Linux and Main: 'UnitedLinux': Forget the Desktop User

"The new distribution will be aimed solely as business customers, with distributions providing entirely separate desktop products that will not involve the 'UnitedLinux' distribution, according to the CEO of SuSE, Gerhard Burtscher. Desktop users are of no weight in the group's decisions, it was announced, and there will be no 'UnitedLinux' desktop distribution from any of the four companies.

"'We are experimenting here with a business model,' said Caldera CEO Ransome Love. 'It's based on the open-source model of collaboration, but it still has the elements that are critical, which include profit motive and the ability to continue to fuel innovation in the open source arena going forward. But it's critical that it clearly is a balance, but it is an important balance and one that I think is revolutionary and will greatly benefit Linux overall.'

"Likely to raise eyebrows is a licensing policy of downloads available for 'non-commercial' use. Caldera took tremendous heat from the community when it announced per-seat commercial licensing for its 3.0 release, and at least some of the others involved in 'UnitedLinux' have been reported to be considering similar plans..."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• New UnitedLinux Emphasizes Enterprise, Cooperation(May 30, 2002)
• Update: LinuxPlanet: When Four Become One: UnitedLinux(May 30, 2002)
• Linux and Main: Four Distributions to Announce "Non-merger Merger"(May 29, 2002)