Novell on Monday blasted Microsoft"s controversial software licensing plan and business practices, hoping to lure frustrated customers to its own products and services.
In a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal, Novell said that Microsoft"s licensing initiative "only benefits their bottom line--and not yours." In a white paper linked to the advertisement, the company warned that Microsoft"s licensing plan locked customers into expensive upgrades.
The Provo, Utah-based software maker is embarking on an offensive against Microsoft after announcing a new pricing structure of its own earlier this month. Novell said the revamped prices would make it cheaper for large Web sites to use Novell"s software, such as applications for Web-based e-mail and authentication and login services.
Novell is trying to re-establish itself as a leader in the networking sector by focusing on Web services, in which data are accessed and manipulated over the Internet through a variety of devices rather than at a local PC. The company, once a leader in making software for building LANs (local area networks), enters a field crowded with competitors such as Sun Microsystems, Microsoft and IBM.
The strategy so far appears to be the enticement of corporate customers that are unhappy with Microsoft"s controversial licensing structure.