Novell To Ship Open Betas Of Nterprise Linux Services 1.0, exteNd 5 Next Month

Novell, which is betting its future on Linux and Java, plans to launch next month the open beta of its forthcoming Linux-based services with Ximian's Red Carpet management suite, as well as the open beta of its exteNd 5 Web services platform with support for Linux.

At the company's annual BrainShare conference in Barcelona, Spain, Novell said the forthcoming Nterprise Linux Services 1.0 beta code will be available in mid-October. The company announced its acquisition of Ximian, a Boston-based Linux desktop and management software company, last month.

The Linux services, which remain on track to ship by year's end, are slated to include Ximian's Red Carpet management services, as well as Novell's eDirectory identity service and directory, iFolder Web-based file service, iPrint Web-based print service, iManager management console for browser users, Internet-based NetMail messaging server and exteNd Director, Standard Edition.

The Provo, Utah-based software company also announced that it will make available in early October an open beta of its forthcoming full-fledged exteNd 5 Web services platform for a limited number of customers. Novell originally planned to ship the platform in October but hasn't committed to a delivery date except to say that pricing and availability wil be announced by year's end.

The Web services platform, which Novell acquired from Silverstream in mid-2002, will offer a redesigned development platform with easy-to-use visual environment and drag-and-drop features, as well as new support for Linux, executives said.

Novell originally unveiled its Linux strategy last April. In addition to pushing Linux, Novell is adding better support for Java.

At BrainShare this week, for example, Novell said exteNd 5 would offer support for the JSR 168 specification, which enables the interoperability of portlets, and announced the availability of its Nsure SecureLogin 3.5 single sign-on solution with new support for Swing and AWT-based Java applications and applets.