NewsForge: Linux Mainframe Grandfather: Several Companies are Proving Linux's Worth

"At age 28, Boas Betzler is known at IBM as the 'grandfather' of Linux on the mainframe. In mid-1998, he began a port of Linux to the IBM zSeries, and he's shepherded the Linux mainframe project from the beginning to the first shipments.

"In porting Linux to an IBM mainframe, Betzler went against the grain both internally at IBM, where many saw Linux as a competitor to IBM's own mainframe operating system, and among many analysts outside of IBM, who suggested the port wasn't possible without a huge investment.

"Betzler's 'fun' project has helped IBM record double-digit revenue growth for the first time in more than a decade, 'driven in significant part by Linux on the mainframe and its ability to consolidate literally hundreds of Sun and HP servers for customers seeking savings on energy, floor space and management costs,' according to IBM's PR team. In the fourth quarter of 2001, 11 percent of the mainframe computing capacity shipped by IBM was slated for Linux applications..."

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