“The viability of combining Linux with an established enterprise
Unix will be tested this month, with an open beta release of SCO’s
Linux Kernel Personality (LKP) for UnixWare 7. LKP is a software
layer that allows Linux applications to take advantage of Unix
scalability, clustering and huge memory support by running on the
same system and sharing UnixWare kernel functionality.”
“The technology could offer a valuable interim solution for
firms keen to tap fast-growing developer support for the Linux open
source environment while buttressing it with the technical and
skills infrastructure of Unix. A commercial release of LKP
-Â described by SCO as a “penguin suit with Unix
horsepower underneath” -Â is set for June. By that
point, Linux giant Caldera is due to complete its acquisition of
SCO’s operating system interests.”
“We’ve tested with an independent agency and LKP runs very
well, even on clusters,” said Caldera chief executive Ransom Love.
“The Linux 2.4 kernel is not everything everyone is claiming it to
be and still does not have a lot of the features the Unix kernel
has had for years. It will probably take another three years to
build a [truly enterprise-ready] Linux kernel.”