Ubuntu spawns new generation, Feb 15, 2009

In just the few years since it was released, Ubuntu Linux has inspired tens of new Linux distributions.

In some ways, it is the scrappy contender versus the tested old-timer, as PHP and Perl duke it out to win developer attention. But more often, the two scripting languages get along just fine, thank you, and developers are glad to have both.

A Linux-based messaging platform makes sense for those adopting more Linux who want to streamline management chores. It also makes sense for those who are averse to licensing changes around software maintenance on the Microsoft platform

As it boosts large companies that offer services, and smaller firms that sell software and training, open source has the potential to line even more pockets on its way toward wider adoption.

Marketed by Mandrakesoft, Mandrakelinux is promoted as a friendly Linux operating system that offers ease of use for both servers and the desktop.

Mandrakesoft makes the OS available in several languages and promises that it is far more stable -- and just as easy to operate -- as the Windows and Macintosh operating systems.

So, if Mandrakelinux is so user-friendly and powerful, why is it not a household word -- even compared to other Linux flavors?

In a word: marketing. There is a widespread, if not universally shared, perception that Mandrakesoft's marketing efforts are far less sophisticated then its technical attributes.

The Linux computing farm is based on HP ProLiant DL360 servers running Linux and HP ProCurve network switches. It is linked via a high-speed network to the DreamWorks Animation studios to provide an extension of the film company's internal data center.

Now that the initial reactions to Novell's US$210 million acquisition of SuSE Linux have passed -- and questions on the who, what, when and how much of the deal have been answered -- the broader implications are beginning to hit home in the Linux community.

For example, what, if anything, does this mean for the SCO Group's legal action against IBM? (Really, no one knows -- although Novell is confident it is on safe ground.) Also, how serious a challenge will this present to Microsoft in the server marketplace? (A much more serious challenge than either SuSE on its own, or Novell on its own, or Red Hat).