MESSAGE
| DATE | 2004-05-12 |
| FROM | From: "Inker, Evan"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Novell releases Connector for Exchange under GPL
|
Novell releases Connector for Exchange under GPL
Releasing it as open-source software is designed to spread its use
http://www.computerworld.com/softwaretopics/os/linux/story/0,10801,93098,00.
html?nas=AM-93098
News Story by Todd R. Weiss
MAY 12, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - In an effort to bolster business desktop use
of its Linux products, Novell Inc. is making its Connector for Microsoft
Exchange available as open-source software that will be freely distributed
under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
In an announcement yesterday, the Waltham, Mass.-based software company also
announced that the next version of Novell Evolution 2.0 collaboration suite
for Linux (formerly known as Ximian Evolution) will be available in the
third quarter of the year.
Nat Friedman, vice president of the desktop technologies group at Novell,
who founded Ximiian and was its CEO before it was acquired last year by
Novell (see story), said in a statement that offering Connector under the
GPL will help spread its use.
"As companies deploy Linux on the desktop, they must ensure that users of
either Windows or Linux can collaborate with each other using existing
back-end systems and familiar processes," Friedman said. "Technologies like
the Connector, which allow Linux desktops to operate inside a mixed
proprietary/open-source environment, make choosing a Linux desktop easier
for IT administrators."
Connector for Microsoft Exchange Server allows IT departments to use
Exchange on the back end while providing users with open-source mail and
collaboration clients, including Novell Evolution.
The idea, said Novell spokesman Kevan Barney, is to further open the door
for corporate use of Linux desktop systems, especially in existing Exchange
shops where reducing costs and complexity is always a goal. "It makes it a
more viable choice in the business computing community," Barney said.
Connector had been sold by Novell for less than $70 per seat, while
Evolution was a free open-source application.
Evolution is an open-source collaboration suite that includes e-mail,
calendaring, contact management, task lists and more; it can be connected to
Exchange 2000 or 2003. Users can use the software to manage their e-mail,
calendars, group schedules, address books, public folders and tasks from
their Linux desktops.
Tony Iams, an analyst at D.H. Brown Associates Inc. in Port Chester, N.Y.,
said the availability of Connector under the GPL makes sense for Novell,
which also acquired SUSE Linux last November (see story). "Novell has been
gradually open-sourcing some of their technology they have acquired,
beginning with management tools in SUSE Linux," he said. "This is just a
continuation of that trend to make sure they are proper members of the
open-source and Linux communities."
The announcement "builds goodwill in the open-source community and paves the
way for making its services business model work," Iams said.
The free distribution of Connector is also good for users, he said. "That
Connector is very popular," Iams said. "It gives you the opportunity to use
open-source tools that fit into the existing messaging server with Microsoft
Exchange. Developers can now take this, and you could see all kinds of new
tools" in the future.
Earlier this year, Novell also contributed its SUSE YAST (Yet Another Setup
Tool) system management tool to the open-source community under the GPL. "By
contributing the Ximian Connector to open-source, Novell lessens its
dependency on software licensing, shifting its business focus to services
and support and higher-value optional software such as eDirectory," Iams
said.
Bill Claybrook, an analyst at Harvard Research Group in Harvard, Mass., also
said the release of Connector under the GPL is a good strategic move. Even
though Connector was sold for under $70, IT managers might have balked about
using it in the past, he said. Now that it's free, it might be more popular.
"I think it's going to be a help, but I don't know how much it's going to
increase the use of Evolution. It isn't going to hurt their bottom line," he
said of Novell. "It may even improve it."
The upcoming release of Novell Evolution 2.0 will include several
enhancements, such as built-in spam filtering, S/MIME and PGP security
certificate management and tighter integration with the Linux desktop and
Gaim instant messaging client.
Evolution 2.0 will also include integrated support for Novell GroupWise 6.5
for Linux, improved off-line support for Internet Message Access Protocol
accounts, calendar improvements and better contact management.
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