TechWeb: Free Mainframe (a review of the IBM Linux Community Development System)

Jul 29, 2001, 22:30 (0 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Laura Wonnacott)

TechWeb looks at IBM's LCDS: the program under which developers can gain access to an account on a mainframe. Though IBM's struggling to keep up with demand, says the review, the service is worth it:

"The Linux development community has already taken a liking to the program, and the enrollment numbers are impressive. Unfortunately, IBM has struggled to keep up with the demand because the program requires that each developer be screened and assigned his or her own virtual Linux machine with a dedicated IP address for a limited time. Increasing the resources used to manage the program should help--impatient developers will only wait so long.

But developers should be patient because there's true value to the service that lets developers see how Linux-based applications will run across the Internet.

The registration process is fairly painless. The application collects demographic information along with your choice of Linux distribution. Only two distributions are included: SuSe and TurboLinux. (Red Hat is sorely missing from the list, not to mention others.) As part of the application process, you'll also need to describe what you'll be doing--such as porting or developing--along with a short description of the project or program that you'll be testing or developing."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Enterprise Linux Today: IBM Offers Free Mainframe Access to Developers(May 23, 2001)
• Enterprise Linux Today: A First Look at IBM's Linux Community Development System(May 08, 2001)