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Analsys & Opinion My Shout Oracle bid for Novell will put a rocket under Suse Linux
Analsys & Opinion My Shout Oracle bid for Novell will put a rocket under Suse Linux | Oracle bid for Novell will put a rocket under Suse Linux |
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| by Stan Beer | |
| Tuesday, 18 April 2006 | |
  
Also see The last time Larry Ellison mulled over buying a company, a corporate war erupted. However, in the end Larry got his way and PeopleSoft is now Oracle. Is the same thing going to happen to Novell? If so, it will be good for Linux and the best thing to happen to desktop computing in 20 years. Novell is a great company and has done a great job in driving the Suse Linux project and, Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop is almost there as a viable replacement for Windows. What Novell does not have is the marketing clout to take it all the way. Novell is big – but not big enough to take on Microsoft.Oracle on the other hand is the second largest software company in the world and wants to be number one. Ellison envies Microsoft and has a passion to knock it off its perch. He wants a bigger yacht than Bill’s – in fact, being the sailor he is, he probably already has a bigger one. More important than yachts and egos, however, an Oracle driven Linux project could change the world of desktop computing forever. The cost equation would alter dramatically, provided – and this is a big proviso – that Oracle sticks to the principles of open source. Probably the biggest inhibitor to Linux take-up right now, aside from Microsoft lock-in, is the lack of third party vendor support. Not enough vendors have taken the time to develop the necessary drivers to make the Linux distros plug and play. Novell’s Suse Linux is about as close as you can get today. However, with Oracle behind it, that would change very quickly, as would the enthusiasm of software developers to develop for the platform. Anyone who has played with a Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop for any length of time should be able to see the possibilities for extricating themselves from Windows lock-in. The system already provides users with transparency to their Microsoft Office files. There is also a bridge between Microsoft Outlook and the Linux equivalent Evolution. That’s about 80% of the battle. The other 20% hinges on drivers and web services that some providers have foolishly tied to Microsoft specific products such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. Once again, however, with the rising popularity of the Firefox browser, that is changing. Oracle executives have been dropping hints about the company’s plans for the past few days. All that’s left is for the company’s founder and chief to declare his hand. We say bring it on.{moscomment} |
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