# Novell

> American multinational software and services company

**Wikidata**: [Q223407](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q223407)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novell)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/novell

## Summary

Novell was founded on January 1, 1979. It was a public company. Dennis Fairclough was its founder. Its headquarters were in Waltham.It operated in the software industry. Its products were software.[1] It had 4.0k employees in 2008.[2] Micro Focus International was its parent organization.Novell was dissolved on January 1, 2014..

## Summary
Novell was an American multinational software and services company founded in 1979 in Provo, Utah, that became a dominant force in network operating systems with its flagship product, NetWare. Originally a public company listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker NOVL, it was acquired by Micro Focus International in 2011 and subsequently dissolved as an independent entity in 2014. The company pioneered critical enterprise technologies including Novell Directory Services (NDS) and the journaling file system Novell Storage Services, leaving a lasting legacy in modern IT infrastructure.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** Founded in 1979 in Provo, Utah, United States.
- **Founders:** Established by Dennis Fairclough.
- **Legal Form:** Operated as a public company.
- **Headquarters:** Located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and Provo, Utah (specifically at 1800 South Novell Place, 84606).
- **Stock Exchange:** Listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol NOVL from 1986 until 2011.
- **Acquisition:** Acquired by Micro Focus International in 2011; Micro Focus later became part of Open Text Corporation.
- **Dissolution:** The entity was dissolved in 2014.
- **Revenue:** Reported $956 million in revenue in 2008.
- **Workforce:** Employed approximately 4,000 people as of 2008.
- **Industry:** Operated within the software industry.
- **Products:** Developed software including NetWare, Open Enterprise Server, MeeGo, Mono, UnixWare, and Novell Storage Services.
- **Identifiers:** GND ID 5051406-4, VIAF ID 268799801, Freebase ID /m/016pgj, Library of Congress Authority ID n90681765.
- **Predecessor:** Followed the company Excelan.
- **Parent Organization:** Owned by Micro Focus International.
- **Location of Formation:** Provo, Utah.
- **ITU/ISO/IEC Object ID:** 2.16.840.1.113719.
- **Aliases:** Novell, Inc., Novell, نوفيل, セレラント・コンサルティング.

## FAQs
**What was Novell's primary contribution to the technology industry?**
Novell is best known for developing NetWare, a pioneering network operating system that dominated the business computing landscape in the 1980s and 1990s. It introduced advanced features like Novell Directory Services (NDS), which established a hierarchical model for managing network resources that influenced later systems like Microsoft Active Directory.

**How did Novell's corporate structure change over time?**
Founded as an independent public company in 1979, Novell was listed on the Nasdaq from 1986 to 2011. In 2011, it was acquired by Micro Focus International, which later became part of Open Text Corporation, leading to Novell's dissolution as a separate legal entity in 2014.

**What specific software products did Novell develop?**
The company produced a wide range of enterprise software, including the NetWare network operating system, the journaling file system Novell Storage Services, and the Unix-like operating system UnixWare. It also developed the Open Enterprise Server platform, the mobile Linux distribution MeeGo, and the open-source .NET implementation known as Mono.

**Where was Novell headquartered and where was it founded?**
Novell was founded in Provo, Utah, in 1979. Over its history, its headquarters were located in both Provo, Utah, and Waltham, Massachusetts, with a specific address noted as 1800 South Novell Place in Provo.

**Who were the key figures associated with Novell's leadership and development?**
Dennis Fairclough is credited as the founder of the company. The organization also employed and collaborated with notable figures such as Alan Ashton, who served on its board of directors from 1994 to 1996, and Greg Kroah-Hartman, who worked there as a Linux kernel developer from 2004 to 2012.

## Why It Matters
Novell played a foundational role in the evolution of enterprise networking and open-source software. By creating NetWare, it standardized how businesses managed file and print sharing, user authentication, and hardware resources across local area networks, effectively defining the network operating system category. Its development of Novell Directory Services (NDS) introduced a scalable, hierarchical directory model that set the industry standard for identity management, directly influencing the architecture of modern directory services. Furthermore, Novell's strategic pivot toward open-source technologies, evidenced by its acquisition of Ximian and the subsequent development of the Mono project and MeeGo, bridged the gap between proprietary enterprise software and the open-source community. This dual legacy of dominating the proprietary network market while fostering cross-platform open-source tools ensures its continued relevance in the history of computing infrastructure.

## Notable For
- **Pioneering Network Operating Systems:** Being the creator of NetWare, which was the dominant network operating system for businesses in the 1980s and 1990s.
- **Directory Services Innovation:** Introducing Novell Directory Services (NDS), a hierarchical directory service model that predated and influenced Microsoft Active Directory.
- **Journaling File System:** Developing Novell Storage Services (NSS) in 1998, a journaling file system designed to improve data integrity and recovery speeds.
- **Open Source Leadership:** Acquiring Ximian and leading the development of Mono, an open-source implementation of Microsoft's .NET framework for Linux and macOS.
- **Mobile Linux Collaboration:** Co-developing MeeGo, a mobile Linux distribution, in partnership with Nokia, Intel, and the Linux Foundation.
- **UnixWare Development:** Maintaining and evolving UnixWare, a proprietary Unix-like operating system based on UNIX System V.
- **Corporate Longevity and Transition:** Operating for over three decades before being acquired by Micro Focus International and eventually dissolved in 2014.
- **Public Market Presence:** Successfully operating as a public company listed on the Nasdaq for 25 years (1986–2011).

## Body

### History and Corporate Evolution
Novell was founded in 1979 in Provo, Utah, by Dennis Fairclough. The company initially followed the trajectory of Excelan before establishing its own identity in the software industry. It grew rapidly to become a public company, listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange in 1986 under the ticker symbol NOVL. For over two decades, Novell operated as an independent entity, expanding its product line and market reach. In 2011, the company was acquired by Micro Focus International, a British multinational software business. Following this acquisition, Novell ceased to exist as an independent legal entity and was formally dissolved in 2014. Micro Focus International itself was later acquired by Open Text Corporation in 2023, integrating Novell's legacy technologies into a larger portfolio.

### Headquarters and Locations
The company's roots were firmly planted in Provo, Utah, where it was founded and where its primary headquarters were located at 1800 South Novell Place. As the company expanded, it also established a significant presence in Waltham, Massachusetts. These locations served as the operational hubs for its software development and business operations. The company's formation location is specifically recorded as Provo, Utah, and its legal status was that of a public company.

### Flagship Products and Technologies
Novell's most significant contribution was NetWare, a computer network operating system developed starting in 1983. NetWare was designed to manage hardware resources and deliver shared network services, becoming the standard for business networking. It was distributed on 3½-inch floppy disks in its early days and reached its final version, 6.5 SP8, in May 2009. NetWare was eventually succeeded by Open Enterprise Server (OES), which was first released in March 2005. OES served as a computing platform for shared network services, utilizing the RPM Package Manager and acting as a bridge between the legacy NetWare kernel and modern operating system architectures.

In the realm of file systems, Novell introduced Novell Storage Services (NSS) in 1998. This journaling file system replaced the older NetWare File System, offering improved data integrity and faster recovery after system failures. NSS was later implemented for the Linux operating system, expanding its utility beyond Novell's proprietary environments. The company also developed UnixWare, a proprietary Unix-like operating system based on UNIX System V, which was originally launched in 1992 and continued to be developed by Micro Focus International until at least 2017.

### Open Source and Cross-Platform Initiatives
A major strategic shift for Novell occurred with its acquisition of Ximian in 2003. This move allowed Novell to lead the development of Mono, an open-source project launched in 2004 that provided an implementation of Microsoft's .NET framework for Linux, macOS, and other platforms. This initiative was pivotal in enabling cross-platform development. Additionally, Novell collaborated with Nokia, Intel, and the Linux Foundation to create MeeGo, a mobile Linux distribution announced in May 2010. MeeGo was designed for netbooks and smartphones, with the Nokia N9 being a notable device running the OS. The project was eventually succeeded by Tizen in 2012. Novell also developed other open-source tools such as F-Spot, an image manager, and AppArmor, a Linux kernel security module.

### Key Personnel and Affiliations
Dennis Fairclough is recognized as the founder of Novell. The company's board of directors included Alan Ashton, a co-founder of WordPerfect Corporation, who served from 1994 to 1996. Greg Kroah-Hartman, a prominent Linux kernel developer, was employed by Novell from 2004 to 2012 before moving to the Linux Foundation. Miguel de Icaza, a Mexican software developer known for GNU Midnight Commander and the Mono project, worked for Novell from 2003 to 2011. These individuals played crucial roles in shaping the company's technical direction and its integration into the broader open-source community.

### Financial and Operational Metrics
At its peak, Novell was a significant player in the global software market. In 2008, the company reported a revenue of $956 million and employed approximately 4,000 people. It was listed on the Nasdaq from 1986 until its acquisition in 2011. The company's financial and operational data is indexed under various identifiers, including a Ringgold ID of 50625 and a Crunchbase organization ID of "novell." Its industry classification is strictly within the software industry, and it produced software as its primary product or material.

### Legacy and Dissolution
The dissolution of Novell in 2014 marked the end of its independent operations, but its technologies persisted under Micro Focus International and later Open Text Corporation. The company's legacy is preserved in the continued use of Open Enterprise Server, the maintenance of UnixWare, and the widespread adoption of the Mono project. Novell's influence on network architecture, particularly through NDS, remains evident in modern enterprise IT structures. The company's story is a testament to the evolution of the software industry, from the era of proprietary network operating systems to the rise of open-source collaboration and mobile computing platforms.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. Virtual International Authority File
3. National Software Reference Library
4. [Source](http://www.hoovers.com/novell/--ID__14287--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml)
5. [Source](http://km.aifb.kit.edu/services/crunchbase/)
6. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
7. [Source](https://www.iana.org/assignments/enterprise-numbers/enterprise-numbers)