Ray Noorda, <A HREF="http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=25643">founder and former chief executive of Novell</A> and a pioneer of network computing, died on Monday at the age of 82 due to complications associated with Alzheimer's disease. The Novell founder became chief executive officer in 1983, at which time he and the firm revolutionized the way computers connect via networks and employ group resources, such as printers and shared drives.