Some clarifications about Novell

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DAVE KEARNS ON NOVELL NETWARE TIPS
10/04/05
Today's focus: Some clarifications about Novell

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Corrections and clarifications
* Links related to Novell NetWare Tips
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Sybase

It sounds so simple: if you collect enough business information,
you'll glean valuable insights that can drive both revenue
growth and competitive advantage. Along the way, however,
companies are discovering that managing the explosive growth of
online data can prove a formidable challenge. Here's how to
assess your data management style, and maximize your
opportunities to turn online data into business opportunity.
Click here for more on taming the data explosion.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116846
_______________________________________________________________
COMPLIMENTARY NETWORK WORLD PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS

Managing networks and systems can be a lot easier if you stay
aware of the latest developments in tools and technologies
designed to help. Network World will ensure that you don't miss
a beat. We would like to offer you the leading source of
dependable, accurate, timely information you can rely on to make
the best decisions for your corporate network. SUBSCRIBE TODAY
AT:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116873
_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: Some clarifications about Novell

By Dave Kearns

Errors and omissions sometimes creep into these newsletters.
Most of the time the errors are minor and don't change the
conclusion. But to anyone noticing them, they can be jarring,
they can disrupt your train of thought and they can cause the
reader to stop and ask, "Well, what else did he get wrong?" When
that happens, and when a few of you point out the error, I try
to make a point of correcting it. Two recent newsletters had
factual errors that, while not important in terms of the topic
or conclusion, did cause some readers to take the time to tell
me about them. So it's important to issue corrections.

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking about the correspondence
that Blum Capital Partners, a major investor in Novell stock,
had with the board of directors in which Blum made suggestions
for improving Novell's bottom line. In that newsletter, I said
that Blum recommended that Novell "sell or spin off Celerant
Consulting, the British firm recently acquired by Novell," and
that Novell also "sell or spin off Cambridge Technology
Partners, the consulting firm which - in effect - acquired
Novell a few years ago since most of the upper management now in
place at Novell came from CTP."

The factual error has to do with the consulting firms' names.
"Celerant" is the name now used by what used to be Cambridge
Technology Partners. The British consultant firm acquired by
Novell was Salmon, LLC. I apologize for the error, but the
thrust of the paragraph - that Blum suggested Novell divest
itself of both companies - doesn't change.

A couple of people also quibbled with my statement that "most of
the upper management now in place at Novell came from" CTP. More
than one person told me that only 6 of the 14 people on Novell's
"Worldwide Management Committee"
<http://www.novell.com/company/bios/executive.html> have roots
with CTP. The quibble here is what constitutes "upper
management." A number of the people on that committee have
little to do with company-wide management. They are, generally,
former executives of company's that Novell has acquired since
the CTP takeover. Some others who came along with CTP
(especially in the sales organization) have recently departed.
But I still hold the opinion that a majority of the people with
company-wide oversight came from CTP. This amounts, in my mind,
to a difference of opinion rather than a factual discrepancy.
And, in any case, it's not actually germane to the discussion of
Blum Capital's suggestions.

Last week's error was purely factual, but again had no direct
impact on the conclusions drawn. In talking about the reluctance
of many people to upgrade operating systems every time a new one
is released, I referred to both Windows NT 5 and Windows 2000.
These are, of course, one and the same. The operating system
released as Windows 2000 was known as "NT 5" during much of its
beta test phase. In fact, the released product still identifies
itself internally as "NT 5." Still, anything that causes the
reader to get pulled out of the conversation, to pull them up
short, saying "can that be right?" is a problem. I apologize for
that.

Now lest you think that I'm the only one who makes mistakes in
NetWare/Novell stories, there was a big flap last week which, on
closer inspection, is only a tempest in a teapot. We'll talk
about that next time.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. How to solve Windows system crashes in minutes
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnovell7734>
2. Nortel faces uphill battle
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnovell8120>
3. Cisco pushes new security software
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnovell8121>
4. Verizon CTO lays out next-gen network plans
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnovell8122>
5. Next-gen net seen at a crossroads
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnovell8123>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Dave Kearns

Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. He's
written a number of books including the (sadly) now out of print
"Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks." His musings can be
found at Virtual Quill <http://www.vquill.com/>.

Kearns is the author of three Network World Newsletters: Windows
Networking Tips, Novell NetWare Tips, and Identity Management.
Comments about these newsletters should be sent to him at these

respective addresses: <mailto:windows@vquill.com>,
<mailto:netware@vquill.com>, <mailto:identity@vquill.com>.

Kearns provides content services to network vendors: books,
manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing,
technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill
provides "words to sell by..." Find out more by e-mail at
<mailto:info@vquill.com>
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Sybase

It sounds so simple: if you collect enough business information,
you'll glean valuable insights that can drive both revenue
growth and competitive advantage. Along the way, however,
companies are discovering that managing the explosive growth of
online data can prove a formidable challenge. Here's how to
assess your data management style, and maximize your
opportunities to turn online data into business opportunity.
Click here for more on taming the data explosion.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116845
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Novell NetWare Tips newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/netware/index.html

Novell news page:
http://www.networkworld.com/news/financial/novell.html
_______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE

IT PROS SHARE THEIR TALES OF MAKING ITIL WORK

Running an enterprise network is challenging. IT organizational
change can be even more so if managers don't balance efforts
proportionally across people, process and technology.
Implementing best practices frameworks such as Information
Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) can help, but they
introduce their own set of challenges. Click here for more:

<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/092205-itil.html>
_______________________________________________________________
May We Send You a Free Print Subscription?
You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered
at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by
receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply
today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2

International subscribers click here:
http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html
_______________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail
newsletters, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx>

To change your e-mail address, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx>

Subscription questions? Contact Customer Service by replying to
this message.

This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com
Please use this address when modifying your subscription.
_______________________________________________________________

Have editorial comments? Write Jeff Caruso, Newsletter Editor,
at: <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>

Inquiries to: NL Customer Service, Network World, Inc., 118
Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

For advertising information, write Kevin Normandeau, V.P. of
Online Development, at: <mailto:sponsorships@nwfusion.com>

Copyright Network World, Inc., 2005