By Michael Hall,
LinuxToday
Caldera has announced the upcoming release of Open UNIX 8,
formerly known as UnixWare, which it acquired as part of its
purchase of the SCO Server Software Division. The company will also
be changing its name to Caldera International following the
completion of its acquisition of SCO some time second quarter of
this year.
According to the company, the name change is reflective of the
addition of the “Linux Kernel Personality” (LKP) layer to the
product, which will allow the execution of most Linux binaries
without modification or recompilation. The LKP layer will, the
company said, include the same GNU tools as found in Caldera’s pure
Linux offering: Caldera OpenLinux. In addition the company promised
to closely track and adhere to the Linux Standards Base’s (LSB)
efforts to provide a common specification for Linux distributions.
The addition of the LKP will not affect backward compatibility with
existing UnixWare installations.
“Open UNIX 8 is the first step in implementing the vision of the
pending new company,” said Ransom Love, president and CEO of
Caldera Systems, in a press release. “It combines the heritage of
UNIX with the momentum of Linux, and will be our premiere product
for data intensive applications like database, email and supply
chain management. The incorporation of the Linux application engine
into the UnixWare kernel essentially redefines the direction of the
product, and motivates a new brand identity – Open UNIX.”
In April, Caldera and the SCO Server Software Division will
begin wide distribution of Open UNIX 8.0 beta versions and the
final product is targeted to be available mid-year.