Novell, also known as Big Red, and Big Blue have been in negotiations for the past several months discussing an expanded commitment by Novell to Linux, said sources close to the Provo, Utah, company.

At Brainshare 2002, Novell Vice Chairman Chris Stone acknowledged that talks are underway with Red Hat and IBM, but he stopped short of saying that a deal is done.

"Linux doesn't have a directory and it needs one," Stone said during an interview with CRN on Monday.

Novell's eDirectory currently supports the Linux platform. The discussions with IBM and Red Hat center around bundling the Novell eDirectory services with IBM Linux-based servers running Red Hat, Novell sources say. IBM's chief Linux partner in the U.S. is Red Hat.

The Linux kernel has some very limited directory capabilities, while other operating systems, including NetWare and Windows 2000, offer major directory services.

As part of that strategy, Novell also plans to de-couple its suite of directory-enabled applications--also called Net services--from Netware. That will enable them to run with all platforms including Linux, said Ed Anderson, director of product management for Novell's Net Directory Services.

For example, ZenWorks for Servers 3, announced here on Monday, adds support for Linux and Solaris. The forthcoming Zenworks for Desktops, code-named "Promethius," will also be de-coupled from the Netware client to enable all corporate IT users to deploy the directory-enabled applications in Linux environments and all corporate IT environments

Novell's Stone would not directly say whether or not eDirectory will become an open source project, but others said Novell has no intention of freely distributing the code of its crown jewel. "There are no plans to do that," said Anderson.

However, Vice Chairman Stone acknowledged during an interview that making eDirectory an open source directory would enhance Novell's ability to sell its line of directory-enabled applications such as iChain, OnDemand, DirXML and Zenworks.

As it currently stands, Novell makes eDirectory licenses available free or at little cost to corporate customers so that it can make money on the line of directory-enabled applications, especially DirXML and ZenWorks.

While many doubt Novell will go so far as to open source eDirectory, Stone wouldn't rule out an open source version of eDirectory. At Brainshare, Novell indicated a major shift to all Internet standards, including XML, J2EE and Linux, and a major departure from Novell's proprietary past. For example, Novell will rip out all of the proprietary interfaces of eDirectory and make it fully XML native, officials said on Monday.

"We'll see," Stone hinted of Novell's Linux plans.

If you used almost any form of networked PC in the late 1980s or the 1990s, the chances are that you will at some point have encountered the Novell NE2000 network card. This 16-bit ISA card became a de facto standard for 16-bit network cards, such that very few “NE2000” cards were the real thing. A host of clones filled the market, some of which followed the spec of the original rather loosely. It’s something [Michal Necasek] examines as he takes the reader through the history of the NE2000 and why it gained something of a bad reputation. An interesting read for ’90s PC veterans who battled with dodgy Windows 3.1 network drivers.

The Novell line of network cards were not a primary product of the network server OS company but an attempt to spur the uptake of networked computers in an age when few machines were supplied from the factory with a network card installed. They were largely an implementation of the reference design for the National Semiconductor DP3890 Ethernet interface chipset, and for simplicity of interfacing and drivers they used an I/O mapped interface rather than DMA. The problem with the NE2000 wasn’t the card itself which would work with any NE2000 driver, but the host of “NE2000 compatible” cards that appeared over the decade as that magic phrase became a key selling point at the bottom end of the market. Sure they might contain a DP3890 or its clones, but even minor differences in behaviour would cause them not to work with all drivers, and thus they gained a bad name. The piece reveals the original card as one that might have been slow and outdated towards the end of its reign as a standard card, but maybe one not deserving of the ire directed at it.

If ancient networking kit is your thing, we’ve got some far more obscure stuff to show you.

Novell's ZENworks 10 Configuration Management client (ZCM 10) doesn't currently support Vista SP1, but Novell will address that in an update slated for release in late March or early April, a company spokesperson said an email to ChannelWeb.

However, Novell didn't respond to repeated requests for information on specific functionality that's lost after Vista SP1 is installed. A Microsoft spokesperson said the company has no additional information to share on the ZENworks-Vista SP1 compatibility issue.

The incompatibility is ironic in light of the interoperability pact that Microsoft and Novell signed in 2006, in which the vendors pledged to build better ties between Linux and Windows. That deal has been something of a punching bag in the open source community, a significant portion of which believes it goes against the intentions of the Linux general public license.

Novell unveiled ZENworks Configuration Manager 10, formerly known as Pulsar, at last year's CeBIT conference in Hannover, Germany. The product, which supports both Novell eDirectory and Microsoft Active Directory, helps speed Vista migrations and minimize downtime by keeping users' personal desktop and application settings intact during the migration process.

Robert Brentson, CEO of InTech Solutions, a Novell VAR in Penfield, N.Y., says there has been a noticeable increase in adoption of ZCM 10 in exact months, due in part to its flexibility. "ZCM 10 is directory agnostic, and that has allowed us to reach native Microsoft customers that we normally haven't done business with in previous versions of the product," said Brentson.

Of course, many businesses are still waiting for Microsoft to fix the well publicized technical issues in Vista before they even begin to think about migrating. Oddly enough, that reticence is part of the reason why Brentson isn't overly concerned about the fact that ZCM 10 doesn't yet support Vista.

"To be frank, most of my customers still aren't looking to adopt Vista, so the immediate impact is probably going to be minimal," Brentson said.

Microsoft, which announced the release to manufacturing of Vista SP1 earlier this month, plans to offer it to the public sometime around the middle of March.

Pearl Harbor survivors, from left, Harry Chandler, Ken Stevens, Herb Elfring and Ira "Ike" Schab salute while the National Anthem is played during the 82nd Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mengshin Lin/AP hide caption

Founded originally as Gainesville Junior College in March 1964, the college was the result of visionary community leaders who sought to fill a need for accessible, quality higher education for Northeast Georgians. While a campus was in development, the college initially held classes at the Gainesville Civic Center and First Baptist Church.

In 1966, Gainesville Junior College moved to its permanent campus. With an aim to prepare students for the local workforce or to transfer on to other senior institutions, Gainesville Junior College experienced high demand from the outset. It promoted an educational experience that included academics, athletics, student activities, and public service.

Drawing students primarily from the region surrounding Lake Lanier, the college's logo incorporated an anchor symbol and blue and gold colors. The college's athletic teams competed as The Lakers until the 1985-86 academic year, when intercollegiate athletics were discontinued due to lack of spectator support and a reallocation of institutional resources.

In 1987, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents authorized the removal of "Junior" or "Community" from the two names of two-year institutions to better reflect the quality of the educational experiences students in those colleges received. Gainesville Junior College became Gainesville College.

In 1998, the college adopted a new logo that replaced the anchor previously used to represent the college with a symbolic bell tower that greeted students as they entered campus. The college's colors, too, changed from blue and gold to green.

In 2003, the college expanded to include the Oconee Campus in Watkinsville, Ga., where enrollment grew quickly.

In 2005, the institution's name changed to Gainesville State College, reflecting the growth of four-year degree programs within the college.

The college's historic seal incorporates the State of Georgia seal, an anchor symbolizing the college's first mascot – The Lakers, and the lake in the background symbolizing the Lanier Land service area.

The Department of History is offering two $5,000 scholarships to deserving students who transfer from another college into UAB as history majors. Applicants should demonstrate academic promise and a commitment to the study of History.

To apply, send your college transcript, a one-page description of why you are interested in studying history, and some of your career aspirations are to Dr. Walter Ward at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Bringing Equity to Implementation

Implementation science—the study of the uptake, scale, and sustainability of social programs—has failed to advance strategies to address equity. This collection of articles reviews case studies and articulates lessons for incorporating the knowledge and leadership of marginalized communities into the policies and practices intended to serve them. Sponsored by the Anne E. Casey Foundation

View the digital edition and download the PDF.

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