Novell acquired by Attachmate

I received this in my email today:

Dear Valued Novell Customer,

I am writing to let you know that today we announced that Novell has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Attachmate Corporation would acquire Novell for $6.10 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion.

We believe this transaction is great news for our customers. Novell has a long history of innovation and market leadership, and this tradition will be preserved and built upon through this transaction. We place tremendous value on the relationships we’ve cultivated with our customers and I can assure you that providing you with the innovative products, solutions and support you’ve come to rely on remains a top priority. 

We can also assure you that the planned transaction with Attachmate Corporation does not alter our obligations to honor all contractual commitments. This includes maintenance and technical support for our products. We continue to execute aggressively on our product development efforts and are committed to providing exceptional service and being easy to do business with. 

Novell also announced the sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC. The sale of certain intellectual property assets will not impact customers. Customers will continue to be authorized to use Novell products under this intellectual property. 

Attachmate Corporation plans to retain both the Novell and SUSE brands and operate them as two separate business units, along with its other holdings, Attachmate and NetIQ. The transaction with Attachmate Corporation and the sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC are currently expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.