"Novell represents one of the original key players in the network operating system and identity management period from the early 1990s until today," Perkins also writes. "In fact, one could make an interesting case that the company made Microsoft what it is today through the early market battle between Novell NetWare and Microsoft Windows Server. We all know how that battle ended, but in the long run Windows Server was a better product because of it.

"Novell had significant and continued influence on many vendors, ranging from the identity and access management to the Linux market, from email to virtualization, and of course security. In most of those cases the company made a good to excellent showing of technology and was quick to improve upon it and in some cases to outpace its competitors both in terms of vision and architecture."

Attachmate, founded in 1981, was known early on for its terminal emulation software and more recently has expanded into management software, with buyouts of companies such as NetIQ and OnDemand Software. Attachmate is owned by an investment group led by Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital and Thoma Bravo.

While SUSE Linux is a totally new business for Attachmate, there may be some synergy between NetIQ, a systems management company owned by Attachmate, and Novell's technology from the Managed Objects , says Forrester analyst J.P. Garbani.

Attachmate has run NetIQ largely as a separate company, as there was little overlap between Attachmate's traditional product lines and NetIQ, Garbani notes.