PR: Book Charts Course for Linux in the Enterprise

Upper Saddle River, NJ, October 24, 2002 — Prentice
Hall PTR, one of the nation’s top computer science publishers, and
HP (NYSE:HPQ) today announced the publication of The Business and
Economics of Linux and Open Source by Martin Fink, vice president
and chief technology officer for HP’s Business Critical Systems and
Enterprise Linux and vice president of the Open Source Development
Lab. The Business and Economics of Linux and Open Source is the
first book to offer managers a guide to the role of open source in
a corporate environment and how to use it for competitive
advantage.

“The adoption of open source and Linux has grown tremendously,”
said Fink. “With the transition, there are a number of issues
associated with intellectual property, technology, profitability,
human resources, collaboration and others that are important to
understand. Businesses need to know how to navigate a new set of
processes to manage the effects of mixing open source and non-open
source environments within their organizations.”

Linux and open source have gained a foothold in corporate
environments – largely due to the cost savings, flexibility and
other business value open source can bring. The Business and
Economics of Linux and Open Source is an objective, realistic
manager’s guide to using Linux and open source technology for
competitive advantage. Fink rises above the hype and controversy to
provide readers with an accurate assessment of the benefits, costs,
and risks of open source in an organization. Writing strictly from
the manager’s viewpoint, Fink covers every step of the Linux and
open source project lifecycle, and every crucial issue — from
licensing to collaborating with the open source community of
developers. Coverage includes:

Assessing the costs, benefits, and risks of pursuing Linux and
open source initiatives Open source licensing: avoiding the
minefields Managing Linux and open source projects in an enterprise
Assessing the size, breadth, and capabilities of the open source
community Building strong, positive, synergistic relationships with
external open source communities The crucial role of Linux
standards Integration, development, deployment, migration,
coexistence, support, and training Understanding the difference
between the Linux kernel and the Linux operating system
Understanding and choosing Linux distributions How the open source
paradigm impacts commercial software developers Open source
business models: what it takes to make a profit from open source
technology Applying the open source development methodology in a
corporate setting

About the Author

Martin Fink is the vice president and chief technology officer
within HP’s Business Critical Systems Global Business Unit. In this
capacity, Fink is responsible for HP’s Enterprise Linux development
activities. Most recently, Fink was general manager for HP’s Linux
Systems Division, where he led the Linux and open source strategy
across the company for more than two years. Fink is also vice
president of the board of directors for the Open Source Development
Lab, a global consortium of industry leaders dedicated to promoting
Linux and Linux-based programming for enterprise and carrier-class
environments. He graduated from Electronics Engineering at Loyalist
College in Ontario, Canada. Fink is also co-inventor on a patent
related to online e-commerce. He currently resides in Fort Collins,
Colorado.

The Business and Economics of Linux and Open Source by Martin
Fink, Prentice Hall PTR/HP Books 2003. ISBN: 0-13-047677-3. 272 pp.
$29.99

Editors and media: For complimentary review copies, permission
for excerpts, art or interviews with the author, please contact
Kevin Jurrens of Garfield Group PR at 215-867-8600 x273 or
[email protected].

About Prentice Hall PTR

Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference (PH PTR)
(www.phptr.com) is the most respected source of computer science
and engineering books and software for technical professionals
featuring products developed and authored by the world’s leading
technology developers. PH PTR is a unit of Pearson Technology
Group, the world’s largest provider of consumer and professional
computer, information technology, engineering and reference
content. Pearson Technology Group is an operating unit of Pearson
Education, the world’s leading educational publisher.

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