Linux marches into big league

Microsoft expects to face stiffening competition from Linux and is worried at the gathering pace of industry support for the low-cost operating system, write Colin Barker and Janice McGinn.

IBM is the latest software supplier (see box) to throw its weight behind Linux. Big Blue has announced that it will offer its DB2 Universal Database for the operating system with the possibility of more applications to follow.

In Microsoft?s latest filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), made this week, the software giant states that Linux is ?gaining increasing acceptance... and leading software vendors such as Oracle and Corel will develop applications running on Linux?.

US companies routinely make filings with SEC to inform investors of anything which may affect their competitiveness or stock price.

The news emerged as rumours spread that Microsoft?s long-time ally Intel is about to invest in Linux specialist, Red Hat Software.

?Linux might not displace Microsoft but it is a force to be reckoned with,? said Jim Callaghan, product marketing manager for Computer Associates.

?There are at least five million users out there. CA realised this when we released Ingres 2.

?The big boys are sitting up and taking notice. The availability of an industrial strength database has held Linux back ? you need a decent database at the backend to get the best out of it.?

Mark Conmy, computer software officer for the University of Leeds, said reliability was a major factor with Linux.

?We have installed 67 Linux machines and while we have to reboot our NT 4.0 server at least two or three times a week, we only have to reboot a Linux server every few months.?

This is your life: The rise of Linux

• 1991 Linus Torvalds develops Linux.
• July 1995: Red Hat starts a support programme for Linux.
• September 1995: Caldera announces a bundle of Linux applications.
• October 1997 Corel demonstrates its Video Network Computer, which has a Linux-based operating system.
• May 1998 Corel announces it will port its WordPerfect office suite to Linux. Sun joins the Linux International organisation.
• July 1998 CA announces port of its Ingres II database to Linux. Oracle, Informix and Netscape follow suit.
• September 1998: The Linux Standards Association is formed to create standards for the language. Digital Networks launches Red Hat Linux workstations.