IBM launches biggest Linux lineup ever

Thanks to Erik
Ratcliffe for the tip.

On March 2, at LinuxWorld, IBM announced support for Linux, the
open-source operating system. The announcement, of planned key
alliances, flagship products, and the industry’s most comprehensive
service offering, makes IBM the only company to provide complete
solutions of hardware, software and technical support for
Linux.

The news includes:

• IBM will support major versions of Linux globally, giving
  customers a single point of contact for all of their technical
  support needs;
• IBM will work with four commercial distributors of Linux —
  Caldera Systems Inc., Pacific HiTech Inc., Red Hat Software Inc.,
  and SuSE Holding AG — to pave the way for co-marketing,
  development, training and support initiatives that will help
  customers deploy Linux;
• Key IBM WebSphere products will ship later this year, including
  two application servers and a performance pack, enabling Linux
  customers to exploit the Web to perform tasks ranging from simple
  Web publishing to Java-based transactional processing;
• Availability of the industry’s first commercial, Java-based
  emulator for Linux — IBM Host On-Demand — which provides secure
  access to core enterprise data and applications via a Web
  browser;
• IBM will begin beta testing, in the second quarter, its
  On-Demand Server for Linux, which manages access to e-business
  applications by users, groups, and devices ;
• IBM is working with the Linux community to port Linux to
  selected IBM RS/6000 models.

According to IDC Research, Linux is the fastest-growing server
operating environment. In 1998, some 750,000 Linux servers were
installed, reflecting a 212 percent growth rate and 17 percent of
all new server placements.

To learn more about IBM’s Linux initiatives, visit the
DB2
for Linux Web site.