Linux-based voicemail messaging catching on, Apr 15, 2005

Many users are starting to migrate to Linux-based servers for hosting applications such as e-mail, calendar and collaboration. But another aspect of messaging that is also heating up in Linux land is voicemail and unified messaging.

So how'd you like a fully workable and useful Linux implementation plus an all singing and dancing X Window system running cooperatively with Windows in a similar manner to coLinux without breaking a sweat? Your wish is our command!

One of the stories buzzing around at last spring's BrainShare was about Novell possibly returning to the embedded operating system arena with a stripped-down, device-enabling version of SuSE Linux.

In the previous issue, I mentioned the new Novell Linux Desktop, which began shipping recently, so maybe we should take a closer look at it.

Tarantella has announced a key reseller partnership with IBM, as part of the company's effort to recast itself as a viable alternative to Citrix in enterprise data centers that are embracing Linux.

Protect your intellectual property now or risk having your business sacked by open souce-touting bandits, The SCO Group President and CEO Darl McBride warned an audience of tech industry leaders, analysts and investors at the Etre conference in Cannes on Tuesday.

McBride, whose company is mired in litigation with IBM and others over patent infringement claims concerning Unix source code, warned of the "high stakes" if companies in the software and music businesses don't protect their property now.

Although Linux may be shipping on a growing number of PCs sold in the emerging markets of Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, about 80% of PCs shipped with the open source operating system this year will eventually run pirated versions of Windows, industry research firm Gartner estimated in a report issued Sept. 21.

But why a penguin? Who came up with the image of a bird that some complained looked too much like Homer Simpson? It all started in 1996, when the 5-year-old operating system began to be more widely used and talk began about the need to create a logo for Linux.

"I always felt that the Linux logo should be something fun and something you can identify with," Torvalds explained in an e-mail interview. "And being fun and friendly pretty much means that you have an animal logo."

A recent SG Cowen survey of more than 500 North American IT users found that more than 80% of respondents were currently using Linux and that more than half planned to increase their use of the open source operating system within the next two years.

The survey, which also found a growing interest in other open source software in areas such as application servers, e-mail and database systems, concluded that Linux will change the landscape in corporate data centers as it steals workload share away from both Unix and Windows systems.

Enhanced system management capabilities, better security, support for third-party drivers and more unity among the various distributions top user wish lists when it comes to Linux. They also would like to see more of their peers embrace the open source operating system as it evolves into a platform capable of supporting even the most-critical layers in the data center.

"One of the biggest hurdles that Linux has to overcome to be a bigger player in the enterprise is FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt]," says Timothy Kennedy, a senior projects engineer at content-services firm YellowBrix in Alexandria, Va. "As Linux continues to prove itself in the enterprise, corporations are becoming more confident of the performance and savings that Linux offers. And with corporate support available [from companies like Dell, HP and IBM], it provides some peace of mind."

Novell, at BrainShare Europe 2003, Monday bolstered its support for Linux with a variety of products it claims will work across operating system boundaries.

The company announced that Ximian’s Red Carpet management services will be included in its Nterprise Linux Services 1.0 package, scheduled to be released later this year. Nterprise Linux Services, which Novell expects to put into an open beta test program in mid-October, includes a variety of existing Novell products that run on Linux.