“In addition to the renaming, IBM has brought Linux, the
open-source Unix cousin, to all its server lines. Early in
2000, Linux was ported to the S/390. IBM and several independent
software vendors agreed to not increase software prices based on
added capacity for Linux. Traditionally, mainframe software prices
are based on the total processing capacity.”
“Even IBM’s own proprietary flavor of Unix was getting in on
Linux. AIX 5 L features more Linux affinity and can accept
recompiled Linux programs with virtually no changes.
Essentially, IBM sees a Unix continuum with Linux for lower-end
applications like appliance serving slowing up with AIX for more
mission-critical applications.”
“Linux on the iSeries is expected in the beginning of 2001.
Whether users will embrace the open-source operating system is yet
to be seen. Running Linux as a logical partition would give users
access to Linux applications such as the Apache Web server. Yet the
capacity used for Linux on a iSeries 400 is expensive compared with
running such applications on Intel-based machines.”