NetworkWorldFusion: IBM's embrace of Linux a little too tight, analyst says

"IBM's strategy to beef up Linux for the enterprise could increase the tension between the computer giant and the open-source community, according to an analyst.

A pack of Big Blue executives descended upon this week's IBM Solutions Technical Developer Conference in San Francisco to tout IBM's Linux strategy. Even the company's own flavor of Unix, AIX, was not sacred as senior executives declared that Linux could replace AIX when the open-source operating system is robust enough to handle enterprise demands.

"IBM is focused on enabling high-end functionality in Linux for the enterprise, but the Linux community is not necessarily focused on that," said Stacey Quandt, analyst at Giga Information Group. "There is tension between IBM's goals and the origins of the Linux community, which is focused on the Internet and appliances."

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