The VAR Guy admits it: He left Novell for dead last year. But recent conversations with the company forced him to rethink all of those negative notions. In a few markets, Novell may actually thrive. And in one particular market, Novell could give Microsoft a run for its money.
Let’s be clear: Novell SuSE Linux has reasonable momentum on desktops and servers, but Novell won’t topple Windows in those markets. Not now. Not five years from now. Microsoft’s biggest Linux worry remains Red Hat.
Still, there’s a market niche where Novell could give Microsoft really big headaches. It’s the embedded software market, where SuSE Linux Enterprise Real Time and SuSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service (not exactly embedded, but stick with The VAR Guy) are promising offerings.
Good to Great?
Frankly, Novell needs to put more marketing resources behind its embedded and point of sale Linux efforts. The VAR Guy didn’t even know Novell competed in the point-of-sale software market until a few weeks ago. But yes, Novell does have relationships with IBM, NCR and other retail device market leaders.
Now, for the broader opportunity: Cnet’s Matt Asay accurately points out that Microsoft is highly concerned about embedded Linux. (Asay’s blog is fast becoming The VAR Guy’s favorite daily read.)
Admittedly, The VAR Guy is twisting the facts ever-so-slightly with this blog entry. Novell’s SuSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service isn’t exactly an embedded operating system.
But the bigger issue is this: Novell has a real opportunity to gain far more traction in the embedded and retail verticals. But the company will have to work hard.
Mainstream sites, such as Wikipedia’s Embedded Linux page, don’t even mention Novell.
And Novell’s representatives weren’t aware of OpenBravo, an up-and-coming open source point of sale application provider.
Still, the embedded and point of sale markets are opening their arms to Linux. Hopefully, Novell will respond in kind.
Related Coverage
- March 4, 2008: Open Source Point of Sale: Worth a Look?
- January 14, 2008: Open Source’s Missed Opportunity
- November 13, 2007: Point of Sale Systems Going Open Source?
Tags: Embedded Linux | Embedded Windows | Novell | SuSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service | SuSE Linux Enterprise Real Time
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I’m flattered (truly), as I’ve come to rely on your blog, too. Great analysis and always a new angle (even on old stories). Keep it up!
The ironic thing for me in your post is that I was part of Novell’s Linux Business Office when it was formed in late 2002, and my background was with an embedded Linux vendor. We didn’t go after embedded Linux back then (except for the retail side - Novell has done a good job there with Matt French’s pioneering efforts years ago) because we felt it was a distraction from Novell’s core enterprise work. Mistake?
If so, it was the same mistake that Red Hat largely made, too, as Red Hat has never focused on embedded, either.
Will MontaVista, Wind River, et al. pick up where Novell and Red Hat decided not to go? Time will tell.
The problem with the embedded market is that there are an almost unlimited number of different platforms that need to be supported, with a different kernel needing to be built for just about every single embedded device available. That doesn’t even begin to address the issue of the bootloader; even taking a uboot for an eval platform and changing it to support slightly different flash, RAM and other peripherals is not trivial and is expensive.
Monta Vista charge one and and one leg for their services and that’s just for their tools without even addressing getting a port for your particular platform.
I can totally understand why Novell dropped support for it. The one thing that support for embedded Linux has going for it is that powerful device such as 200MHz ARM9s loaded with fantastic peripherals are well under £5 and lots of people *want* to use them and *want* to use Linux. When the cost for a port to someone’s platform costs well over ten thousand pounds (and sometimes way more) in most instances, lots of people are put off.
Can Novell or anyone else find a solution for this problem? It would be excellent if they could.
The plethora of variations in things like ARM9s alone make it so hard (impossible probably) to have a standard architecture that you can just have an installation CD. There’s no PCI bus on most embedded devices which would make it easy to have a standard architecture and add different devices.
Novell sold out to Microsoft. They are in the process of being assimilated by them. They are not competition for Microsoft any longer.
@VisiGoth:
I’d love to see some factual evidence supporting your statement. Please make it something that those of us without tinfoil hats can make sense of. Short of this, I do believe such rampant, senseless, and unfounded paranoia can now be very effectively treated with proper medication.
I have for a very long time said that the biggest issue with Novell is the lack of marketing… Or better yet the nonexistent marketing. As a matter of fact I just read an article where basically Ron states that the Linux desktop isn’t ready for general consumers. http://www.linuxworld.com/news/2008/041608-novell-ceo-linux-for-the.html
I really couldn’t disagree more with the article… I feel like they are shooting themselves in the foot with Ron H. at the helm and if I were a board member(really wish I was) I would ask to have the guy removed.
How hard is it to put out some sort of advertisement, let people know you have an all around incredible product.
@dumper4311 = brainwashed.
VisiGoth: Novell not competing with Microsoft? I do think Novell made a critical mistake with some terms of the Microsoft partnership. And some open source fans will never forgive Novell for signing that deal. But to suggest that NOVL no longer competes with MSFT is naive. SuSE Linux has scored some victories against MSFT. And each new SuSE deployment means one less Windows Server license.
I’m not playing favorites: Windows Server does have its place in the enterprise. And Microsoft has built a worthy franchise with Windows Server, SQL Server, Exchange Server, etc. But that franchise increasingly competes with Novell SuSE Linux and Red Hat Linux.
SuSE is doomed. They can no longer fully participate in the Free Software community, as no-one will ever trust that source contributed by them will be free of taint. Correct or no, the perception is that Novell is the pipeline that MS will use to ‘poison the well’ of Free software.
It’s a valid fear. Novell will never again be free of it.
@VisiGoth:
brainwashed . . . WOW! Thank you so much for clearing that up for us all. Rather than make an intelligent point related to the discussion, you’ve cut straight to the heart of the problem - Listen up everyone, it really is my fault, because I=brainwashed!
@brian:
I have NEVER seen Novell be able to marked themselves out of a wet paper sack. That’s a shame, as their products are generally first rate - the recent Server OS Reliability Survey demonstrates this http://www.iaps.com/2008-server-reliability-survey.html. They really could learn a thing or two from the whole Ubuntu movement (about the only thing I like about Ubuntu is it’s focus on community involvement), and community activists like helios with Komputers4Kids.
@Joe:
Ah, a more balanced perspective, thank you. You’ll have to forgive me however, as I do tend play favorites. I’ll choose open source and open standards whenever it’s practical - it’s about who owns your data (or controls access to it). From my perspective, the important thing to keep in mind is that software is a tool meant to serve it’s users, not leverage to be used in a crusade. Novell has served it’s users (as is evidenced by increased market share), and they contribute a great deal back to the community in the form of development hours and contributions. And you’re right - they’ve done so IN A WAY THAT COSTS MSFT PAID LICENSES, and PROMOTES LINUX USE.
So while the Windows franchise does still have a place, the open source/standards methodology will force some much needed changes in their way of doing business. I welcome these changes, but am cautious every time I see a sycophantic crusader run forward to smite some evil corporation for trying to make a profit or serve their customers needs (perceived or real).
As far as I can see, the only damage done by the Novell/MSFT deal was to the ego of the “free” software zealots, who have forgotten that real freedom doesn’t always mean code will be used in a way they approve of. Short of that, there has been no damage to the community, the code remains free, and the companies involved serve their customers. Even if that service is smoke and mirrors - perception only. In any case, there was no actual harm done to “free” code or it’s users by any of these deals.
Don’t like these type of deals? That’s fine, the code’s still free, use and support it in any way you choose. But it’d sure be nice to see the “community” stop trying to kill itself off over differences in ideology.
I don’t get it. You’ve just barely heard of SuSE Linux Enterprise Point of Service, although they’ve been trying to market this for about five years or so (I think it’s based on IBM Retail Environment for SuSE Linux). You say they’ve got a real chance at winning embedded Linux business, even though mainstream websites don’t mention Novell as a provider of that service. How does all that add up?
Novell has never lacked decent products. But if the VAR channel is just waking up to products that have been on the price list for years then their marketing problems are as bad as ever.
IPX lost to IP. Not their fault, things happen. NDS (eDirectory) lost to Active Directory. Microsoft has the lion’s share of the market, so that could’ve been expected.
SCO didn’t own Unix, and Novell did? They may have a great product, but somebody’s asleep at the wheel.
@Jay: Yes, Novell’s marketing isn’t stellar. But at least they’re returning calls these days. And they are moving in the right direction, I believe.
Out of the handful of distros I have played with, SuSe 10.0 and 10.3 have been top drawer, from installation / package management to multi media apps. I admit finding the elusive plug ins / drivers can be challenging but the results are well worth the undertaking.
To date I have sent almost 100 Windoze installations to data heaven in favor of Suse 10.xx installations, to the delight of my clients.
Todays economy dictates small business and consumers conserve financial resources, guess it was a bad time to tell everyone “ Wow, you have to spend $900.00 a box for the ultimate blue screen experience”
Novell really has a golden opportunity to promote and deliver a media friendly SuSe suite offering for the consumer and small business, it’s all in the timing and now is the time.
When you can tell the small business person and the consumer there is a reliable secure cost effective alternative to the software jungle and annual security relicensing they will listen.
My clients range from an 78 year old lady ( who visits questionable adult sites ) to small business ( 19 terminal point of sale ) even have a couple of gamers. All of them said
“Why haven’t I heard of SuSe ?”………….I don’t know, ………….guess it’s a cult thing.
Since I found Suse 10.0 I have followed the instructions, “copy and distribute freely”
I have given away over 3000 DVD’s in central Florida. The thing is, all of these people would have gladly bought the software, as I did once I discovered it did everything I want and nothing I don’t want it to.
I and most of my clients are completely liberated from the Micro Soft jungle, SuSe 10.xx and the bundled apps. have breathed new life and speed into old hardware, a primary consideration for the survival of many a small business person and home desktops in a fiscally challenged time.
So, guess I put the real WOW back into computing, Wow! I didn’t have to buy a new box, Wow! I didn’t spend over $200.00 for a bloated browser/ OS, Wow! I don’t need a $100.00 a year security suite, Wow! my office suite reads and will save in any format and came with the OS, Wow! I don’t have to defrag, Wow! this could go on to infinity.
“There comes a time in every mans life when he must grab the bull by the tail and face the situation” ( W.C. Fields )
By recently read articles obviously the wrong person is at the helm of Novell’s Suse project, this person needs to be relieved. Micro Soft got to where they are through sound business decisions, obviously it was not through a superior product.
I just don’t want SuSe to end up spoken of in hushed tones from smoke filled rooms in the same way Amiga is now remembered. (talk about bad business decisions!)