Indeed, but we shouldn't forget that (a) Novell is under new management and (b) Open Text's product is somewhat closer to a NOS (Network Operating System) than to Word Perfect....
I'd agree that Novell is under new management (finally). I do not agree that Open Text's products are closer to a NOS than applications. I call it intranet groupware. Is groupware a NOS function? Only because the two big NOS vendors say it is. Novell (Groupwise) Microsoft (Exchange). But since NetScape (Communicator) and Lotus (Notes, Domino, etc) all have competing products, and no NOS, then I think groupware is the category.
But, on reflection, I'll grant you that Novell is already in that business (groupware). I feel Novell has been abandoning the document management space - only half hearted attempts at keeping DM alive, and big chunks of the old Soft Solutions customer base are leaving Novell. It seems that people with email infrastructures already in place don't want to have the overhead of groupwise email just to get DM.
Open Text seems to compete most with Lotus. Who is best able to take on IBM/Lotus? There would be a good acquisition fit.
In the mean time, this market is still so immature that any newcomer could still step in and take some of Open Text's shine away, or an existing player could get serious. Not any time soon, but in internet time, a long time away could be Q3! |
