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

UKIP TV (GBNoise) Covers Challengers to UKIP Nigel, Daniel Pocock Mentioned
Way to get noticed
 
Misleading Coverage in Slashdot Promotes and Openwashes Slop
Piggybacking RMS for the headline seems like a PR stunt of sorts
As Envisioned, a Rebellion and Many Whistleblowers at Microsoft
Whistleblowers ensure Microsoft has totally lost control of the "narrative" (face-saving PR)
Microsoft is a Right-Wing Company
Just remember that when people call Microsoft "woke"
GNU/Linux "Market Share" Rises to About a Quarter in Sudan
Can anyone explain to us why?
Gemini Links 19/07/2026: Visiting Ethiopia, Two Dreams, and Price of Skinnerboxes
Links for the day
Tears in IBM, Company Falls Apart While Management Fakes "Performance" to Take Bonuses
Wall Street is a naked emperor
Telling Our Story
In the coming years we'll have some high-impact stories to share and generally tell without fear of reprisal
Microsoft XBox Studio Leaders Upset at What the New CEO Did
From what we can gather, in 2024 XBox was already entering what's known as a "death spiral". Now it's literally moving down the drain/pipe.
IRC Started in Finland, GNU/Linux Did Not
History is like that
GNU/Linux Rises to 8% in Bhutan, Same as the International Average
Taking note of estimated GNU/Linux share in that country, we see it hovering around the international median/average this month
Links 19/07/2026: "The Voice of Google" and "Chinese Surveillance Tech a Threat to Privacy"
Links for the day
Keep Both Eyes on the Ball
At the moment we have six series running in parallel; two of them concern the EPO
'Journalists' Who Help IBM Cover Up Fraud
Journalistic malpractice
The "Modern Linux" Song
Join us now, make the kernel
XBox Layoffs Vastly Bigger Than Microsoft Told the Press, Microsoft Keeps Trying to Change the Subject
Many so-called "XBox fans" are no more
Microsoft Lost 1,200 Billion Dollars in "Market Value", Take a Look at What Happened to Windows
while Windows continues to fall unstoppably GNU/Linux is surging
Links 19/07/2026: People in China Are Buying Feelings and 404 Media Has Third Anniversary
Links for the day
Gemini Links 19/07/2026: Camping, Health, and Hardware
Links for the day
The State of Slopfarms
Slopfarms or LLM slopfarms are a menace and a problem on the Web
GNU/Linux Rising to 6% in Brunei
seventh in the world for GDP (PPP) per capita
Free Software is Like an 'Activist Movement'
People who argue strongly in favour of something (even very good things) will attract the wrath of those whom they oppose
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, July 18, 2026
IRC logs for Saturday, July 18, 2026
Links 18/07/2026: Chinese State Media Depicting Neighbours as Monkeys, US "Stocks Sink on Anxiety About Tech and Hey Hi (AI) Spending"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 18/07/2026: "Business Idiots Everywhere", "The Siren Song of DePIN", and Entering Geminispace
Links for the day
GNU/Linux in Lithuanian Desktops/Laptops Climbs to 8%, the Global Average
For its own national security it would be wise to abandon Windows
This Bubble is Bursting, Piecewise
It's nice to see Wall Street getting some reality checks
It's Not About XBox, Microsoft is Already Firing Hundreds of People Who Do "Security [sic] Engineering" [sic]
The official reason/excuse/lie told is something about slop, but no sane person would buy it (not even insiders who are impacted)
Can We Finally All Agree That UEFI 'Secure Boot' is a Sham That Harms Security and Gives Microsoft Remote Control Over All PCs and Servers (Even Those That Don't Run Any Microsoft Software)?
Cui bono?
Bolivian People Adopt GNU/Linux (They Have a Domestic Distro Too, PluriOS)
Notice Windows falling to an all-time low
No Technical People Write About UK Parliamentary Elections
Almost none of them work in the media, which seems to favour parrots, slop, or parrots that use slop
"But Stallman is Scaring Away Women..."
Such dishonest projections (projection tactics) needs to be called out and refuted
First Female Debian Project Leader (DPL) Affirms Low Profile and Inferior Status of Women in GAFAM
3 months ago Sruthi Chandran was elected as Debian Project Leader (DPL) for a period of 12 months
After 5 Years Vista 11 Still Adopted Less Than Its Predecessor (Orphaned, End of Life Since Last Year)
Notice Windows going down to 40%
We Don't Depend on Google (or Search Engines in General)
there's a lesson here and it extends beyond sites
Only "Torvaldos" (Linus Torvalds) Can Use the F-Word, CoC Does Not Apply to the Enforcer, and Richard Stallman Punished for Using the Other F-Word ("Freedom")
"Linus Torvalds tells AI haters to fork off"
Explaining the Culture of Bulletin Board-Style Chat
Only desperate detractors would try to present something (cherry-picked) from IRC as some sort of official statement for Techrights
Independent, But Not Fringe
"Daniel Pocock is an Independent Candidate."
In Free Software, Nobody Gets Fired
Way to own one's code and project
PIP-Styled Mass Layoffs Allegedly Coming to Microsoft by 12 August 2026
Microsoft has been doing "silent layoffs" (PIPs and more) for quite some time
Daniel Pocock's Candidacy (Election of Member of Parliament) Mentioned in BBC and Over a Dozen News Sites Since Yesterday
Funnily enough, albeit not surprisingly, the same people who attack Pocock also attack us
Links 18/07/2026: Spotify Uses Slop Song Descriptions, "San Francisco Demands Removal of Nudify Apps"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 17, 2026
IRC logs for Friday, July 17, 2026
Gemini Links 18/07/2026: A Manifesto by The Dissident, Shokz Headphones, and Gemini Tinylog Reader (GTL)
Links for the day
IBM Already Tentatively Down for Next Week (Monday) After Its Worst-Ever Week
What a week for IBM!
Daniel Pocock as Independent Candidate, Now in The London Standard
"Daniel Pocock is an independent candidate."
Links 17/07/2026: Protests Erupt Throughout Ukraine and Anthropic Caught Secretly Spying on Users
Links for the day
Gemini Links 17/07/2026: "Silence Doesn't Mean Abandoned", Revisiting PalmOS in 2026
Links for the day
Andy Burnham as National Leader Would be Excellent for Techrights
Burnham has envisioned a British "centre of power" (or gravity) that moves northwards, isn't concentrated in the southeast anymore
Farage Out, Daniel Pocock in?
Can Pocock beat his previous voting record?
Layoffs at Microsoft Are Massive, Go Under the Radar for the Most Part
Microsoft is in a really bad shape
One Heck of a Week for IBM, the 'Grandpa' of 'High-Tech', International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) Under Investigation by Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
If IBM gets busted or might be busted, will the CEO jump, get pushed, or be arrested?
In Defence of Courts' Privacy Policies
If you want friends, go offline. Meet real people and share real experiences.
Why I Quit Academic Career (or Academia) Nearly 15 Years Ago
I am told by people who stayed that it has only gotten worse
“Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software”
As Dr. Richard Stallman once put it
GNU/Linux Grows at the Expense of Microsoft Windows in Croatia, Now Close to 8%
Croatia has been mentioned a lot lately in relation to EPO "lobbying" (vote-rigging)
27-Year IBM Veteran on IBM: "Worse than the Titanic and Perhaps Just Like Madoff, Enron, etc."
several comments we saw today envisioned the CEO of IBM in an orange suit (in US prison)
EPO "Cocaine Communication Manager" - Part XV - Nazi-Like Thinking at the European Patent Office (EPO) Not a Thing of the Past
antisemitism inside the EPO
Daniel Pocock Running for Office Again, Clacton-on-Sea By-election
By-election - code name "Pocock-on-Sea"
ServiceNow/ServiceLine and Slop at the EPO is Becoming a Health Risk to Staff
PD44 has historically been the oppressor at the EPO
IBM Can Burn Pensioners to Appease Wall Street and Protect the Billionaire CEO With His Humongous Bonuses
Its stock it set to open 2.82% in the red
IBM SHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Potential Securities Claims Involving International Business Machines (IBM)
there's a risk of criminal action against executives
Tux Machines Moving Onwards and Upwards
"...tasks expand to fill the time available"
The Register MS is Publishing Spam for Gartner Group to Spread Hype About "AI", Mentioned 30 Times in the Paid (Fake) Article
One sure thing is, the so-called 'tech media' is profoundly compromised by American corporations
"Market Share" of GNU/Linux Nearly Trebled in Cambodia This Month
GNU/Linux is still measured at 8% by statCounter
GitHub is Dying (Traffic Down Despite Bots and Slop), Microsoft Will Eventually Cull it - Just Like XBox - to Limit the Losses
Do not stay on GitHub (Microsoft) under the false assumption that it is "free hosting" or will always be around
Teaser: Daniel Pocock is About to Go Mainstream Again
Stay tuned, Pocock has something in store
Microsoft Has Just Been Sued Over Layoffs
If the rumours are true, there is yet another wave of layoffs at Microsoft
Richard Stallman Always Cautioned, Upfront, That His Political Views Were Wholly Separate From His Scientific Work or GNU
Notice that he already spoke a lot about politics
Links 17/07/2026: Microsoft is Cutting OneDrive Coverage, Larry Ellison Sued by Paramount Investor
Links for the day
Nichirei and Asahi Beer Need to Take Cyberattacks as Hint of Opportunity to Move to Free Software
Windows TCO
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 16, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, July 16, 2026
Gemini Links 17/07/2026: Sunlight in the Clouds, Techno-Therapy, and Sloppifying Original Text
Links for the day