14 DAY TRIAL // According to CCID Consulting, a Chinese industry analyst firm, Novell continues to lead the Linux market in China. With a 25.1 percent share, it surpassed all other local and international Linux vendors.
"Looking back at China's Linux Market in 2005, we can see that Novell was no doubt the biggest star," said Qian Lei, Computer & Software Analyst, CCID Consulting. "Novell has gained good results from its investment in China's Linux market. In 2005, Novell revenue topped the Linux market in China with a total market share of 25.1 percent, illustrating strong competitiveness for Novell in China."
In an article by Chen Nan Yang, a Chinese freelance journalist and formerly an IT director in a local government's Investment and Development Bureau, he describes what matters on the Chinese market. When Red Hat entered the Chinese market in 2004, an executive of Asian distribution vendor Turbolinux said that Chen Shi, the general manager of Red Hat's Greater China region, still had a long way to go in understanding the Chinese Rules before he could achieve success in the Chinese market. The Chinese Rules say that software companies should make success by political powers, personal relationships and individual benefits. Microsoft got it, Novell got it.
With the situation being the same for most cases, here, in my country, the fact that this happens in China is not much of a surprise. What does raise an eyebrow is Novell's annoying superior attitude, when it's clear that in this case merit has little to do with success. Little morality is expected from businesses, but it's ironic that the community which created and supports Linux is held together by goals and morals completely opposite to those of China's government. Or Novell's.