Linux and open source software pay off for PayPal, Sep 24, 2007

When Scott Thompson left Visa to take the CTO role at PayPal in 2005, the Web company's data centre surprised him. "Wait a minute," he recalls saying, "they run a payment system on Linux?"

Dell last week began selling low-cost Linux PCs to enterprise and consumer customers. They just have to be in China to get a hold of the machines.

Planning a migration from Windows PCs to Linux-based desktops is no small task. Here are six issues and strategies to consider before getting started.

PayPal runs thousands of Linux-based, single-rack-unit servers, which host the company's Web-presentation layer, middleware and user interface. Thompson says he quickly saw the economic, operational and development advantages of open source and Linux technology. He now sees no other way to do it.

Vyatta is adding VPN support to the latest release of its open source router/firewall.

Linux clustering start-up Terascala is generating interest among investors, as the Massachusetts-based company recently received a $3 million in first-round venture capital funding.

IBM says the 1.6 million stand-alone Linux servers running in enterprise data centers is too many. It's not Linux IBM has a thing against; it's the physical server hardware running the operating system.

Scalix made its Linux-based e-mail and groupware platform Scalix 11 available last week, with features such as improved Web client access, support for mobile users, support for users of Microsoft Outlook and interoperability with Microsoft Exchange servers.

Telemarketing calls: we hate them. But the business of calling people at inopportune moments is big business; the so-called outbound dialing market will reach over $200 million by 2011, Frost & Sullivan predicts.

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

And now for a completely obvious idea: loading Linux onto Microsoft's new Zune digital music player.

It has proven to be the year of living dangerously, if you are using a computer that's attached too the Internet - not so much if you're using a Linux-based machine.

Sun says its OpenSparc initiative, to promote the development of Linux on Sun processor technology, is gaining steam.

Broader support these days by major PC hardware and peripheral manufactures has made the Linux hardware compatibility more widespread, but no one's claming "mission accomplished" on this yet

If you're a Linux desktop user and are forced to use someone's Windows machine, the experience may be more on par with borrowing a toothbrush.

oth executives gave some insights on Novell's strategy to use the majority of its resources -- support, marketing, sales, product development and some US$1.4 billion in cash reserves -- to become a full-fledged Linux company.

Novell’s new CEO Ronald Hovsepian and current CTO Jeffrey Jaffe have a lot to talk about, as the company refocuses on open-source software following an executive shakeup in June.

How many MIT scientists does it take to build a Linux cluster? Just one, at least in the school's Department of Chemical Engineering.

Although having an open source strategy is becoming common in many enterprises, users and analysts say 2006 is the year the penguin flippers will hit the water in terms of Linux's evolution into an enterprise-application server platform.

Recent stories about open source technology in government raises the question of whether CIOs of municipalities are serious about moving to Linux and open source technology, or if they are just using the threat of such a switch as a way to either get Microsoft to lower pricing on its software, or to force the dominant desktop software vendor to add new features?