"Hewlett-Packard will sell a secure version of Linux, a
product that marks a departure for computer makers that
traditionally have favored partnerships with companies such as Red
Hat that sell Linux.
HP Secure OS Software for Linux, which will be announced
Wednesday, will cost about $3,000, said Roberto Medrano, general
manager of HP's Internet Security division. It includes a version
2.4 of Linux with open-source HP enhancements, higher-level
software such as Apache Web server, and utilities that tightly
control communications between programs and detect attacks.
The move is a departure for companies such as HP that sell
servers, the powerful networked computers on which the Linux
operating system is most popular. HP, IBM, Compaq Computer and Dell
Computer historically have preferred partnerships with the major
companies that sell Linux--Red Hat, Caldera International, SuSE and
Turbolinux--to creating a version of Linux of their own."
