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Three Big Names Back Linux

SEPTEMBER 1998

Informix, Netscape, and Oracle will port key server products to Unix-like system

As Microsoft's schedule for rolling out Windows NT 5.0 slips, it may be creating an opportunity for a surprising contender--Linux. The Unix-like operating system got endorsements last week from Informix, Netscape, and Oracle.

The three software companies will port key server products to Linux, which is available as freeware on the Web or on compact disc from a variety of vendors for about $50. Oracle will deliver a version of its Oracle8 database for Linux by year's end; it will follow with Linux versions of its enterprise applications and Web server next year. Oracle may also port its development tools to the operating system. "It's a viable low-cost alternative to Windows NT," says Tim Payne, Oracle's director of enterprise database marketing. "For the money, it's certainly more reliable and scalable [than NT]."

Informix says it has begun shipping Informix-SE, a version of its database for small to midsize applications, on Linux. Netscape is beta testing a Linux version of its Communicator 4.5 browser and plans to ship Linux versions of its messaging and directory servers next year.

The developments are a major boost for the operating system, according to a Zona Research report. "Shareware is generally regarded with suspicion by IT managers because of potential support problems," the report says. "But those concerns disappear when the IT manager can point the finger at two major database companies and a major Web server company."

Corel Corp., which already ships a Linux version of WordPerfect 7, plans to ship WordPerfect 8 Personal and Server editions for Linux this summer. Corel is also developing a suite of business applications for Linux. In June, the company's Corel Computer subsidiary began selling development machines based on the StrongArm processor that come with Linux preinstalled.

Who Uses It?
Linux was created in the early 1990s by Finnish developer Linus Torvalds, who released the code into the public domain, where it continues to be upgraded by volunteer developers worldwide. By some estimates, 7 million copies of Linux have been distributed. Leading suppliers include Caldera Inc. and Red Hat Software Inc.

Larry Augustin, president of VA Research Linux Systems, a Linux reseller, says the operating system is gaining ground among business users. Augustin points to a survey by Gartner Group and Datapro that found Linux in use at 14% of business sites. "Linux isn't just a threat to Windows NT," Augustin says. "It's a threat to Sun, to IBM, to HP--to any Unix vendor."

But a recent InformationWeek Research survey casts some doubt on that assessment. Of the 150 IT managers surveyed, only 3% had any plans to deploy Linux in a significant manner within the next two years. "I don't see large companies deploying mission-critical applications on a piece of freeware," says Dave Yeger, a VP with Merrill Lynch, which uses Linux for niche applications.

Dataquest analyst Chris Le Tocq says he hasn't seen significant usage of Linux at major businesses, and regards commitments by Informix, Netscape, and Oracle as tentative. "They are 'toe-in-the-water' announcements," he says. The best hope for Linux is to capitalize on delays in NT 5.0, and to focus on niches where it already has a strong presence, such as Web servers, Le Tocq says. "If Linux makes any headway," he adds, "it needs to do that before NT 5.0 comes along and before Sun does anything intelligent with Solaris."

But Linux is clearly a legitimate operating system. Researchers at Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory have built a Linux-based supercomputer using 68 Digital Equipment Alpha processors. The system produced a benchmark faster than 19 billion operations per second, at an overall cost of only $150,000.

Supporters note that the Supercomputer '98 conference in Germany last month ranked the Linux-based machine 315th in its annual listing of the 500 all-time fastest supercomputers.

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