Linux - Index of

PRODUCT REVIEW
FIGURE 4
RED CARPET ENTERPRISE INTERFACE
Novell Brings Lawyers, Guns,
and Money to the Linux Desktop
Novell took the Linux world by surprise the week of LinuxWorld Expo in San Francisco this
August when they announced their acquisition of Ximian, maker of desktop applications and management
systems. After the shock wore off and some of the dust settled it became apparent that
Novell was taking Linux seriously. Not only were they taking Linux seriously, but the Linux desktop
as well, which has yet to become widely accepted as a corporate platform. Novell had previously
announced that they would be adding support for Linux, but many wondered how dedicated they
were to the cause, especially with many Linux products competing with existing Novell products.
However, after discussions with Novell’s newly acquired Ximian team, members stressed that they
will simply be a complementary offering to Novell’s established product lines. Looking at this from
an outsider’s viewpoint I would concur that Ximian products will benefit from Novell’s well-established
channel and a seasoned sales force, an asset that many small Linux software companies
either can’t afford or can’t duplicate. Additionally, Ximian and Novell will be supporters of the
GNOME project and the Mono Project, which should help to endear Novell to the open source community.
After final analysis you might wonder if other IT giants like IBM and Sun aren’t looking at
this as a major coup for Novell. It puts an impressive Linux feather in their cap and also expands
their product lines, which some have pegged as aging and lackluster. More interestingly, will this
kick off a consolidation or feeding frenzy among the big players for control of key desktop properties?
The Linux desktop is still up for grabs, but Novell has shown that it wants the prize by
throwing its lot in with Ximian. What moves are ahead, and who will make them?
site for Windows users. However, Red
Carpet has a more feature-rich interface. It
includes an inventory of Installed Software,
Available Software, Search, History, and
Pending Actions (see Figure 3). I found it
very useful to be able to determine what
software was available and to not only
add/upgrade software but to remove software
as well. This is a move forward for
Ximian because now you can queue multiple
actions at one time and then let it go to
work. I liked the ability to search by date or
by user for updates and channels that meet
my specific needs.
Also, by purchasing Red Carpet
Enterprise, an IT department can configure
its own update server, allowing system
administrators to control which updates are
available for their user base (see Figure 4).
Key features available in Red Carpet
include the following:
• History tab: Shows date and version of
software updates.
• Mount directory: This feature allows you
to create you own “channel” where you
can download software and have Red
Carpet install files for you as a group
rather than individually.
• Connect to a remote system: Red Carpet
allows you to connect to a system that is
remote and process all updates from
your individual console. This feature is
of considerable value to those system
administrators
• Permissions-based updates: Using Red
Carpet as a tool for controlling access for
users to install software is another good
feature. For example, end users can have
the ability to process updates to
installed packages but be restricted from
installing new software.
To the individual desktop user this feature
may go largely unappreciated, but to
IT managers and system administrators
this is a powerful tool that would be worth
adding to their toolbox.
Summary
Ximian has pioneered what has become
the leader in corporate Linux desktop interfaces.
The Ximian solution has the potential
to penetrate IT departments with a robust
and functional desktop computing environment.
With all the right tools for corporate
desktop users and a good management
framework, it’s inevitable that Ximian’s
desktop will be successful. The next step in
the evolution (pun intended) would be the
ability to migrate or host legacy applications
to Linux through a bundled solution
or toolset. Ximian, together with open
source packages like OpenOffice, provides
about 80% of what your average user would
need in a fully functioning corporate desktop.
Figuring out how to provide that other
20% – how they are going to enable those
few essential Windows apps to run within
the Ximian environment efficiently and
with fidelity – that’s the challenge.
LINUXWORLD MAGAZINE WWW.LINUXWORLD.COM
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003 46 www.LinuxWorld.com