I don't see it as particularly good for Novell customers, but it's a possible acquisition. MacDonald is also doubtful about whether Novell's chairman and chief executive Eric Schmidt, who turned the vendor around after a similarly troubled period in the mid-1990s, will be able to come to the rescue again. The shine is off Eric Schmidt's armour. I don't expect Schmidt to be around beyond the next two years. The best course of action, I think, would be for Novell to break itself up.
Every cloud has a silver lining, however.
The Microsoft executives who must have been deliberating long and hard over what to give Bill in honour of the software giant's birthday celebrations, can finally relax. The quarter was affected by difficult changes intended to improve business.