Bonum Certa Men Certa

Do-No-Evil Saturday - Part II: Userful, Lenovo, SUSE (SLES/SLED), Scalix and Xandros

Userful was mentioned a lot in recent weeks [1, 2, 3]. It has temporarily returned to the headlines thanks to this press release about the collaboration with Novell.

Omni, Userful and Novell have agreed to extend this initiative until the end of 2008 in response to extremely strong uptake from schools in the US, Canada, Australia, South America, Europe and Africa.


Some postings resembling the press release have appeared here and here.



Going green is become a crucial necessity today and several schools and universities are attempting to rationalize IT expenses by switching to multi-station computers, where one PC can support up to ten independent users with just a USB, monitor, keyboard and mouse.


Novell's Linux received a brief mention in this article from a British Webzine.

Licences for business-oriented distros from Red Hat and Novell (Suse Enterprise), for example, require you to pay for support, which means you could end up paying almost as much as you would for Windows. However, most of the others can be downloaded and installed for free, and on as many servers as you want.


Additionally, SUSE was mentioned in CIO.com (IDG) and ZDNet Blogs, but it's nothing significant.

The point is that these are very difficult economic times and as CIO's we have a clear opportunity to move in a new direction that will save our organizations millions of dollars now. The alternatives to Vista and then Windows 7 include an open source desktop such as SLED 10 from Novell or something like Google Applications.





- Runs Windows Server, Red Hat or Novell versions of enterprise Linux, VMware, Netware and Sun Solaris operating systems.


Joe Panettieri pushed a writeup of his into Seeking Alpha. It's mainly about Microsoft and Novell is mentioned too.

At the time, the Microsoft strategy seemed smart. Over and over again, Microsoft has partnered with the No. 2 company in a market (other examples: Sybase (SY), Novell (NOVL)) to challenge or disrupt an entrenched leader (examples: Oracle (ORCL), Red Hat (RHT)).

Gradually, the Sybase relationship allowed Microsoft to bolster its own SQL Server database to compete against Oracle on some fronts. And the Novell relationship has convinced some CIOs to standardize on Windows and Novell SUSE Linux rather than Red Hat Linux.


Last week we wrote about SUSE and Lenovo. There are still some articles about those student sub-notebooks. For example:

1. Netbook For Students introduces by Lenovo

The netbook can also be enabled for mobile broadband. Choices of operating systems include Microsoft Windows XP Home or SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop from Novell.


2. Lenovo targets new netbook at students

The Lenovo IdeaPad S10e gives institutions the option of using the latest version of Novell's SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop instead of Windows XP or XP Pro2, and the opportunity to dress the slate-gray finish in the school's official colors.


Lenovo's servers receive some coverage too, e.g.:

1. Lenovo reaches out to SMBs

All five models run on either Microsoft Windows Server or Novell’s SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system, according to Lenovo.


2. Lenovo delivers big for SMBs with launch of ThinkServer line

Lenovo is launching three towers and two rack x86 servers, providing a scalable offering to fit the varying needs of businesses ranging in size from one to 500 employees. The ThinkServer family is available with Microsoft Windows Server or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell, Lenovo's preferred Linux operating system provider.


As previously mentioned here, the following is another article about Torque and SUSE, which is supported in South Africa.

Torque IT has been appointed a Novell Platinum Training Partner for SuSE Linux. Torque IT is the only partner in Africa to have met all criteria for this coveted status.

"Torque IT's Novell offering has matured to a large extent and we are pleased to be featured among Novell's highest achievers," says Carol Bouwer, Business Unit manager at Torque IT. "As part of our Novell partner standing, Torque IT will also deliver new certifications and training as soon as they become available and continually develop skills and instructors with only the highest qualifications."


Xandros



It's still mainly about the Eee PC, which might favour GNU/Linux a little more in the future. $200 Eee PCs are said to be coming.

Asustek announced it would be dropping prices on its already affordable Eee PC netbook range. By 2009, we could already be seeing $200 EeePCs.


Here is a new video about Xandros and Intel's Moblin.

Ogg Theora





Direct link



Scalix, which is owned by Xandros now, has a new solutions partner.

Scalix, a Linux email, calendaring and messaging company, and GeM Solutions, provider of Anywhere to Anywhere E-mail Migration, said they have entered into an agreement to offer the GeM Shuttle Manager for migration to Scalix, from "anywhere," including Lotus Notes/Domino, Novell GroupWise, Fischer TAO, and all IMAP44-compliant messaging platforms.


Worth mentioning is last week's announcement from the same pair.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
This Saturday It's Gonna be 3.5 Years* Since Russia Invaded Ukraine. No Microsoft Protests Against Microsoft Having Provided Russia With Services.
Companies do not have consistent policies and enforcement of "corporate values" is somewhat of an egg salad
 
Wired Complained About LLM Slop Only Days Before It Got Caught Doing That Itself
Never throw stones in a glass house
IBM "Value" Down 14.16% in a Month, Red Hat Layoffs Allegedly Discussed 12 Days Ago
"IBM is a dinosaur. Dinosaurs get extinct when the don't keep up."
We're Seeing More Countries Where Windows Isn't Even in Second Place Anymore (Third or Worse)
In a way, Microsoft can barely even hold onto second place anymore
The US Government is Now in the Business (Literally!) of Saving Microsoft and Intel
This means that President TACO/Cheeto now has grater financial incentive to also prop up Microsoft and Windows
Microsoft Workers on Canonical's Payroll
If you want something that's sort of like Ubuntu but is not controlled by Canonical, then look into Linux Mint, Debian, or LMDE
GNU/Linux Climbs to 4% in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone isn't a very rich country (to say the least), but it's better off than some of its neighbours
The SLAPPS Run Out of Oxygen Because They're Abuse of Process
At the end of the day we plan to publish over 1,000 articles explaining what happened
The Register MS Gets Paid by the Employer of the Previous Editor in Chief to Promote the "AI" Ponzi Scheme, Which Does Considerable Damage to the Web and to Online Journalists
The Register MS can 'badmouth' slop all it wants; it gets paid to inflate this bubble. It's actively participating in it.
Soon It'll be Autumn, Time to Repair Things
Where they don't charge an arm and a leg
Doing Our Best to Cover Software Patents When the Mainstream Media Does Not
Even the FSF has its limits
Gemini Links 23/08/2025: August Questions and Network Solutions
Links for the day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, August 22, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, August 22, 2025
Microsoft Has Issues in Guyana
It's not just Guyana
About 25% of the "Linux" News/Results in Google News Today Are LLM Slop, Almost 20% From the Same Rogue Operators of Slopfarms
Google, which tries to market itself as an LLM giant, apparently fails to understand what's wrong with it
Harassing People on Holiday
There are "no-go areas"; but that assumes all laws firms have ethical standards
The Great, Undeniable Value of Paper Trail, Not Purely Digital Systems
Suppose you have nothing but bits on someone else's computer and "word of mouth"...
The Company Behind Ars Technica, Reddit and Wired Caught Publishing LLM Slop (It Also Admits It Now)
Condé Nast busted
Links 22/08/2025: Lagrange 1.18.8, Wired Magazine and Business Insider Caught Resorting to LLM Slop
Links for the day
Slopwatch: Sites Gone Rogue, Google Promoting Lies, and DDoS Attacks by Plagiarism Giants
Charlatans and frauds engage in a war against artistic industries, mislabeling plagiarism as "AI"
Links 22/08/2025: Cisco Layoffs, LA Times Says "AI Hype is Fading Fast"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/08/2025: K for Kentucky and Caddy Versus LLM Slopbots
Links for the day
The "End Software Patents" Initiative of the FSF Explains "WHY [to] ABOLISH SOFTWARE PATENTS"
We hope to cover patent-related issues more and more as the big anniversary of the FSF approaches
Freenode Sniffing
The grown-ups left the building
The Only Thing Worse Than Misinformation is Misinformation Sold to Everyone as "Intelligence"
Misplaced trust is worse than none at all
The Register MS Now Openly Admits LLM Hype Does Damage, But It's Also Being Paid to Participate in the LLM Hype (With Paid 'Articles' and 'Webcasts' for Paying Advertisers)
The Register MS gets paid to do this
End of the Smartphone Era? No.
Maybe the media should focus on producing accurate, factual news
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, August 21, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, August 21, 2025
Enshittification of Airports, Airlines, and Airplanes
If people are willing to tolerate standard declines and enshittification (nowadays sold as "pivot to AI" or "replaced by AI" or "AI layoffs") they will pay for it some other way
Latest Is Not Greatest: The Case of "Foldable" Tech
don't be shamed into abandoning old things just because the "fashion industry" of Apple and Samsung tells you to
Airlines and Their Tricks That Only Work in the 'Digital Age'
People sceptical of the direction technology has taken are not "Luddites"
Open Source Initiative (OSI), Which Became a Propaganda Front of Microsoft and "Hey Hi" (Hype, Misnomer), Wants You to Forget These Scandals
A lot of these issues won't be set aside until there's a resolution
The Culture of Overnight Coding
An industry-wise push-back is needed
Windows Down to New Lows in Guinea Bissau and Many Countries Around It
If Android is accounted for, Windows is down to about 10%
Gemini Links 21/08/2025: Modern Dating, Debian 13, and Apache
Links for the day
Microsoft Has Had About 10 Waves of Mass Layoffs So Far This Year (Not Two as Mainstream Media and Slopfarms Endlessly Claim)
Notice how the MSM (Mainstream Media) never mentions the debt of Microsoft. It is a conscious, deliberate decision.
Links 21/08/2025: Covid Cases on the Rise, "Social Media Trolls", Russia's Attacks Intensify
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/08/2025: The Attraction of Back Alleys, Initramfs, and BSD ISPs
Links for the day
Links 21/08/2025: Stephanie Shirley Dies and "Groklaw Domain Hijacked?"
Links for the day
Search in 2025 (Age of DDoS Attacks Under the Guise of "AI" "Innovation")
One common concern when things go "live" is that any random bot out there can execute queries, pumping up RAM and CPU usage, as happened when we used MediaWiki and WordPress
Using Slop for Images Does Not Make Your Site Look Advanced or Witty, It Just Makes Your Whole Work Look Like Presumed Plagiarism
Lazy slobs and Serial Sloppers use the guise/excuse of "AI" to plagiarise and spam the Web
Financing of the "Hey Hi" (AI) Bubble by Those Who Profit From Planetary Destruction (Global Warming)
It's about personal gain, too
Richard Stallman Will Speak in Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress
it's good to see that the FSF pays considerable respect to it founder, who is moreover invited to speak at events
(At Least) Second Wave of Mass Layoffs in Microsoft This Month
This is not the first time this month that Microsoft has mass layoffs
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, August 20, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, August 20, 2025