Will VMware Snap Up Novell?

Given that a VMware acquisition of Novell (or some part of it) could significantly change the tech landscape, speculation is running rampant. More details should follow soon.

At its VMworld trade show two weeks show, VMware CEO Paul Maritz disparaged
the operating system, noting that it is being shunted aside as, “one
of the implications is that more and more, traditional operating systems
no longer see the hardware.”

This is hardly a revelation. Maritz has been talking smack about the operating
system for nearly as long as he’s been CEO of VMware.

Why then, was the rumor mill in overdrive that VMware (NYSE: VMW) is about to swoop in
like a vulture and pick SUSE Linux off of Novell’s rotting carcass? (Rumors
that were proven
true as this article was being posted.)

Ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but the Wall
Street Journal and a host of other publications reported Wednesday that according
to the New York Post, “Novell has reached a deal in principle to sell itself
in two parts, and will be signing a deal in three to four weeks.” A private-equity
firm is speculated to be buying the bulk of the company, while another buyer
will purchase the business units of of Novell that develops and delivers SUSE
Linux.

Read the rest at ServerWatch.