Biases upfront: SuSE sent me my first copy of Linux, v5.3, with another package called Linux Office 99, based on Applixware. Though it was never installable on my old Compaq Deskpro 2000, I've still got it (though perhaps available for the right price). I have been (actually) a SuSE user almost continuously since Corel Linux died. It's a great distribution, tremendously easy to use, and one day I'll get Radio to run on it. My dealings with their people, both as a journalist and as a user, have been nothing but terrific.
So it was with some trepidation that I read Novell's press release when it plopped in my mailbox this morning as I readied myself for yet another job interview. Since then (OK, once I got back from my interview--and it went pretty well, thanks for asking), I've been immersing myself in news reports and listserv postings. Now I guess I'm ready to pontificate.
Couple of links: My two favorite stories, though mostly told through a business lens are at SearchEnterpriseLinux.com and CNET. After doing some of the same things I did, NewsForge did a nice summary of the day's events, too.
As a desktop Linux fanatic, I kept thinking about two things: First, SuSE is a key backbone for the KDE desktop, while Novell recently bought Ximian, the key backbone for the GNOME desktop. So the fear arises that KDE might lose its backbone. Second, Novell just doesn't have a great track record in marketing consumer-oriented products. For the youth among you, the WordPerfect word processing program had something like a 90% market share (may have been a little less, but still largely dominant over that other Washington-state based product) when Novell acquired WordPerfect Corp. in the early '90s. By the time Corel bought the product from Novell some years later, it was in full swoon.
This issue came up frequently when scanning postings to the SuSE-Linux English users list. Much gloom and doom over there, but some folks were hopeful. Ever the optimist, I am guardedly hopeful too. As several news stories pointed out today, Novell is still an awfully big company, with more people employed in tech support than Red Hat has altogether! SuSE will be the only distribution backed by a billion-dollar company. With some good fortune, they will have learned from their earlier experiences and market SuSE outside their enterprise channel. They could let the SuSE KDE developers continue to do their thing, and work with the Ximian people to help make their desktops more interoperable and customizable.
Good things can come of this. The worst may happen, but that won't be for awhile. I'll be watching closely.
12:15:54 AM 
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