IBM
Focuses On Linux
IBM
made LinuxWorld its own event, inviting customers to attend
Software VP Steve Mills' keynote and stay for the day.
With 6,300 (unique) Linux customers, IBM has achieved a
significant foothold in the Linux market. I left LinuxWorld with a
thick book of IBM Linux Customer Success stories.
You can find a collection at http://www-3.ibm.com/software/success/cssdb.nsf/advancedsearchVW?SearchView&Query=(Linux)+AND+%5bWebSiteProfileListTX%5d=software&site=software&frompage=ts&Start=1&Count=30.
IBM
is using LinuxWorld for both software and hardware announcements:
 |
Notes
access for the Linux desktop via the Mozilla browser (and for
the Windows desktop via the Linux server).
|
|
Enhanced
server workloads on both the current Linux 2.4 kernel and
better ones (up to 16-way for the 2.6 kernel) coming.
|
|
On-the-metal
Linux support for the Power P650, including LPAR support.
|
|
Free
software (the Eclipse development environment and all of the middleware)
to speed the development process.
IBM made this offer last year and 345,000 copies were
downloaded. Ten per cent of them were registered for free technical
support and of those 34,000 registered copies, IBM found 4,200
registered Linux applications, about one-third ISV's, about
two-thirds corporate (not surprisingly, about 70% for the
enterprise, about 30% for the SMB market).
IBM is making this offer again and expects to see
continued success.
|
|
IBM
is continuing to port all of its middleware to Linux.
The Tivoli Systems Management software is now available
- reinforcing the systems management for better Enterprise
Support theme, mentioned earlier.
|
IBM
believes that most of the near-term interest in desktop Linux may
be in unpenetrated countries or markets.
So do the IBM customers appearing at the IBM press
briefing, already deploying Linux for specific to broad and
strategic applications - none of them are considering desktop
Linux yet.
IBM
likes to say it's "eating its own dog food."
That is, it is using Linux itself.
There are 1,200 to 1,300 Linux servers deployed at IBM for
everything from firewalls, to performance and measurement, to
running a 300mm Silicon manufacturing process.
IBM is now looking at enterprise applications of its own.
The rule is to consider Linux for every new application
implemented. Obviously,
they're hoping customers will do this, too.
(back to top)
