Your article "Patent flap slows multilingual domain name plan", states that if the start-up Walid does not agree to "license the patent for free to all interested parties . . . the IETF will likely scrap this approach and start over, which could make Walid's patent worthless."

I obtained a copy of the patent (a PDF version can be downloaded here) and looked at the IETF's proposed workarounds. While the IETF might be able to make one of the kludges work, Walid Tout's method has all the positive attributes of the original IETF proposal, and it would not be worthless, since it could be used within the extant DNS framework without interfering with other new schemes.

While this patent may cause gnashing of teeth at the IETF, it seems to represent an elegant way to go. It might be more useful for the IETF to investigate a reasonable licensing scheme than to dissipate its efforts on a workaround.

Regarding Dave Kearns' column "Pondering Novell's future":

I recently attended my first BrainShare conference and came away feeling that Novell was a strong, vibrant company. I saw and heard nothing to justify Kearns' concerns. Novell has finally addressed some long-standing problems I had with its offerings. If new CEO Jack Messman can get out the message of just how comprehensive Novell's solutions are, the company will do quite well, thank you.

Regarding "Users give Novell a to-do list":

Let's hope that Novell doesn't always listen to its customers, or listens very selectively in this case. The advice to "distance itself from its legacy operating system" and "jettison development of products such as BorderManager and NetWare" would almost certainly lead to the company's demise. This reminds me of the advice to Software AG to neglect the development of Adabas and Natural in favor of developing middleware, advice that has led to that company almost disappearing off the map. Novell's strength lies in the diversity of its product range, and BorderManager and NetWare are essential pieces of the puzzle. NetWare is a vital foundation for the Net services software direction, while BorderManager is a classic example of exactly the sort of directory-enabled software Novell is being urged to write.

Novell has already killed too many products (for example, NetPublisher and ZENworks for Networks) to please critics. These were unique products that almost created new software categories before they were taken off the shelves. What Novell needs is not fewer products, but more effective marketing.

"Distance itself from NetWare"? I don't think so! Unless Novell were to begin developing and supporting Linux, it would be a serious mistake for the company to abandon development of one of the few stable alternatives to the less-than-stable Windows NT/2000. Yes, Novell should pursue the development of NDS eDirectory, but it should not dump NetWare.

Regarding Chuck Yoke's column "Surviving a layoff and living to tell about it":

Yoke put into words exactly how I felt, and sometimes still feel even now, almost 18 months after being laid off. I never thought, after giving a company 150%, that they would treat me like that. I've definitely lost a lot of respect for the corporate world. Fortunately, we work in an industry that needs IT professionals, with plenty of job openings.

Network World

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