell Access Manager. A vulnerability has been discovered in this software program. Remote attackers with an aim to compromise a vulnerable system, could exploit this vulnerability and obtain unauthorized access to arbitrary files and sensitive information on the system.


People



There are many things happening here. First of all, Novell's PR people brag about Justin Steinman, who is in marketing.

Novell marketing guru Justin Steinman has just been named a finalist for the 2009 Mass Technology Leadership Council’s Leadership Awards in the Emerging Executives category. The Leadership Awards honor Massachusetts companies and individuals who best exemplify leadership and excellence in business and technology.


This is also mentioned here, here, and here.

We also find former Novell employees making their move, e.g.:

i. New Management Team for Search Engine Factory, SurfRay

Board Member Ken Tomassen is Managing Director of Novell in Denmark, Finland, Norway and The Middle East. Prior to his career at Novell, which began in 2004, he worked for IBM Software Group for 10 years where he was responsible for software sales in Denmark and key accounts in the Nordic Region. He was also stationed in Paris with responsibility for software sales to SMBs in EMEA.


ii. Download DABCC Live Episode 2: Aternity Optimizing Virtual Reality - Desktop Virtualization Management and Monitoring Webinar



Before joining InterSystems, Matz was president and CEO of Route Link for eight years, a leading systems integration and groupware development company that he founded and managed. Prior to founding Route Link, he was vice president of Mashov Computers, the exclusive Novell distributor in Israel, where he was responsible for Novell's Israeli operations. His background includes more than twenty years of technical, marketing and sales management experience in the IT industry.


iii. S2 Intelligence's McCabe joins KPMG

McCabe has advised 90 of Australia's top 100 corporations and state and federal governments. He started his career in marketing and management roles with IBM and Novell before moving into research with IDC and Gartner. He started S2 Intelligence in 2002.


iv. Karl Strauss and GreenHouse Partner to Create Alternative Fuel from Beer Waste

EFuel is run by Tom Quinn, the inventor of the Nintendo Wii controller and former President of Novell. The Company also offers consumers effective home improvement products that not only improve the environment, but also reduce energy bills and maintenance expenses. The company offers a diverse product line that includes 'on-site, off-the-grid' power plants, Envision Solar, GreenFiber insulation, CoolWall exterior coating, and several lines of energy-efficient windows.


One notable move occurs at Univa (also listed here) where EMEA leadership will have roots at Novell.

Malaperiman has over 15 years experience in technology strategy and sales for some of the most successful IT companies in existence, including VMware and Novell. As head of Univa's operations in EMEA, Patrick Malaperiman will oversee strategic business and sales in these key regions, where Univa is experiencing significant increases in demand.


More here.

Malaperiman has over 15 years experience in technology strategy and sales for IT companies, including VMware and Novell. As head of Univa's operations in EMEA, Patrick Malaperiman will oversee strategic business and sales in these key regions, where Univa is experiencing increases in demand.


Dell gets a small portion of Novell staff as well.

So the hiring of Reynolds, who has spent 17 years in channel operations at Novell, Trend Micro and Palo Alto Networks, could very well signal a change for Dell—one that shows that Dell really is serious about adding professionals with channel DNA to the team.


A reference to Eric Schmidt at Novell appears at Information Week:

For business users, however, the story has been much different. Microsoft has used its operating system dominance to create what's been an elegant and unrivaled marriage of office productivity applications, e-mail, and now collaboration with SharePoint. Google CEO Eric Schmidt has done this dance with Microsoft during his stints at Sun and Novell and knows better than to take on Microsoft at the business user's desktop.


Novell people will participate in the Bomgar Roadshow (also found here).

“The Bomgar Roadshow agenda has been designed to drive efficiency and manage web-based support initiatives in demanding times. Participating in this event are executive members from Novell, Bomgar, Enterprise Management Associates and the CIO community. For individuals looking to address industry concerns and maximize the business value of peer-to-peer discussions, the roadshows will provide the resources and opportunity to gain significant business value,” said Glenn Willis, EVP, CIO Roadshows.


Partners



Novell IT tests are go a little further.

The Pearson VUE advanced computer-based testing system administers exams for leading IT certification programs such as Cisco€®, CompTIA€®, Citrix€®, Novell€® and others through a global network of quality test centers.


A company called Search Laboratory turns out to be working for Novell on subverting search engines.

Search Laboratory, whose clients include Novell, Jet2.com, TSG and LifeSize, was chosen after the company was able to demonstrate its expertise in Business to Business search marketing.


Novell is mentioned in the context of Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) and it also participates in (and is thus mentioned in) the new lobby for FOSS in the United States. Novell's PR people mentioned this the other day.

Minor mentions of Novell (mostly in press releases of other companies) can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Video



Technical videos continue to be thrown onto YouTube. This new one comes from an obscure user, but NovellServices, which is a Novell account, has just put up there some more tutorials, namely:



Next week will be interesting for Novell because of the bankruptcy proceedings of SCO. ⬆

Recent Techrights' Posts

European Patent Office (EPO) Series: Temporary Public Office or Permanent Personal Feather-Bed?
there are no visible signs that the Administrative Council has the slightest interest in contemplating a change in leadership at the EPO
Brigading Against Women - Part IV - Death Threats, Threats to Women, and Threats for Pointing Out, Correctly and Based on Hard Evidence, That Garrett and Lozza Talk to Each Other About Me Every Year (for 4 Years)
Brett Wilson LLP too is a toxic manosphere
Making Oneself Obsolete With Slop
Dr. Lemire also puts on display a degree of hypocrisy
 
Gemini Links 26/09/2026: Computer Cases Dreary, Web Drowning in Botspam
Links for the day
Reform UK auditor: Electoral Commission accounts, Companies House accounts, a going concern or not?
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
More GAFAM Layoffs at Apple, Second Time in Weeks (Silent Layoffs Silently Target Older and "More Expensive" Staff)
How many layoffs happen at Apple silently and go unreported or very scarcely reported?
Gemini Links 26/09/2026: Rant About Slop Ruining Crafts (Drowning the Signal With Plagiarism) and "Going Mechanical"
Links for the day
Links 26/09/2026: Microsoft Says Notification Data Breach/Surveillance Hole There by Design, EU Rapidly Dumping Microsoft for Digital Sovereignty
Links for the day
The Former Linux News Site ostechnix.com is LLM Slop
Please do not link to sites that promote and/or spread slop
Links 26/09/2026: Volkswagen Recalling ~50,000 Cars, US Attacks Its Own Media
Links for the day
Brigading Against Women - Part III - Racism Looms Large, Not Just Sexism
threats from a racist
Microsoft CEO Calls Layoffs "Streamlining" and Says Microsoft Layoffs Are "Great to See"
The lack of honesty here is only to be expected from Microsoft
Media silence deafening as Reform UK on brink of administration
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 26/09/2026: Travel, Group Insurance Death Spiral, Stargazing, and Lagrange Meets LLM Slop
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 25, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, September 25, 2026
Longtime Symbol of Microsoft's XBox Franchise, Halo, Down to Barely 20 People
The purge is huge, far bigger than submissive media cares to point out
EPO Meeting Ran Out of Time to Discuss the Scabs ('Young Professionals')
EPO staff representatives in The Hague meet a member of the 'cocaine cabinet'
The Register MS Promotes Slop for Banned Companies That Put Chinese Back Doors in Things, "AI" Mentioned 37 Times in One Page!
taking money from the undemocratic state and its surveillance outfits
Microsoft Attacked European Courts and Jurists, Now Europe Dumps Microsoft
This is because GNU/Linux is technically better, but the political factors contribute to that as well
Julian Assange Ready to Talk More (After More Than a Decade of Arbitrary, Unjust Confinement)
Two years ago, upon his release, his wife said he'd need some time off before properly or fully returning to the public eye
IEEE Tribute to Richard Stallman, Michael Tiemann, Linus Torvalds, Larry Augustin, Eric S. Raymond, Bruce Perens, Frank Hecker and Brian Behlendorf (Revolution OS Showing)
Live shortly
Winding Up Racists
What happens next shall be interesting
Links 25/09/2026: Selling Rogue, Defective Bots as "Agents" Results in PR Fiasco and Breaches; Russian 'Hybrid Attack' and "How Russia Evades Sanctions"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/09/2026: Arvelie Calendar, 44net, Pebbles, and Building the Bagel Concert Finder
Links for the day
A Microsoft Lunduke OS (LCOS) is Not Even in Top 100 in DisroWatch, Microsoft Lunduke Just Games the Numbers Like Linspire Did (and Got 'Banned' for It)
Linspire used to send people to 'its' DisroWatch page to make the illusion of popularity
Large Wave of IBM PIPs, the RAs Wave Comes After 'Low-Hanging' Fruit (Families) Disposed of
PIPs are the new RAs
Links 25/09/2026: Carcinogen Atrazine Pollutes Americans' Bodies, "Donald the Deadbeat Does Diesel", and Anger Over Data Centres Grows
Links for the day
Theory That Microsoft Cheapens Its Workforce to Push Workers Out on Their Own (Theory Advanced by Insider)
people work longer hours for less, i.e. their hourly salary is decreasing
Daniel Pocock Makes It Into Mainstream Media Again (Going After Racists)
American bigots funding blatant and shameless racists here in the UK
Tackling Racism in the United Kingdom (Racism Funded by Americans) Using the Courts
We'll talk about racism my wife and I experienced in the events leading up to litigation
Another Woman (or Women) Has Just Run Away From Brett Wilson LLP (After Barely a Month!), the Hired Guns of Garrett and Graveley (Microsoft)
They call this phenomenon "death spiral"
SLAPP Censorship - Part 200 Out of 200: Will GNU Boot Undo the Technical Damage Caused by Microsoft and Garrett? (And Garrett's Litigation Allies From Microsoft)
Today we publish the final part of this series
US Government Sites Can Now Totally Ignore Mozilla Firefox Users or Users of Firefox Derivatives
Firefox, now at 1.1% in the US (based on American government sites), has sunken to the point of no return
Things Not to Measure in Quantity Alone
More patents do not beget greater innovation
Even Microsoft Boosters Start to Doubt XBox Will Exist (It's Being Phased Out, Just Not "Officially")
This is how to phase out a business unit without officially saying so (as it might alarm investors)
Omarchy is Built on the Idea That Slop is Desirable (It's Not)
They call bots and plagiarism "agents" and "training"
IBM is Shrinking Very Fast (Silent, Unannounced Layoffs)
IBM and Microsoft both avoid WARN notices by compelling staff to leave or silently removing them with some NDA
In Some Parts of Microsoft 50% of All Staff Subjected to Layoffs, Media Pretends Only 0.1% of Staff Are Removed
This really says a lot about the state of today's so-called 'media'
SLAPP Censorship - Part 199 Out of 200: An American Burden on the British Legal System
A year ago (October 2025) the head of media (Jointly in Charge of the Media and Communications List), the judge in the Garrett case, said that this case was a waste of the court's money
EPO Management Wants Everything to be Done in Microsoft Spyware
In reality, this management should be ousted for normalising cocaine at the Office
Criminalising Opposition to Fraud
slop causes social issues
The Register MS Does Not Properly Flag Its SPAM About Slop
Signs of desperation
Gemini Links 25/09/2026: Ljubljana, Tanana River, and Curse of Slack
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, September 24, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, September 24, 2026
Supporters of winding-up process staking claims against Reform UK Party (CR-2026-007405)
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Winding-up petition leaked before service on Reform UK Party Limited / Nigel Farage
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 24/09/2026: Laziness, Outdoor Seating, "AngelNova’s Interview Malware and Its North Korea Connection"
Links for the day
Links 24/09/2026: Slop "Linked to Disturbing Culture of Sexual Assault"; "Zelensky Warns Russia’s War Will Expand if It Is Not Ended Soon"
Links for the day
Winding-up petition served on Reform UK Party Limited (Nigel Farage)
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Appliances Should be Dumb
Any "Smart Home Appliance" is basically a thing that does not last long, does not work as advertised, and is generally unfit for purpose
SLAPP Censorship - Part 198 Out of 200: It Sounds Like Garrett is Now Sending People to Silence Critics (Including His Own Spouse)
This week Garrett is having a somewhat karmic experience
Links 24/09/2026: Slop Contaminating KDE, Slop-Focused Data Centres Have Severe Environmental Impact
Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 197 Out of 200: Garrett Became So Poor That He Wants Others (in Another Continent) to Pay for His Own Legal Work Being Faulty
They lie to courts
The Register MS Has Become a Slopfest
This is the behaviour of a perishing publisher
Gemini Links 24/09/2026: Requiem for a Season, Philosophy, Rube-Goldberg Machine, ROOPHLOCH 2026, and Git over Gemini
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, September 23, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, September 23, 2026