[TriLUG] Novell going the Linux way

[Mark Shuford]

On Fri, 18 Apr 2003 09:13:41 -0400
John Franklin <franklin at elfie.org> wrote:

> > 
> >         WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, WHO NEEDS MICROSOFT?
> > 
> >       "Linux is an immature operating system. It hasn't had somebody
> >       like Novell worrying about making it robust, reliable and scalable."
> > 
> >           Novell CEO Jack Messman, on how he expects the moribund Utah
> >           software firm will do more for Linux than lightweights like
> >           IBM, Sun, and HP, ComputerWeekly, 16 April 2003
> > 
> > http://www.computerweekly.com/articles/article.asp?liArticleID=121012
> > 
> > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> > 


Oh, cool! This Messman is really a Mess. I've been looking for a new, really funny comedian -- I'm glad he's come along...


Oh I always _hated_ working on Novell. Whenever I needed to do heavy duty mass things to files on a Novell box I found the best way, most of the time, was through connection across the network from a client box -- real efficient, yeah. 

Not like when you're running services on a machine with a real operating system. Then you can use all the OS's native tools to do anything you can dream of.

I handled DEC PathWorks on both VAX/VMS, OpenVMS, and Digital Unix. Compared to didlin' with Novell it was absolute joy all around.

And speaking of DEC, does this sound familiar? (from Messman):  

He added, "We were an engineering-focused company. We never listened to the customer. We developed these great, gee-whiz products and threw them over the wall to marketing and said, 'Go sell it, guys; we're done with it.' We thought that if you created a great product, the world would beat a path to your door."

Another really good one from Mess Man... uh, Messman, I mean...

"With Linux on Intel boxes coming out that significantly reduce your costs, that became a viable alternative, and we started seriously looking at it. And the customers told us that's what they were thinking about."

Does he mean they weren't listening to the customers before?


-- 
Mark Shuford

Now I know what a statesman is; he's a dead politician. We need more statesmen.
					--Bob Edwards