Novell credits Microsoft for soaring Linux sales

Novell says its Linux business has grown by 243 percent over the last three quarters, and it largely credits its deal with Microsoft.

Novell has reached $100 million in revenue from Linux over the nine-month period, thanks to the close working relationship it has had with Microsoft since the two companies signed their collaborative deal in November.

As part of the deal, Microsoft offers support for Novell's Suse Linux, and the two companies are working on making their respective software interoperable.

"For Novell's first three quarters of our fiscal year, our Linux business was up 243 percent," said Justin Steinman, director of marketing at Novell.

"This (sales increase) is public endorsement that our joint engineering efforts are already paying dividends to customers operating in a mixed environment, which, by the way, is pretty much all Linux users today," said Steve Harris, senior sales director for open source at Novell. "It helps us to maintain momentum and our investments in this collaboration work, which will continue to drive growth in our Linux business worldwide."

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As an example of the cooperation between the two companies, earlier this month, Microsoft and Novell announced a joint development lab in Cambridge, Mass., that will focus on cross-platform interoperability. The lab, which measures 2,500 square feet, will host a combined team of eight Microsoft and Novell engineers and two directors, working to make Windows Server and Suse Linux Enterprise work together, according to a statement from the two companies.

http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_2100-7344_3-6210692.html

the threat to M$ on the desktop.

I thought Apple was so easy compared to Windows, but now I've been playing with Ubutu V7.04 and am impressed that I need to know nothing to get up and going and being productive (one does need to know the email incoming - POP - and outgoing -SMPT- names used by your ISP - which someone put in your Windows outlook account set up and can be written down from there - so as to set up Linux email - but that is about it).

Apple is still preferred for the wife - but Linux has gotten so much easier in the last few years it is catching up quickly.