Novell networks inspire corporate confidence. (Netview for the Macintosh) (The Long View) (column)

Novell networks inspire corporate confidence Novell, which dominates the market for IBM-compatible local-area networks, just tore down its "No Macs Allowed" sign. At a June 7 ceremony, the company announced NetWare for the Macintosh.

Novell is the Microsoft of network operating systems. Its NetWare runs with just about every conceivable hardware combination in the MS-DOS world, and it will be available soon to the Macintosh community.

The numbers are staggering, considering the youth of the LAN industry. There are about 220,000 NetWare-based file servers connected to more than 2 million IBM-compatible PCs. By my calculations, that's one-fifteenth of the world's PC population.

But what's the big deal? Macs and PCs have been talking to each other for years. About 100,000 Macs already are connected to MS-DOS machines, according to Apple's estimates.

TOPS started the ball rolling almost two years ago with its distributed network that allows PCs and Macs to exchange files without the need for a centralized server. Then Apple came along with AppleShare, which uses a dedicated Macintosh as a file server for a network of Macs and PCs. 3Com, Touch Communications and others have since made the Macintosh connection.

But Novell is perceived as safe. It's the one that corporate America is most likely to seek out. Companies may be willing to take chances with stand-alone computers, but not LANs. Visions of mangled data and spilled secrets flash in the minds of company officials. Novell, however, instills confidence.

But the real significance of the Apple/Novell connection is its simplicity and guaranteed Macintosh compatibility. The two companies worked together to assure strict compatibility. Novell is compatible with AppleShare, which is essentially part of the Macintosh operating system. If Novell delivers on its promise, it will be a plug-and-play LAN.