From...

August 13, 1999
Web posted at: 12:57 p.m. EDT (1657 GMT)

by Cameron Crouch

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA (IDG) -- The Linux faithful gathered for their twice-yearly LinuxWorld Conference and Expo here, picking up some big-name support along the way.

PC-makers Compaq and IBM also had large booths at LinuxWorld and have committed to developing Linux-based PCs.

But reinforced endorsement came from Dell, which already preinstalls the open-source operating system on some systems. Dell offers Red Hat Linux 6.0 on select, certified configurations of Dell OptiPlex business desktop computers, PowerEdge servers and Precision WorkStations.

The company is eyeing Linux and for the high-end consumer PC next. Dell representatives say the company passed certification this week on a Linux version of its Dimension XPST 550 and is evaluating how best to offer Linux to its home and small business customers.

The next step is to determine through our procedures and from customers the best way to provide Linux on Dimensions--through presale installation or through CD-ROMs. It may also be available through Gigabuys, Dell's online store, says Tad Druart, a Dell representative.

"Now Dell is doing the due diligence to see if Dimension customers--high-end home and small business users--are interested in Linux," Druart says. Yet swaying the PC user to a new operating system may be difficult as "Windows is far and away the most popular OS for consumers," he adds.

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Oracle, others sign on

Elsewhere on the show floor, database giant Oracle showed its own signs of Linux fever. Oracle released a Linux version of its Web publishing tool, WebDB, and announced a Linux version of its Oracle8i database. A browser-based tool designed to build, manage, and monitor database access on Web sites, WebDB lets you publish and update documents via browser.

WebDB for Linux, as well as Linux versions of Oracle's XML development tools such as XML Parser, XML Class Generator, XML SQL Utilities, and XSQL Servlet, are available through the Oracle Technology Network Web site.

Oracle also announced a partnership with Macmillan USA to bundle into a retail package the Linux version of Oracle 8i with books and online reference materials from Macmillan. Targeting businesses and Linux enthusiasts who want to build a database-driven Web site, Macmillan will offer the set through its retail partners in the United States, including CompUSA and Fry's Electronics, and through online stores like Egghead.com. Pricing information was not available.

To support these and other initiatives, Oracle has developed a Linux business unit.

Although Linux vendor Red Hat won't ship its Linux 6.0 distribution with the GNOME desktop environment until later this year, some LinuxWorld attendees may have snagged sneak previews of GNOME in the form of CD-ROMs with version 5.2 of the Red Hat Linux operating system.

GNOME, which stands for GNU Network Object Model Environment, is an open-source development effort to create a Linux desktop where developers can seamlessly build and integrate applications. Built on top of support libraries, GNOME provides a framework for graphical, easy to navigate desktop applications that will run on the Linux operating system.

Small-scale clusters ship

In other LinuxWorld news, TurboLinux announced TurboCluster Server, a low-cost clustering solution for Unix servers. A Linux clustering application, TurboCluster is available and scalable for Web servers on Intel and Alpha architecture platforms. TurboCluster is ideal for small businesses that could not previously afford clustering, says Lonn Johnston, North American vice president of TurboLinux.

In constrast to the Beowulf clustering systems used by massive scientific systems like NASA, the TurboCluster system is designed for Web servers, mail servers, and other services used by Web-based businesses.

Small companies doing business on the Web often have had to rely on "one Unix server," Johnston notes. "If it failed, the consequences could be higher for them than larger corporations." A low-cost alternative to Microsoft NT and UNIX cluster solutions, TurboCluster is scheduled for release in September, priced at $995 for a cluster of two nodes, and $1995 for a cluster with unlimited nodes.

The hottest off-the-floor news was the initial public offering of Red Hat, estimated by International Data Corporation as holding 49 percent of the Linux market. Red Hat's share prices jumped from the $14 offering price to close at $52.06, placing the company's market value at $2.96 billion.