Novell buys SuSE Linux and Ximian, IBM invests $50 million in Novell, and SCO sues everyone who ever looked at Linux. What's it all about? First, despite the denial of Novell vice chairman Chris Stone, Novell is again setting itself up to compete with Microsoft from the desktop to the server. Second, large software vendors don't seem to be putting much stock in SCO's Unix license agreement violations lawsuit--and Novell is banking on its immunity from prosecution because it sold Unix to SCO in the first place. Third, if you're serious about Linux in the enterprise, you may be a serious Novell shop in the next few years. No mainstream software vendor has aligned its future with the fortunes of enterprise Linux as firmly as Novell has.