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What does *nix mean for Redmond?

David Berlind ZDNet.com

Published: 04 Jan 2005 17:25 GMT

Need evidence?

Look at the contract layers of the offerings from Sun and Novell. For almost the exact same amount of money -- $50 per year -- they deliver almost exactly the same core contract: the Web (Mozilla), a productivity suite (StarOffice or OpenOffice.org), and email and scheduling (Novell's Ximian Evolution) . What makes JDS interesting, and further drives home the embedded/commodity point, is that JDS delivers precisely the same contract for the same price on its version of Unix (Solaris) as well. This drives the Linux faithful crazy because it makes Sun look like it's vacillating on its Linux strategy -- a myth that many perpetuate -- when it's not. Has Linux taken its toll on Sun? Sure. But, on the desktop, Sun is simply delivering a contract for $50. Take your pick -- Solaris or Linux. Although Sun hopes you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Solaris version, Sun really doesn't care which one you pick and the message is, neither should you. What makes these offerings both interesting and useful is definitely not the OS.

Keep in mind that we're talking about $50 here. If you're determined to split hairs over what $50 gets you, you will no doubt be able to unearth some differences beyond what JDS' StarOffice gets you over NLD's OpenOffice.org, particularly in how both companies make management of their desktop offerings possible.

Such hair-splitting aside, the theme that many seem to have more fun with is what Novell's introduction of NLD means to "those evil people in Redmond". Almost universally, the discussion is about how the NLD release is proof-positive that desktop Linux means business. But, let's be honest. In NLD's case, desktop Linux is merely the messenger. So, you'll have to excuse me, but I'm going to shoot the messenger. The question isn't about what desktop Linux will do to Windows. It's about what a $50-per-seat business productivity contract -- which, in addition to JDS, Novell has helped to legitimize in introducing NLD -- will do to Microsoft. Forget what's under the hood. If a solution delivers productivity reliably and securely, if it's manageable, if it costs less than $100 a seat (even on an annual subscription basis), and if Novell, Sun, and others (for example, IBM, which just launched a sub-$100 express version of its Lotus Workplace client productivity offering) end up in blood bath to prove who can do a better job delivering that contract and there's nuclear desktop fallout, then the majority of that fallout will be felt where there's something to lose and that's Redmond -- particularly if Microsoft doesn't respond.