Novell is to acquire Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and web services company SilverStream Software for an estimated £145m.

The takeover, which has unanimous SilverStream board approval, is expected to be completed by the end of July.

Speaking exclusively to vnunet.com last month, Novell chief executive Jack Messman outlined plans for a new operating environment that would go beyond J2EE and Microsoft's .Net.

Some of the component parts for the new strategy will come from internal development, but Messman said that Novell would acquire technology from third parties where this would speed up implementation.

So the technology provided by SilverStream, Novell's first purchase since Messman's statement, could be core to Novell's plans.

In a statement Messman said: "Novell is now well positioned to be a leader in the emerging and fast-growing market for web services solutions.

"With Novell and SilverStream technologies we will provide customers with an ideal architecture to build out their next-generation systems, helping them deploy new technologies at low cost while getting the full value from prior IT investments."

SilverStream is one of the most advanced developers of web services technology. Its software runs on J2EE application servers including BEA's WebLogic and IBM's WebSphere. It also offers its own J2EE application server.