Can Lan Lord Novell Extend Its Territory?

A millionaire hundreds of times over, Raymond J. Noorda, 67, could afford an endless vacation. Instead, the chairman and chief executive of computer networking leader Novell Inc. pays himself $35,000 a year and works out of an effice just big enough for a desk, a chair, and a collection of knickknacks. He sometimes arrives at work at 6 a.m. And when he travels, he often uses coupons to get the $99 senior citizen rate.

But there are signs that the frugal, hands-on CEO is beginning to consider life after Novell. Recently, he has taken to playing golf on a course next to the company's mountain valley campus in Provo, Utah. "They let us old folks in for nothing, and I take advantage of that," he says. More important, the self-deprecating Noorda seems to be backing off from his reputation as one who alienates potential successors. In the past few months, he has quietly reorganized his 2,800-employee company and handed off real power to four lieutenants.