The amoeboid spread of Linux continues, as vendors scramble to line up partners, certify hardware and integrate applications with the open-source software system, which they believe offers a stable, modifiable platform at low cost to the enterprise.
On the partnering front, PacificHiTech Inc., proprietor of TurboLinux, one of the major Linux distributions, has lined up support from IBM and Computer Associates International Inc. On its own, IBM recently gained independent Linux certification for several of its server lines. Meanwhile, hardware vendor VA Research Inc. is focusing on applications with an electronic-commerce bundle.
In a short period, Linux has gone from being a curiosity to a platform exploding with more than 200 percent annual growth, according to International Data Corp. But a byproduct of that growth has been a backlash, with skeptics claiming Linux is not growing as much as it's being hyped and that it still has major shortcomings, including lack of application support and a nebulous development community.
Vendors, users unfazed by backlash
The backlash has not held back vendors, which continue to push partnerships and systems centered on Linux, while users appear undeterred.
"I don't thing there's much to the backlash," said Brian Adams, Web consultant with Angelfire.com, which runs its Web traffic on Linux. "For Web servers, it's top notch. It's simple and stable, and when people try it, they realize it."
Having already lined up IBM as a partner, Pacific HiTech late last month signed on CA.
The San Francisco-based company will work with CA, of Islandia, N.Y., to port the Unicenter TNG network management software to Linux by the end of the year, officials said. Cross-research, co-development of products and joint marketing initiatives accompany the deal, officials said.
PHT also noted that its partnership with IBM has borne fruits. PHT and IBM announced last week they will work to port IBM applications including its DB2 database and its WebSphere application server to Linux.
In related news, Kyoto Sangyo University in Kyoto, Japan, recently purchased 600 IBM Netfinity servers with dual-boot Linux and Windows operating systems on them.
On its own, IBM continues to take a leadership role in driving standards and other developments important to Linux' success in the enterprise. The Armonk, N.Y., company became one of the first to have hardware independently certified for Linux by KeyLabs Inc., which is doing the certification.
Netfinity servers are now certified for all four major distributions of Linux: Red Hat Software Inc., SuSE Inc., Caldera Systems Inc. and PHT.
IBM has also extended its ServerProven program, which certifies hardware and software for Netfinity servers, to Linux. Netfinity administrators also now have the option of gaining Linux Professional Server Expert certification through IBM classes and programs, officials said.
An example of Linux's price-competitiveness comes from VA Research, which today announced it will bundle an electronic-commerce application with its Linux hardware systems at no extra cost.
VA will bundle OpenSales.com's OpenMerchant software and the application's source code with Linux servers beginning in July, said company officials in Pasadena, Calif.
PacificHiTech is at www.pht.com. IBM is at www.ibm.com. VA is at www.varesearch.com.
