Summary: Google and Microsoft eat Novell's lunch and nobody is offering to buy Novell despite its implicit invitation

HAVING taken a quick glimpse at this week's news, there are many examples showing Novell's demise, starting with this observation that Novell loses to Google, which is headed by Novell's former CEO.

One compelling story is that of how the City of Los Angeles, is converting to Google Apps from its internally hosted Novell GroupWise platform.

There are also new examples of Novell being dumped for Microsoft, its so-called 'partner'.

i. Fayetteville-Perry School District finalizes cuts

In other recent business, the board:

● approved conversion from Novell to Microsoft Network software to be completed during the summer at a cost of $7,045.78. Novell will no longer be supported and all other school districts have either switched over already, or are in the process of changing over. Of the total cost, $4,500 will be taken from the district Permanent Improvement Fund for a new file server to run the software. The remaining cost will be taken from the general fund.

ii. London borough builds IT around flexible working

Significant changes to existing software will see an operating system refresh from Windows XP to Vista, as well as a move away from Novell Network and GroupWise to Microsoft Outlook and Exchange.

A new article about ZTE uses Novell as a textbook example of losing an installed base very rapidly and without chance of reversal.

The fact that no hack even mentioned Symbian to ZTE was extremely telling. It is reminiscent of the days when Novell had a huge installed base of network servers while the developer community had quietly switched its allegiance to Microsoft.

[...]

At present, this seems a bridge that ZTE will cross later.But Nokia must act fast if it is to avoid becoming the Novell of the handset sector.

Most people who observe Novell expect no Renaissance. Novell is already up for sale and the first Novell takeover attempt is mentioned again here. Novell sponsors a CIO meeting in Sri Lanka, but it seems like a lost cause for both sides. As we showed in the previous post, Research and Markets says that “The future of Novell, and therefore of the SUSE Linux distribution, is uncertain.” Sadly for Novell, no company seems interested in buying it, just a hedge fund (vulture). ⬆

Related posts:

• Novell May be Going Private, Hedge Fund Has Cash
• Analyst Expects Microsoft Bid to Buy Novell
• Ron Hovsepian Receives Another Large Lump of Cash as Novell Sale Looms
• GNU/Linux-Savvy Writers View Elliot Associates as Bad Neighbourhood
• Firm Behind Novell Bid Has Shady Past, Could be Tied to Microsoft (Paul E. Singer's 'Vulture Fund')
• Simon Phipps: “Seems Even With Microsoft’s Support Novell Couldn’t Cut It”
• Vulture Fund Still the Only Bidder for Novell
• Paul Singer Still Goes After Novell
• With Novell up for Sale, Novell Products Become Too Risky to Buy