Novell vs. Red Hat: Read the Linux Fine Print

Novell today claimed to have more certified software partners than rival Linux providers. The chest pumping represents Novell’s latest thinly veiled attack against Red Hat. But take a closer look at Novell’s claims and you’ll see why Red Hat may take issue with some of Novell’s statements.

First, the good news for Novell: The company says more than 2,500 software applications are now certified on the latest versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise. The VAR Guy is impressed.

Also worth noting: Novell says an average of 140 new applications are certified on SUSE Linux every month. Again, our resident blogger is impressed. Backed by those ISV (independent software vendor) relationships, Novell intends to accelerate SUSE Linux’s momentum on corporate servers and even desktops. Yes, desktops. We’ll see how that effort is going when Novell announces quarterly financial results on December 4.

Take A Closer Look

Now, for the reality check. Novell’s carefully worded press release says:

Hmmm. Let’s dissect that sentence for a moment. Basically, Novell focusing the conversation on SUSE Linux Enterprise 9 and 10 vs. Red Hat’s latest release — Enterprise Linux 5.

Red Hat released Enterprise Linux 5 in March 2007. Sometime that same year, Red Hat surpassed 3,000 certified applications. At the time, Red Hat stated:

So, how can Novell claim to be “leading” the ISV market with 2,500 certified applications when Red Hat Enterprise Linux had 3,000 certified applications in 2007? Perhaps Novell thinks many of Red Hat’s ISVs are certified for older Red Hat releases.

Quite A Battle

Regardless, The VAR Guy is enjoying Novell’s latest attempt to get under Red Hat’s skin. Novell attacked Red Hat in mid-November, with a new offer to help partners migrate customers from Red Hat Enterprise Linux to SUSE Linux.

Ultimately, partners and customers are the big winners in this apparent showdown between Novell and Red Hat. Competition will surely drive innovation and cost-effective solutions.

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