This post is a small collection of observations. There are a few recent stories that probably should not escape without comment.

Noorda Doubts Them, Schmidt Doubts Them, Hovsepian Welcomes Them

A recent story about Google-Microsoft antitrust affairs reminded us that Schmidt had raised antitrust concerns about Microsoft when he worked at Novell. Mr. Noorda never trusted Microsoft either. In fact, he even supported Linux back in the 90s, under Novell's own umbrella. So why is it that Mr. Hovsepian ignored all the warning signs and entereed a partnership that makes him excessively dependent on Microsoft? Could it be all about personal reward? The deal continues to seem absurd and it continues to be denounced by many people who are in the business of selling Open Source software.

And Speaking of Google...

This was mentioned before, but it is worth repeating that Novell's redacted disclosure potentially revealed some secret strategies at Microsoft.

Start-ups are emerging on the back of the movement making use of open source and the open source inspired AppExchange from Salesforce.com. Google and Yahoo are pushing their SaaS word-processing, spreadsheet, and related productivity tools.

[...]

Recent documents relating to Microsoft's open source patent agreement with Novell suggest it is thinking about making Office available as a software service over the internet.

The Insecurity Complex

Movell gets a mention for being one among 8 worthy stocks which represent security software. A story that we caught the other day could leave Novell a little bashful though.

When Conners started his job in November 2004, there was no reliable way to find, update or patch the hospital's desktops. Having a system that is planned and implemented properly is "like throwing darts in the dark," he says. The shortcoming was attributed to a shaky implementation of Novell's ZenWorks, which couldn't always verify that a security patch or a software update had reached its destination because ZenWorks had been improperly installed. According to Conners, the hospital's I.T. staff had rushed to install it—in what felt like a weekend, he says—without documenting processes and procedures at a time when the hospital was growing fast. Novell says it wasn't involved with installing ZenWorks at the hospital and didn't find out about the problems until after they occurred. Novell adds that the hospital declined its offer of services to fix the problems.

"Declined Novell's offer," the article said. So should you.