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Technology Stocks : Novell (NOVL) dirt cheap, good buy? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: EPS who wrote (23835)	9/14/1998 2:12:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42771

Novell Rolls Out Latest Operating System That Rivals Windows NT September 14, 1998 10:08 AM PROVO, Utah -(Dow Jones)- Novell Inc. Monday said it began shipping a long-awaited rewrite of NetWare 5, its flagship operating system for computer networks, to customers last week, more than 10 days ahead of schedule. The announcement confirmed a report in The Wall Street Journal. Novell is trying to exploit rival Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) delays in shipping a new version of the Windows NT operating system that adds improved directory technology. Microsoft's 5.0 version of NT isn't expected to reach the market anytime soon, and experts say the software giant is way behind schedule in getting that product out on the market. Netware 5 is an important shift in Novell's product line to exploit technologies used on the Internet. The product also advances the Provo, Utah, company's capability in an area known as directories, which help manage users on a network and control what computing resources they may use. Novell, whose once-dominant lead in the world of computer operating systems has been whittled down by NT, last week announced plans to include Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser with its NetWare operating system. Experts say Novell's decision to include Explorer in its latest line was a sign that the friction between the once-fierce rivals has calmed. The new version of NetWare will be crucial to Novell's future. Under Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt, who arrived in April 1997, the company has returned to profitability. But revenue, after declining sharply from 1995 to 1997, hasn't rebounded. Meanwhile, sales of NetWare, which outsold NT by more than 2-to-1 in 1995, fell behind NT last year, according to market researcher International Data Corp. Novell will sell NetWare5 for a central computer and as many as five users for $1,195. Upgrades from older versions of NetWare will cost about half that amount. The package will include server software from Netscape (NSCP) and a database manager from Oracle Corp. (ORCL). Novell is recovering from past missteps but still faces punishing competition from Microsoft. Novell's sales crashed three years ago, after its disastrous acquisition of WordPerfect Corp. At the same time, NT took market share away from NetWare. In the small to midsize business market, NetWare has been hurt badly by NT. But NetWare still has a strong presence in large companies because of it can handle larger amounts of users and a more mixed computing environment than NT. Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. smartmoney.com