Bonum Certa Men Certa

Do-No-Evil Saturday - Part III: Almost Eventless Week for Novell

Abbreviated overview

IT WAS A QUIET WEEK. THERE WAS really nothing major, so let's dive right into the few isolated things that have happened with Novell (or things which relate to Novell).



Finance



Novell's next financial report is a month away.

Novell, Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) will issue a press release providing an overview of financial results for its fourth fiscal quarter and full fiscal year 2008 on Thursday, December 4, 2008 at 4pm ET.


Netware



Memories of better days at the sight of computing 'clouds'.

Local file servers appeared not long after the first personal computers, and they have gotten bigger and cheaper (many terabytes of disk space for $1,300-$2,000). Novell's NetWare created the local file server market, then it bungled its market lead and let Microsoft take over. Local file storage does a great job for a great price, but the world has changed.


eDirectory



This new press release only touches on eDirectory, but it's really about Edustructures and its product, SIFWorks.

-- Directory-based User and Group Management. The SIFWorks ZIS Enterprise Edition now fully integrates with directories such as Microsoft Active Directory, Novell eDirectory, Apple OpenDirectory, and other systems that support LDAP. Administrative users and groups can be designated in the directory and associated security restrictions assigned in the ZIS console.


Virtualisation



There was, surprisingly enough, almost nothing that fits here, except for this pass-by mention.

Dell opens a smarter path to virtualization



The company also announced an OEM solution from PlateSpin, a Novell company, including PlateSpin PowerConvert software that enables enterprises to optimize their data center by streaming server workloads over the network between physical servers, virtual hosts and image archives, it said.


Mail



Open-Xchange's SUSE roots return to light because the company has received some good funding at times when almost nobody can get any, let alone retain staff.

The OpenExchange groupware package was created by a German software company called Netline Information Services, and the company's software entered the mainstream (well, sort of) when German Linux distributor SUSE Linux created a special variant of its SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 operating system that tightly coupled SLES with OpenExchange. This software was dubbed SLOX and was only distributed in this manner.

In the fall of 2004, a year after Novell had acquired SUSE Linux, Netline took its software open source through the Open-Xchange project (somehow misplacing the capped E) under a GPL license. In June 2005, Netline moved to the suburbs outside of New York City and changed its name to Open-Xchange to match its product name. Since that time, Open-Exchange has launched another "appliance edition" of its software atop an obscure Linux distro called Univention Corporate Server 2.1 and has quadrupled its installed base to 8.4 million seats worldwide.


GroupWise makes an appearance because of Omni Technology Solutions. Novell and Omni seem rather close and even the previous post had them mentioned.

Omni Technology Solutions and Chicago-based CRM consultancy, Intelestream, are pleased to deliver Riva CRM Integration™ for Novell GroupWise. Riva enables Novell customers to enhance their existing GroupWise investment by delivering transparent, bi-directional, server-side integration for leading open-source CRMs, such as SugarCRM, info@hand and Bluefin. GroupWise customers faced with recession worries can leverage their existing investment in Novell technologies and benefit from open source solutions to cut costs and drive more value out of their existing technology investment.


More about this GroupWise item here.

The product allows Novell customers to enhance their existing GroupWise investment by integrating with open source CRMs, including SugarCRM™, info@hand™, and Bluefin™. The transparent, bi-directional, server-side integration offers GroupWise customers faced with recession worries the opportunity to benefit from open source solutions as a cost cutting measure.


Blackberry and GroupWise continue to appear in conjunction with one another because of compatibility. Here are a couple of new examples.

1. Research In Motion Makes Bold BlackBerry Move

It works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which enables advanced security and IT administration within IBM Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange and Novell GroupWise environments, as well as BlackBerry Professional Software for small businesses.


2. Update: BlackBerry Bold hits stores

Bold also works with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, offering IT administration and security for Lotus Domino, Exchange and Novell GroupWise, as well as BlackBerry Professional, an application for smaller businesses. The Bold also supports the BlackBerry Internet Service, offering push-based e-mail for as many as 10 e-mail accounts.


Lastly, GWAVA's 'resurrection' in the media survives owing to another press release.

GWAVA, Novell's largest technology partner for GroupWise, announced today the latest version of Retain 1.6, the leading archiving tool for GroupWise administrators. This release comes at a time when courts are increasingly subpoenaing companies for their email records for compliance audits -- and many companies not being able to provide the information since they don't employ an archiving and retrieval solution.


This didn't have much effect on any notable publications. It rarely does.

Security



A couple of flaws were caught by the radar.

A security weakness has been identified in Novell Access Manager, which could be exploited by malicious users to bypass security restrictions. This issue is caused due to the application not properly terminating sessions established using the X509 authentication class, which could allow another user to take over the previous users session, using the same browser window, without being prompted to login again.


People



Senior ex-Novellers make some moves.

Trend Micro Names Cody Leser to Lead North America Channel Sales



[...]

Leser also was vice president of U.S. sales and operations at Novell Corporation, where he was responsible for all enterprise, mid and small business channel sales, government and healthcare.


Here's some prodding.

I was contacted recently by an old acquaintence, Alan Hall, formally from Novell and now with Solera Networks. Hmm. That didn’t come out right. Alan is someone I’ve known for a while. I’m not saying he’s old.


The following is probably the most major thing from the past week. Here is the press release about Novell's former CEO, who will be taking over DigitalBridge.

Robert J. Frankenberg, the former CEO of Novell Inc., has been appointed chairman of the board of DigitalBridge, an Orem company whose software allows information to be shared across computer systems.


This is also covered here.

Ex-Novell CEO to head Orem tech firm--Former Novell Chief Executive Robert Frankenberg was named chairman of the board of directors of DigitalBridge, an Orem-based information sharing solutions provider.


Partners



Sandlin boasts its Novell expertise. We never came across this company before though.

Sandlin has extensive knowledge of Microsoft and Novell networks, electronic messaging systems and network infrastructure providing a technical perspective to the areas of data acquisition, analysis and preservation.

[...]

Sandlin holds a bachelors of science degree in information technology, is Microsoft (MCSE), Cisco(CCNA) and Novell(CNE) certified and is a member of High Technology Crime Investigation Association. Prior to joining Servient he worked as a forensics examiner for Huron Consulting Group and was a manager with Baker Robbins & Company for thirteen years.


Marketing



Ross, a Novell employee, has uploaded another commercial to YouTube (a spoof).

Utah



Utah's new bus service attracts a comment from a Noveller, which shows up in the local press.

Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain residents will be getting express bus service to and from Salt Lake City after voting to approve a tax increase to join in Utah Transit Authority's coverage area.

[...]

"They have UTA van pool at work," said Abney, who works at Novell in Provo. "I guess they've organized a Saratoga Springs van pool."


This is very minor, but not much else has happened.

Audio



IDG appears to be producing lots of audio coverage now. It reads almost like a machine and it includes:



Miscellaneous



A new review at CNET covers Novell Managewise.

PowerNet Manager for Novell Managewise - ( v. 1.1 ) - complete package


Over at the Register, some unspecified Novell components -- whatever they are -- are being mentioned.

The system generates alerts of varying priority levels but is tuned so as not to generate a storm of notices that might easily be ignored. The technology - based on components from IBM, Novell and others - needs to be tuned to particular environments.


And there ends another quiet week. OpenSUSE probably enjoyed the most coverage this time around, particularly because of the board elections.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Security is Desirable, But Not When the Term Security is Misused to Imply Centralisation of "Trust" (Whose?)
'Security' is not an excuse for vendor lock-in
The Media Helps Microsoft, Amazon and Others (GAFAM and Beyond) Lie About Mass Layoffs Amid Valuation Bubble
The media, instead of saying that there's an "AI bubble" crashing the economy might instead choose the narrative of "jobs replaced by AI"
Bad Tempered? You Might Have Just Given Away That You're Losing the Argument
Brett Wilson LLP is fully aware that it is being investigated
 
[Video] Dr. Richard Stallman at Technické Univerzitě v Liberci
New/via libre-liberec.cz
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, Linux Journal (Slashdot Media), UbuntuPIT, and Google News (Noise)
egregious plagiarism
Links 17/10/2025: Better Answers Sought After Air Crashes, "China Fans Patriotic Sentiment as Trade War With U.S. Heats Up"
Links for the day
Links 17/10/2025: Fentanylware (CheeTok) Causing Problems, Japanese Government Blasts Slop
Links for the day
The Linux Foundation Seems to Have Turned Linux.com Not Only Into a Spamfarm But Also LLM Slopfarm
it's polluting the Web, even important domains like Linux.com, with spam and LLM slop
Links 17/10/2025: UK’s Largest Breach Penalty and Windows TCO Examples
Links for the day
Go Watch Video About Librephone, Get Microsoft Ads
Very ethical company...
Campaign of Defamation Against the People Who Built NixOS (and Are Now Pushed Out From Their Own Project)
We've already grown familiar with - and resistant to - such tactics
Links 17/10/2025: Nestlé Crisis, Canada Post Versus 'Gig Economy' [sic] and Vista 11 Breaks Itself
Links for the day
Tux Machines Has Helped Separate Opinions/Analysis From News
In September 2023 we decided to split things apart and not repeat links in both sites
Tux Machines Has Improved Navigation of GNU/Linux and BSD News
Some more 'wiring' work
What a World Would Look Like If Everyone Used Free Software Only
Freedom is what matters, not "Open".
Richard Stallman (RMS) is a Target of Defamation Campaigns Because of His Views on Software (But Politics Are the Excuse for Defaming Him)
Here in this site we try to refrain from politics, except in Daily Links
End of Vista 10 and Rise of GNU/Linux as Client Side Operating System
It seems certain GNU/Linux will grow in popularity over time
Taking Stock of a Week's Worth of EPO Leaks
We remain committed to exposing EPO corruption as long as it keeps happening
Mathieu Parreaux claims FINMA knew since day one
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Calumny, Libel, Joerg Jaspert & debian-private untouchable cyberbullies
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 16, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, October 16, 2025
Techrights Turns 19 in 3 Weeks
coverage of suppressed topics and protecting all sources/whistleblowers
International E-Waste Day Same Day as End of Vista 10
message from Akira Urushibata
The EPO's Central Staff Committee Presents Evidence That Staff Compensation Lowered While the Office Increases Income by Illegally Granting Invalid Patents
These people become millionaires by doing illegal things
Second or Third Wave of Microsoft Mass Layoffs in October 2025, This Time Portugal
Those are just the ones we know about, there may be several more
'Help Net Security' (helpnetsecurity.com) May Have Become a Slopfarm as Well
Zeljka Zorz, Editor-in-Chief at Help Net Security, was reported to us
Gemini Links 17/10/2025: Rant About Network Solutions, Strange Anomaly on Lagrange
Links for the day
EPO Staff Representation Lacks Social Dialogue With Relevant Management, Controversial and Sometimes Illegal Policies Implemented Without Necessary Input
"In this open letter, the CSC requests that the President submits an agenda item in the next available General Consultative Committee (GCC) meeting on setting up regular meetings between the CSC and the higher management of DG1."
Links 16/10/2025: Political Leftovers and Gemini Protocol Links
Links for the day
Lies Need to be Corrected
the Court never invited us
Slopwatch: Guardian Digital (linuxsecurity.com), Slashdot, Google News, and More
Maybe one day, once the bubble pops completely, Google News will just outright delist all slopfarms
Lufthansa Modern Slavery, Joerg Jaspert (ganneff) & Debian NSB Softwareentwicklung charade
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Links 16/10/2025: US Starting More Trade Wars With China, CIA War on Venezuela
Links for the day
SUSE Blog is Still LLM Slop, Marketing Manager at SUSE Cannot Write
Would you buy from a company or seek support from a company that cannot even write (or fakes writing)?
Pretend You're Not Dead: Microsoft Spent Almost Two Decades Rebranding Things as "Cloud, Then "AI", Now "XBox" and "Quantum"
"AI" bubble pops, Microsoft harping about "quantum" already
IBM Allegedly Found New Tricks for Silent Layoffs: LPI, Then MIS (Not PIP)
Remember that "Red Hat layoffs" won't be reported after the bluewashing
Links 16/10/2025: Red Lines and Feeding of Microsoft Trolls
Links for the day
MIT as a Propaganda Mill of GAFAM, Paid by GAFAM
"the news" today
Links 16/10/2025: Lies Euphemised as ‘Dueling Versions of Reality’ and Microsoft "Open" "Hey Hi" Resorts to Porn as No Business Model Was Found
Links for the day
The Local Staff Committee Munich (Representation of the EPO's Staff) Explains When Cluster of Pregnancies May Result in Reduced Pay
"...even one week of part-time working is sufficient to reduce the salary you perceive during the entirety of your maternity leave."
Another Black Eye for 'Secure Boot', Microsoft Media Tries to Blame "Linux"
It enables Microsoft to remotely control computers, even computers that don't run Windows and never had any Microsoft software installed
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT, linuxsecurity.com, and Various Slopfarms in Google News Attacking "Linux"
A new survey of the Web said that the majority of the Web is now slop (that's being said in the news this week)
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 15, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Links 16/10/2025: Increased Use of Social Control Media Surveillance in US, French Rage Over Pensions
Links for the day
Links 15/10/2025: Qantas Airways Loses Control of Sensitive Data and Software Patents Are Being Thrown Out
Links for the day
Vista 10 is 'Dead', Here's Why People Should Move to GNU/Linux (or the BSDs)
Today we try to make an outline of reasons move away from Windows to GNU/Linux
Our Sites Continue to Improve
LLM slop has had no noticeable impact on us
Gemini Links 15/10/2025: Neovim, Helix Compared and Gemlog.blue Now Closed
Links for the day
Links 15/10/2025: Mass Layoffs at Amazon, OneDrive Spyware Revved Up, More 'Gen Z Protests'
Links for the day
The EPO's Staff Engagement Survey 2025 is Already Tainted by Intimidation by EPO Management (Trying to Influence Outcomes by Scaring Genuine, Honest Critics)
"[W]e have received reports that, following the previous survey, teams with negative responses were reproached or questioned about their answers..."
The DDoS Attacks by Microsoft's Scam Altman and Other Slop Charlatans and Frauds is Hurting the FSF, Delinking It From Copyleft Projects
This impacts a lot more than access to the licences
Microsoft Scanning Faces in Photos People Upload to Microsoft (Even Unconsciously), Slashdot Turns Report About It Into "Microsoft Sez" (Says)
Or "let's repeat the lies from a PR person/Microsoft's publicist"
[Teaser] Angel Aledo Lopez the Manipulator (Nepotism, Poll Rigging, and Other EPO Corruption)
We'll discuss this later today or tomorrow, based on internal EPO material
Attacks on Techrights Are Only Making Techrights Bigger and Even More Popular
A week ago they offered to settle with us
Epic Metaphor for End of IBM: "The IBM Demolition is Down to the Last Shards!"
Nothing lasts forever
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Proprietary and DRM Prisons Spiralling Down the Sinkhole? Not Just Yet.
Let's hope that more people will flee to GNU/Linux
The European Patent Office (EPO), the Second-Largest Institution in Europe, is Cracking Down on Recreational Activities
Without AMICALE activities, and as staff already says it's pressured to work more for less, how can the EPO recruit bright people?
Transparency: FSFE financial reports exclude speaker fees and expenses
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock