More Power to Linux, IBM says, Dec 07, 2006

IBM this week said it has certified over 2,500 software applications for Linux systems running on the computer-makers Power CPU architecture.

IBM, once a bastion of proprietary mainframe technology, says efforts to entice developers to create open source applications for servers based on its Power chip architecture are paying off as the number of Linux-on-Power programs has more than doubled over the past two years.

Just about everyone has expressed an opinion on the Novell/Microsoft patent agreement -- except, that is, for the 800-pound gorilla of Linux: IBM. Today, Scott Handy, IBM's VP of Worldwide Linux and Open Source, decided that enough was enough and it was time to state IBM's position.

IBM Corp has announced that it has completed a pilot project with the UK government's Cabinet Office to test advanced security mechanisms in Linux and WebSphere, and is now looking for new projects to test the Mandatory Access Control capabilities with DB2 and Tivoli.

Let's say you own a small to medium sized business, and you want to use Linux, but you're not crazy about the idea of mixing and matching software and servers. If that's you, Novell and IBM want to talk to you about their new Integrated Stack for SUSE Linux Enterprise.

IBM Corp has announced a fully integrated Linux version of its Data Warehousing Balanced Configuration Unit, signaling a deeper push into the nascent data warehouse appliance market.

The latest in the ThinkPad T series is a landmark in several ways: it's the first to use a Core Duo processor; the first to be made and sold by Lenovo instead of IBM; and the first to offer official manufacturer support for GNU/Linux.

The next Linux distribution that IBM throws its weight behind is likely to be China's Red Flag Linux, suggesting that for businesses elsewhere in the world the Linux market will remain a two-horse race for the time being.

IBM has published a final draft of its "Redbook" titled Linux Client Migration Cookbook, Version 2: A Practical Planning and Implementation Guide for Migrating to Desktop Linux. The 376-page book, which targets enterprises needing to begin an evaluation of desktop Linux, is available for free download.

Two recent product introductions make it easier for companies to use Linux to deliver IBM Lotus Notes/Domino-based messaging, calendars and scheduling.

IBM has plans in place to spend tens of millions of dollars to coax new customers to buy the company's mainframes.

Last week at the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco, IBM officials announced a "fundamental expansion" of what the company is doing around open source -- software whose code is "open" to alterations from users.

IBM announced a partnership on Tuesday to significantly expand the software available for customers running Linux on servers using Big Blue's Power processors.

OpenSolaris isn't a true open-source project, but rather a "facade," because Sun Microsystems doesn't share control of it with outsiders, executives from rival IBM say.

Lenovo has announced on Tuesday the availability of the ThinkPad T60p, its first laptop computer preloaded with the Linux operating system.

IBM is taking instant messaging to Linux—on both the desktop and server.

IBM is no novice in open sourcing healthcare software.

To help meet the demand by New York-area employers looking for techies with skills related to mainframe, Linux, and open-standard technologies, IBM has expanded a partnership with Pace University, enhancing the curriculum it already helps develop at the school.

IBM has announced that its portfolio of middleware and systems platforms will support Novell's new SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 offerings. The new SUSE Linux Enterprise offerings incorporate the open source Xen virtualization software to help businesses increase server utilization and lower management costs.

IBM plans to unveil this week a version of its Lotus Notes desktop collaboration software for Linux.

The Cabinet Office and IBM are working together on a secure open source environment for public and private sector organisations.

At the center of the new migration initiative under Move2Lotus is "Migrate to the Penguin." IBM is introducing a limited time only rebate program for eligible IBM Software Resellers who move customers from Microsoft Exchange to Lotus Notes and Domino on Linux collaboration offerings.

IBM is putting dough behind an effort to encourage partners to forklift Exchange Server users to Notes/Domino on Linux.

Bonhams was interested in the scalability and stability of Linux. Based on a positive previous experience with IBM Intel-processor-based servers and the deep IBM commitment to Linux, Bonhams selected an IBM xSeries solution running Linux.

IBM is not going to replace Windows with Linux on its 300 000-odd desktops, but it has ported its groupware suite, Workplace, to the Linux operating system, according to Joe Ruthvern, IBM SA's Linux and OSS business development manager.

IBM's business built around Linux was worth US$16 billion last year and is projected to be worth more than US$50 billion, says the company's global head of public sector Linux sales, Mary Ann Fisher.

In an interview with IDG News Service, Adam Jollans, Linux strategy manager for IBM, discusses how he sees Linux adoption evolving across vertical industries and in businesses both small and large, and how IBM is adapting its own Linux strategy to mesh with those trends.

IBM is upgrading a bunch of workers to Red Hat Linux, but the company is denying reports that it plans to totally replace Windows on its desktops.

IBM on Monday introduced a free version of its DB2 database, a move designed to win software developers over to its products.

IBM has released the source code of its Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA) technology to the open source community.

Bob Sutor, IBM's vice president of standards and open-source, sees 2006 as the year when a number of industries will move to embrace open-source software -- and he expects IBM to play a role in many of those efforts.

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