The Linux factor
A decade ago, then-CEO Ray Noorda decided it would be neat to turn Novell into a carbon copy of Microsoft.
As far as brainstorms go, this one rates right up there with the charge of the Light Brigade: It produced a lot of headlines but ended up badly for all those concerned.
Novell had a nice gig selling network operating systems. But Noorda, who could have used personal instruction from Michael Corleone, confused business with the personal and became obsessed with taking down detested rival Bill Gates.
So he decided that Novell would reinvent itself, offering a constellation of programs and services to surround its core operating system. In relatively short order Novell paid a bundle of money to acquire Unix Systems Labs and a suite of application software.
The move looked great on paper but was an awful mess in reality. Customers bolted as products fell behind schedule, the new organization lapsed in disarray, and management wondered cluelessly how to make things right. Not only did Microsoft extend its lead in office applications, but Windows NT also caught up and surpassed Novell's NetWare.
