Novell Inc has made a trio of Internet-related announcements, the first of which is a strategic relationship with Mountain View, California-based Netscape Communications Corp. Under the deal, Netscape will license Navigator, its software for browsing the Internet’s World Wide Web, to Novell. The latter is being coy about the financial terms of the deal and, indeed, the products in which the technology will be included. According to Novell, Navigator will incorporated into offerings from all its groups. Asked how Navigator ties in with Novell’s own next-generation browser technology, code-named Ferret, the company said Navigator would address the immediate customer demand for a browser and thereafter address the needs of users that do not want the added functionality of Ferret, such as built-in NetWare security. Ferret is not due out until this autumn. Novell also announced that it has integrated voice messaging into GroupWise (CI No 2,504), the electronic messaging component of GroupWare, which acts as the access point for Internet, electronic mail, facsimile and X.400 message data. According to the company, the voice messaging technology supports the Simplified Message Desk Interface telecommunications standard, enabling it to communicate w ith PABXs from the likes of AT&T Corp, Siemens AG’s Rolm Co, Northern Telecom Ltd, NEC Corp, L M Ericsson Telefon AB and Mitel Corp. With the new technology, Novell says that spoken messages can be manipulated like any other data type in GroupWise. The company also says that because voice messages are saved in the GroupWise system as a .WAV file, which has widespread acceptance and support, they can be forwarded to users on most foreign electronic mail systems through GroupWise gateways. The new capability is available next month; pricing details from the company. Finally, the company has announced WordPerfect Internet Publisher for Windows, a free add-on to WordPerfect 6.1 said to enable users to create and view documents on the Internet without having to learn HyperText Markup Language, and WordPerfect Internet Publisher Pro for Windows, an open system said to provide users with seamless links to the Internet from within WordPerfect 6.1. Both will be available next quarter and the Pro version will cost รบ40, including the connecting software and service provider access.
