05.04.07
Speculation: IBM Will Buy Novell
Sounds bizarre, right? By no means is it the first time that such a speculation is made. This short article is particularly interesting because it dives deep into the details and studies some of the history of the companies involved.
So why has Novell cut costs well beyond the point of “to the bone”, and killed any products that are useful to the SMB market? To understand Novell today, you must understand IBM, since 4 of Novell’s top 7 execs made their bones at Big Blue.
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Linux sales simply will not replace Netware sales, and $80 per seat support agreements simply cannot compete against “support by Google search” that many IT departments depend on.
It was a sad day when I realized that the Novell that I knew would never again be a vendor partner for me, or a viable business partner for my clients. I went to Brainshares, did beta testing for Novell, attended sales conference, have Novell jackets and mugs and tee shirts and backpacks and water bottles… but it was time to face facts. Novell, in all likelihood, will be bought by IBM. Beyond that, Novell will probably be parted out. None of that is good for my customers, and probably not good for any Novell customer.
Let us not forget that IBM gave its immediate approval on the day when the Novell/Microsoft deal was made. This was pointed out before as it was rather suprising. Also bear in mind that IBM assisted and encouraged Novell’s acquisition of SuSE. At present, IBM uses SUSE in many of its servers, based on recent press releases.
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.