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:

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.

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:

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?

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.