System Builders To Novell: We'll Give You A Listen

The scrappy operating system company, which stormed the Linux and open-source scene with its buyout of SUSE Linux two years ago, Sunday delivered a sincere challenge to the XChange Tech Connect audience here in Las Vegas: Take a risk and offer your customers another choice in operating systems.

"Don't slip into comfortable inaction,"said Ladd Timpson, global director of channel and partner marketing at Novell, during the first keynote session of the conference. The title of Timpson's presentation: "Offering Choice In An Open World."

Several market factors are playing to Novell's message, he said. They include the rise of new licensing and support models across the software industry, the urgent need for secure computing environments, the reality of heterogenity and the ongoing need to cut costs.

The Waltham, Mass.-based software company also used Sunday's XChange venue to deliver a special sneak preview of its updated and upcoming Linux desktop to attendees, in both its keynote and a packed-to-the-gills demonstration room.

"When you read stories about Novell, it's typically about Linux," Timpson said. "We're pushing to make that the No. 1 [Linux] distribution, of course. But Novell is not just a Linux company," he added, touting the company's positions in identity management, resource management and the data center.

Novell Senior Engineer Peter Bowen put the beta edition of SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 through its paces, touting, among other things, its support for pulling in Visual Basic scripts as well as Active Directory synchronization and full NetWare integration.

Novell executives freely admit that this product is not for the desktop power user who uses every single Excel feature, but the company is positioning its offering as a viable alternative for fixed-function, transactional or technical workstations as well as basic desktops.

The software's integrated "application browser" feature drew nods of approval from the audience.

The technology intuitively figures out what application you need to launch based on the word you type into the search query. As far as desktop search, queries pull up pertinent results across multiple applications including documents, instant messages, e-mail (including attachments) and Web browsers.

The software comes with various productivity applications and boasts plug-and-play integration with peripherals including the Apple iPod and digital cameras, according to Bowen.

For sheer gee-whiz factor, he demonstrated the ability to toggle quickly between multiple applications, presenting the user with an active thumbnail view. Users can even flip between desktop views on more than one dimension, a feature that might appeal to system builders that want to place machines in multiuser settings.