Novell is announcing a new Linux desktop today, called "Novell Linux Des=
ktop=20
9: Powered by SUSE Linux." Truth be told, they've been privately announcing=
the=20
product for at least the past week, doing presentations all over the countr=
y=20
while trying to woo both customers and the press. It was in the latter rega=
rd=20
that NewsForge spoke on Friday with Ted Haeger, Director Of Marketing for t=
he=20
Novell Linux Desktop. We're offering more coverage of this announcement tha=
n we=20
normally do for press releases because this particular announcement could b=
e=20
critical to the advance of Linux on the desktop.=20

The new limited distribution is priced right: only $50.00 per seat. But =
you=20
won't be able to rush down to CompUSA and find it on the shelf. It is not a=
retail product. Those who do resell Novell Linux Desktop 9 (NLD-9 for brev=
ity's=20
sake) will also want to sell you service and support. The target market is =
the=20
medium and large business arena.=20

Haeger explained that Novell sees Linux in four major markets: data cent=
er,=20
high performance computing, workgroups, and workstations. NLD-9 represents=
Novell's assault on the workstation segment, which over time will include =
the=20
desktop.=20

Novell describes NLD-9 as a complete "desktop productivity environment."=
It=20
includes a complete set of the basic applications enterprise workers need: =
an=20
office suite, a mail suite, and browser. Novell has tweaked OpenOffice.org =
to=20
fill the office suite chores, Evolution as its mail suite, and Mozilla FoxF=
ire=20
for the browser. That's not all that's included, of course, but those are t=
he=20
big three items required for basic desktop chores. It's called NLD version =
9=20
because it is built atop SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9. That gives it a de=
gree=20
of hardening, reliability, and performance that is hard for other distribut=
ions=20
to match.=20

Novell has done a lot of work to make NLD 9 present a uniform interface =
to=20
the user across the desktop and the applications. They've also done some th=
ings=20
to make it get along better with Windows. Font matching technologies in NLD=
9=20
will give users better compatibility with MS Word documents. The inclusion =
of=20
Ximian Connector allows them to collaborate easily with co-workers on the s=
ame=20
MS Exchange server. The mailmerge feature in OpenOffice.org can use Evoluti=
on's=20
contact list as a database. And finally, the theming of the desktop extends=
to=20
the major applications, so that even the icons used are consistant from app=
to=20
app to desktop.=20

Haeger stressed that they don't believe Linux is quite ready to replace =
all=20
Windows desktops, primarily because of missing apps. They are not trying to=
take=20
over the desktop market with NLD 9, just get into it. Not for another coupl=
e of=20
years, at least.=20

But there are a couple of other interesting things about NLD-9 beyond wh=
at=20
you'll read in the press release today. Branding, for one. Corporate IT gla=
ss=20
room appeal for another. Here's what we learned about those issues while=20
speaking to Haeger.=20

Branding=20

I noted a shift in branding in a href=3D"http://os.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=3D04/10/26/154258&tid=3D=
2">recent=20
review of SUSE Professional 9.2. In NLD-9, SUSE has been further demote=
d to=20
a "based upon" role. I asked Haeger if we were going to see the SUSE and Xi=
mian=20
brands disappear completely.=20

He said Novell felt the Ximian name did not have that much recognition i=
n the=20
industry, and in fact the guys that founded Ximian -- Nat Friedman and Migu=
el De=20
Icaza -- have as much of a name as the company did. In short, the Ximian na=
me is=20
being retired. It's now Novell Evolution, not Ximian Evolution. But he said=
,=20
"SUSE is a very different situation." So the SUSE name will not be going aw=
ay=20
any time soon.=20

In the glass room=20

Savvy IT managers in the data center have always been willing to let oth=
ers=20
"break in" the latest release of MVS or whatever operating system was being=
run.=20
They preferred to stay at least one off the latest version. This to ensure =
they=20
were running the most robust release. Novell is doing the same thing with N=
LD-9.=20
Yes, it's the 2.6 kernel, but it's 2.6.5, not 2.6.8 like SUSE Professional =
9.2,=20
which was released last week.=20

They also like strong service and support for the software they use. Nov=
ell=20
brings a lot of proven data center and enterprise expertise to the game. As=
Haegert pointed out, Novell has more data center experience than does Micr=
osoft.=20

Conclusion=20

NLD-9 appears on the surface to be more focused on the enterprise deskto=
p=20
than any other distribution. It will have to compete with Sun's Java Deskto=
p,=20
Red Hat's workstation product, and of course, Microsoft's Windows. The focu=
s is=20
also on getting positive results from the first adopters. Haeger said Novel=
l=20
will go to great lengths to ensure they are successful.=20

But the real significance of NLD-9 is not that it's the first Linux prod=
uct=20
to focus on the corporate desktop, but rather that it's the first Linux=20
distribution from a vendor who has long been -- and still is -- a player in=
the=20
Windows PC software world. NLD-9 is not so much an attack on the Windows de=
sktop=20
launched by barbarians storming Gates, as it is an internal rebellion. A=20
professionally organized rebellion making a real attempt to sluff off the m=
antle=20
of monopoly which weighs its customers down with high prices, poor security=
, and=20
a completely unmerited arrogance. It's going to be an interesting next few =
years=20
on the desktop.