Linux in Government: Linux Desktop Reviews, Part 2 - Novell Linux Desktop

When you look into the Novell Linux Desktop (NLD), you find a product
that fits an analyst's picture of a mature open-source model.
Last week,
we asked some hard questions about that model with regards to Xandros
and were left wondering. When you ask the same questions of Novell,
the answers come out positive:

• What kind of support organization does Novell offer related to users? If
  you run into a problem, can you contact someone for help? How, over the
  phone or by e-mail?
• How big is Novell's support organization? Does the company out-source
  its support?
• Does Novell have a professional services organization? If someone wants
  to buy a large number of desktops, how would Novell handle a big
  order?
• Novell offers documentation for the user. How about technical
  documentation, is there anything for the administrator?
• What kind of solution/provider ecosystem exists? Does Novell have
  resellers? How robust is that reseller organization?
• What is Novell's server strategy? Does the company
  provide back-office functionality and identity management?
• What tools exist for rolling out and managing the desktops? Does the
  company offer on-site training?
• How can administrators and help-desk people learn to provide desk-side
  support in their own companies? Does curriculum exist?

In the event you have little experience with Novell, you should find
that the company covers all the bases, from top to bottom. From the desktop point
of view, we are left to wonder who has an open-source model that approaches Novell?
A quick visit to the Novell Web site leads to a

case study of
Jefferson County
that answers many of the above questions for you.

Novell has a long history of providing support, training, back-office
functionality, innovation in managing desktops and networks and a
significant partner ecosystem. Since the company embraced the open-source
model with the purchase of SUSE and Ximian, it has transformed the
open-source model into one of maturity.
Eating Their Own Cooking
In sum, the Novell Linux Desktop represents the product the company has chosen
for its own use. In an

article in Computer Business Review Online,
we learn that "Novell has entered phase two of its Open Desktop Initiative to roll out
Linux as the desktop operating system for its 6,000 internal employees,
with plans to get 100% of them using Linux by the end of May."

In the same article, we learn:

The Waltham, Massachusetts-based software vendor's Linux desktop migration
began in 2004 and overachieved on its phase-one goals, (according to
CIO Debra Anderson.)

"This year we're moving more aggressively," Anderson said. "We want
to get 100% of Novell on a Linux desktop, including dual-boot, and the
second part is to drive a single Linux image and have 80% by the end of
the year turn off Windows."

The company has already made the open source OpenOffice.org productivity
suite its default office suite ahead of schedule, and now has 83% of
employees actively using it on a daily basis. A voluntary migration also
saw the company beat its goal to get 50% of users onto Linux by the end
of October 2004.

Under the Novell scenario, Microsoft becomes a small niche player
in the desktop space. Looking at functionality and feature lists,
most serious analysts actually would place Microsoft in such a niche role.
When less than 10% of an enterprise uses the features included
in a Microsoft desktop, why would the remaining 90% be required
to use the same platform?
Using Novell Linux Desktop 9
I wrote my first
review on NLD9
on November 15, 2004, shortly after the release of the evaluation
version became available on Novell's
Web
site. Our group then began to pilot the product, using it in comparison to
another Linux desktop offering that was built similarly. In short, we lived with NLD
for approximately five months, and we found NLD to be suitable for desktop use in
the home as well as in the office.

Of the desktop offerings we have piloted, NLD offered the broadest
range of functionality in what we designated as the desktop and mobility
space. From the desktop point of view, the system provides a user-friendly
environment, ease of administration and an excellent enhancement of the
OpenOffice.org productivity suite.

We also found NLD to provide a superior laptop experience. For example,
Novell calls one of its premiere laptop features
netapplet.
For mobile users, netapplet allows for rapid transfer from numerous
wireless access points, a feature that compelled one of my colleagues to
stay with NLD on his IBM Thinkpad. In addition, we found that we could
utilize VoIP with Skype
on NLD effectively. We utilized the Linux SUSE9 download and immediately
began reaping benefits on our Internet phones.
Features of NLD
In Figure 1, you can get an idea of the functionality available on
the Novell Linux desktop. In this figure we accessed the accessories
menu. You can see the availability of many applications and tools,
including the Microsoft Terminal Server Client and the Novell iFolder.
Figure 1. The Novell Linux Desktop Launch
Menu
The Terminal Server Client is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. NLD Bundled Microsoft Terminal Server Client
For users requiring Microsoft or Win-32 applications, Novell has provided
a simple way to utilize those applications through a Microsoft Terminal
Server. Again, if you believe such applications play a niche role
in your enterprise rather than a dominant one, using a terminal server
can save your organization significant funds. MS Terminal Server client,
for example, uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

A second solution bundled with NLD includes the Citrix ICA Client, whose
splash screen is represented in Figure 3. NLD also includes the popular
Evolution Workgroup client, version 2.0, which can connect to Microsoft
exchange as well as to Novell GroupWise.
Figure 3. Citrix ICA Client for Linux
Finally, NLD also provides extensive interoperability with existing
Microsoft infrastructures by including Samba, the SMB CIFS
client/server solution. We have noted in previous articles (see
Resources) how Samba allows Linux to work with Windows clients in peer-to-peer,
Primary Domain and Active Directory environments.
Novell's OpenOffice.org Productivity Suite
Novell has made a major contribution to the Open Source community by
enhancing the ubiquitous OpenOffice.org Productivity Suite. In the
past, we have tested and used Sun's StarOffice7 version of OpenOffice.org
and considered it to be the best of class. After using Novell's version of
OpenOffice.org, shown in Figures 4 and 5, we have another opinion.
Figure 4. Novell's OpenOffice.org Office
Productivity SuiteFigure 5. Novell's Star Writer Word Processing
Application
Novell has enhanced the major applications in the OpenOffice.org
suite--StarWriter, StarCalc and Impress--such that they perform with exceptional
stability and ease of use. If you have utilized Microsoft's Office
Productivity suite, you may find the Novell suite to be easier to use and
compatible with more versions of the Microsoft file format than any
other product.

Also, we anticipate that Novell will offer OpenOffice.org version 2
within the near future. You can find information about it on
the OpenOffice.org Web site.
In the meantime, you can discover how the newest version, now in beta,
looks and feels like Microsoft Office. In short, your users should have
no problem in migrating to the latest version of OpenOffice.org.
Final Comments
Although we could continue to discus NLD far past our allotted space
here, we suggest that you take a close look at the Novell offering
yourself. As pointed out earlier, you can download a fully functional
version from the Novell Web site. Although you can experience the desktop
and try it in standalone mode, you perhaps might find a much richer
experience if you set up a pilot project to use the various tools
available from Novell.

As a side note, please understand that although I may have written
enthusiastically about NLD, I remain an objective third party. Perhaps
you can take my enthusiasm as evidence of how impressed I am with both
the product and the company.
Resources
"Linux in
Government: Setting Up a Linux Desktop in a Small Office
Network"

"Eleven
Tips for Moving to OpenOffice.org"

Tom Adelstein lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Yvonne, and
works as a Distinguished Analyst and open-source software consultant
with Hiser+Adelstein, headquartered in New York City. He's the co-author
of the book Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop and
author of an upcoming book on Linux system administration, to be
published by O'Reilly and Associates. Tom has been consulting and writing
articles and books about Linux since early 1999.