“Witness the latest news — IBM’s decision not only to start
shipping computers loaded with Linux, but also to port its
groupware software, Lotus Domino and Notes, to Linux. Corel has
released WordPerfect 8 for Linux. And, perhaps most intriguingly,
Intuit is rumored to be planning a version of Quicken for
Linux.”
“Cynics might wonder whether IBM, Corel and possibly Intuit
really see a market for their applications in Linux users, or
whether the companies are simply agile players of the public
relations game. In today’s overheated media frenzy over open source
or free software, there’s no better way to get your name or the
name of a particular product splashed all over the trade press than
to announce that you’re jumping aboard the Linux bandwagon. Still,
the momentum is undeniable: The entire computing industry is
rushing to place its bets on Linux — with one notable
exception.”