Novell’s Linux gamble is paying off

Underscoring Novell’s commitment to the Linux operating system, the company’s chief financial officer on Friday hinted at further acquisitions.

Joseph Tibbetts, pointing to Novell’s purchase late last year of two leading Linux companies — Boston’s Ximian and Germany’s SuSE — said the networking giant is on its way to becoming the world’s leading Linux solutions provider.

“Novell has been able to accomplish a lot that positions us to be able to address the fastest part of the [information technology] market, the Linux base,” he said in an interview Friday with Bloomberg television.