Novell ropes in Java to bolster intranets

Novell CEO Eric Schmidt has revealed that the networking company is planning to make Intranetware a Java applications server environment, in an attempt to bolster its flagging position.

Schmidt, on his first trip to Europe since he joined Novell in April, commented: 'Java is going to be important on the server. We want to be the premier platform for Java applications.'

As part of the strategy, for which Schmidt failed to reveal dates, Novell will embrace Java in four ways. It will use an object request broker to enable Java components to communicate, build Java Virtual Machine into its network OS, enable its services products such as Groupwise and Managewise to support Java access through the Novell and Sun-developed Java Naming Directory Interface (JNDI) and write selective pieces of software in Java.

Novell chief technology officer Glenn Ricart said: 'We will not be writing all new software in Java. We have not written Border Services (Novell's intranet security products) in Java because the compiler is not mature enough for this product at this stage.'

Novell said it will give Java support to its directory and printing services and file system. The modules that are closer to the hardware, such as the kernel, will continue to be written in C or will be event-driven.

Intranetware will support third-party applications software, such as that from SAP, Peoplesoft and Oracle, as they begin to support ActiveX or Java Beans. Novell is also promoting a developer programme to encourage third parties to write to the Intranetware environment. Eventually these software components and Intranetware modules will communicate via the Visibroker Object Request Broker which Novell licensed from Visigenic earlier this year.