The aim is to give business users a desktop that does not require them to be Linux buffs, says Hovsepian. And also to add the functions that the business user expects from a proprietary operating system such as Windows.

'We have focused on interoperability, interfacing it with common directories like Active Directory and e-directory,' he says. Novell has transferred some of the macros from Excel to Open Office, easing transition. 'We've focused on usability', conducting focus groups through www.betterdesktop.org to identify problems for the typical user in Linux's Gnome and KDE GUIs, says Hovsepian.

Business users' decision-making criteria on Linux have shifted from cost to reliability, scalability and security, says Hovsepian. 'The biggest obstacle is communicating that value message. It's important to be able to show that the value [in terms of those three leading criteria] is there.'

Meanwhile, Novell has bought e-Security, a maker of security management and compliance monitoring software, in a deal worth NZ$113.52 million (US$72 million).

Novell has sold security and identity management software, such as Novell Identity Manager, eDirectory and SecureLogin, for a number of years.