The Linux line

69

Author: JT Smith

“Hard to believe it’s been 3 months already since the first issue
of The Linux Line hit inboxes all over the world, but a quarter
goes by pretty fast in Linux[R] time. It’s been a busy 3 months.
And we’re all extremely excited about the way Linux acceptance
is growing in the business world.”

The Linux Line
From: The Linux Team 
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 13:11:15 GMT


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LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*   THE LINUX LINE   *LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL
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LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL*LL  IBM
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Summer 2001            August 15, 2001         Volume I, Number 2

Welcome to the second issue of the companion newsletter to the 
Linux at IBM Web portal!  
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/ibm  
Hard to believe it's been 3 months already since the first issue 
of The  Linux Line hit inboxes all over the world, but a quarter 
goes by pretty fast in Linux[R] time. It's been a busy 3 months. 
And we're all extremely excited about the way Linux acceptance 
is growing in the business world.

If this is your first issue, you should know that Linux is now 
the fastest-growing server operating system in the world. And 
we're proud to tell you that IBM supports Linux and the Open 
Source development community that drives it 100%. We've enabled 
our full line of hardware, software and services to run and 
support Linux because we believe that open standards-based 
development is what e-business needs to reach its full potential.

That's why, every quarter, we'll provide you with the best 
information on Linux that IBM has to offer -- late-breaking news, 
hot topics, exclusive interviews, a full events calendar and some 
eye-opening Linux solutions, deployments, developer news, facts 
and figures. 

We look forward to sharing the Linux adventure with you, and 
would enjoy your feedback. Please feel free to forward The Linux 
Line along to your friends and colleagues, or if this was passed 
along to you, please join our 5500 other subscribers by visiting:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linuxline

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IN THIS ISSUE
*****************************************************************
Analysts' Corner
      "Linux:Ready for Prime Time" by Illuminata Inc.
Linux Line Features
      Red Hat CEO James Nieser Talks to Linux Line
SECTIONS
      BREAKING NEWS
      IN THE LINELIGHT
      BUSINESS PARTNER NEWS
      LINUX LEAPS - unique milestone Linux solutions 
        and Case Studies
      APPetizers - new business applications ported to Linux
      DEVELOPments - Linux can do what? Development successes
        and brainstorms
      SUPPORTING LINUX - an expanding universe of Linux support
        services
      THE LINUX LOOP - events and resources to keep you current
      DID YOU KNOW? - facts and figures on the growing Linux
        marketplace
      BELIEVE IT OR NOT - oddities and factoids that will make
        you stop and think

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ANALYSTS' CORNER                      Linux: Ready for prime time
Copyright © 2001 Illuminata, Inc.
*****************************************************************
The television program Saturday Night Live used to feature an 
ensemble cast collectively known as the Not Ready For Prime Time 
Players. "Readiness for prime time" thus entered the culture as 
shorthand for a thing's quality and fitness for everyday use. In 
recent years, a "not quite ready" label has often been applied 
to Linux, the open source platform sensation. But given Linux's 
rapid advancement and deployment over the last few years, how 
accurate is that thinking today? 

Not very. In fact, if "ready for prime time" means "ready for 
enterprise computing," it may not be the right question at all.
Read on:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linuxline/rfpt

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Linux Line Exclusive Interview           Red Hat CEO James Nieser
by Rayme Jernigan
*****************************************************************
Turning Mindshare into Revenue

On December 5th of last year Dr. James Neiser left his IBM® 
position of vice president of worldwide distribution channel and 
customer set (SMB) to assume the role of marketing wizard for Red 
Hat. The timing was impeccable: Linux distributions were expected 
to start earning a profit, and James Neiser was supposed to play 
a major role in making it happen at Red Hat. 

In fact, Red Hat just announced that they posted a net profit of 
$600,000 for the first quarter of fiscal 2002, the first profit 
in company history and a step in the right direction. 

We asked Dr. Neiser to talk to us about Red Hat's marketing 
strategy, programs, and how he plans to increase revenues going 
forward. Here's what he had to say: 

LL: Hello, James, thanks for agreeing to talk to us. 
JN: My pleasure. There are lot of exciting things happening in 
the market.

LL: You came on as Chief Marketing Officer for Red Hat at the end 
of last year, just as generating real revenues became quite 
relevant to Linux-based start-ups. What changes have you made 
since then to the marketing of Red Hat?
JN: We recognized very quickly that we needed to focus on four 
things. First, building a opportunity pipeline engine to drive 
leads and take them through the qualification and selling process 
to close. This was fundamental to the revenue and we have put in 
new systems and marketing programs to do this marketing 
development. 

Second, we needed to revamp our Web site and telesales areas to 
be more effective in attracting and acquiring customers. You can 
already see the changes in the site, and we are in the process of 
changing our telesales model to better link with our Web 
activities and lead generation engine. 

Third, we needed to focus on selling business solutions, along 
with our partners like IBM and Pioneer, and create greater value 
for larger transaction sizes. 

And fourth, and actually most significant, we needed to build 
awareness that Red Hat is much more than just Linux. We have 
solutions from the mainframe to embedded devices, a middleware 
set of open source offerings such as e-Commerce, a complete end 
to end set of services from professional consulting to 
engineering services, installation, support and training and the 
premier Red Hat Network which provides more cost effective, 
Internet based, managed services for improving the reliability 
and security of your systems. 

LL: On this fourth point, have you been able to leverage eCos 
technical base on specific contracts?
JN: eCos has continued to build a committed base of 
microprocessor vendors, board vendors and OEMs. In fact, with the 
implementation of EL/IX Level 1, which is a stripped-down version 
of the POSIX API, it's possible to use a subset of standard Linux 
functions as the interface to eCos. The result is a real-time 
kernel that's typically 50KB rather than 2MB. This enables a much 
wider range of devices that can run Linux software.

LL: What are your focus areas in the enterprise marketplace? And 
though you've only been there a short time, what enterprise 
successes have you been most proud of?
JN: Enterprises are faced with tough challenges today given the 
economic pressures and the fast moving competitive market. We 
offer an ideal set of solutions for those challenges. Our focus 
has been on the benefits of a common platform that is reliable, 
scalable and more cost effective across all their systems along 
with the services skills they need to take advantage of this 
opportunity. For example, enterprises can take advantage of the 
Red Hat solutions to improve their economics through Unix 
consolidation and migrating their high cost Solaris systems to a 
more effective, flexible and scalable solution.

LL: Could you share some examples of when you've migrated 
customers to Linux from Solaris? 
JN: We are working with some very large vendors who are migrating 
their Sun systems to Linux and hope to soon have those 
disclosures available. In the meantime, you can see A variety of 
other examples through the Internet - for example, CNN is using 
Red Hat Linux instead of Solaris for its online streaming media 
using Real Server. Rutgers University replaced its expensive 
Digital Unix and Sun Solaris workstations with Red Hat Linux on 
Intel systems in its Physics and Astronomy department to explore 
deep space, work on complex theoretical calculations and use 
specialized applications. Another example is Caltech, which is 
replacing its Sun systems with Red Hat Linux for its 
computationally intensive MatLab vision simulations. 

LL: Tucows gave Red Hat 7.1 five "cows" and says this could be 
the most stable, robust release of Red Hat yet. That's got to 
make you pretty happy. And Red HaT just released RH 7.1 for 
Itanium...
JN: And that is the point - when you buy from Red Hat we provide 
value much greater than just an open source solution. Red Hat 
adds value through the most extensive testing in the market 
backed by the top developers in the world working at Red Hat. In 
addition, we provide documentation, software and services to 
ensure the end product meets customer requirements. However, most 
of all, the customer is assured that they can get a consistent 
and reliable platform from a single global source. Red Hat is the 
only world wide company and all other distributions are 
regionally based. Itanium reflects our strategy to provide this 
platform across multiple architectures from the mainframe to 
embedded devices to provide a common application platform and 
better utilize available skills for more cost effective 
development and support. 

LL: There's been a running controversy about the future of Linux 
as a Client Operating Environment (that is: a replacement for 
Windows on the desktop). Do you have an opinion about this? 
JN: As part of our strategy to provide a common platform, we will 
provide an operating system for workstations. However, Red Hat 
will not be in the desktop productivity application business but 
rather support ISVs who decide to provide applications for that 
space. We do believe that engineering workstations is a more 
attractive market since it mirrors the adoption by technologists 
and developers in their need to have a high performance, 
reliable, scalable and common platform. The highest growth today 
is clearly in the server area where Linux is growing faster than 
Windows®, according to IDC. 

LL: You recently announced Software Manager service to allow 
administrators to manage systems remotely. What's the value 
proposition there for your customers?
JN: Software Manager is the first of several service offerings 
that will be part of Red Hat Network. Red Hat Network provides a 
more cost effective, Internet based set of managed services for 
improving the reliability and security of your systems. Software 
Manager provides for updates, errata, package information and 
other services to make sure that your system is up to date. This 
becomes especially important when security violations such as 
viruses are identified or the latest patches or functionality is 
delivered. Future services will include group administration, 
proxy options, configuration and performance monitoring among 
others. This will allow administrators to reduce their technical 
support costs and more effectively deal with remote and 
distributed systems for higher satisfaction. 

LL: The community improves it is business models almost as often 
as they release new code patches... it seems all bugs are equally 
shallow in the marketplace as well. What plans do you have to 
secure Red Hat's position as a Linux mindshare leader, and Red 
Hat's revenue stream going forward?
JN:  Our plans are straightforward. Red Hat will continue to 
create tremendous value around open source, add higher value 
middleware solutions, and surround this with being the number one 
provider of open source professional services and Red Hat Network 
managed services. Red Hat will be the only single, reliable, 
global source and will continue to be backed by the best skills 
in the industry. If you want an open source solution, you will 
think of Red Hat as the premier provider on a world wide basis.

LL: And how do you think your partnership with IBM relates to the 
larger Linux industry?
JN: Our partnership with IBM brings credibility to the larger 
Linux industry. IBM's highly visible application, middleware and 
server backing reduces any fear and uncertainty among customers 
about migrating to Linux because IBM assures the viability of 
their investments longer term. In addition, this is reinforced by 
the clear communications from IBM about the size and importance 
of its investment as a strategic effort. Our partnership brings 
the best value propositions of both companies together to help 
drive faster market development and cross the chasm to mass 
market adoption.

LL: Thanks James, it was a pleasure. Best wishes...
JN: Thank you and we look forward to working with IBM!

Rayme Jernigan is the managing editor of the IBM Linux portals. 
He has published articles through several publications and 
content sites including JavaWorld,IBM/developerWorks and Javasoft
at Sun Microsystems. He was the founder and first president of 
the Triangle Java Users Group, and can be reached: 
  rayme@us.ibm.com

NOTE: ALL TRADEMARKS AND COPYRIGHTS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE 
RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

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BREAKING NEWS
*****************************************************************
The Register: MS Passport security considered harmful
The lynchpin of Microsoft's web services - the Passport 
authentication service - has been found wanting in a study by two 
senior AT&T scientists. 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362ms/passport

The Observer: The worm that nearly toppled the tower 
"What is certain is that in the wake of Code Red, the world is 
running low on time and answers. Microsoft may be the McDonald's 
of computer software, but such convenience comes at a high 
price."
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362observer

ZDNet: Apache avoids most security woes
"This achievement is especially striking when contrasted with 
Microsoft Corp.'s IIS (Internet Information Services) Web server 
(see related story), which has gained the reputation of having 
more holes than Swiss cheese."
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362zdnet

vnunet: Sun's rising star enters Microsoft space
'We saw how Microsoft was moving with licensing and how much it 
was going to cost. Star Office was a sticking plaster until we 
got some more funding, but he added that he would recommend any 
organisation looking to reduce its overheads to consider Star 
Office as an alternative. 'The aim in the foreseeable future is 
to do away with Microsoft [products] altogether,' Marshall said."
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362vnunet

The Observer: It's enough to make an agnostic believe 
"... now installing current Red Hat or Mandrake distributions of 
Linux is easier than installing Windows 2000. You can now even 
buy machines with Linux pre-installed - and comprehensive 
after-sales support - from companies like Dell, Hewlett Packard 
and IBM.
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362the/observer

Silicon.com: Ford looks to open source 
"Motor giant Ford's European arm is planning to ditch Microsoft 
as it's desktop operating systems provided and move to an open 
source model, according to its European head of IT.'" 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362silicon

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IN THE LINELIGHT
*****************************************************************
LinuxWorld San Francisco 
August 28 -30 -- San Francisco, California -- Moscone Center
Our summer Linux Banner Event expects to draw up to 20,000 
attendees. IBM is a Platinum Sponsor of this event, and has 
another exciting IBM Customer Day planned for Wed., August 29th 
2001. IBM VP, Steve Solazzo kicks off and hosts the day. 

Customers are invited to attend a 'Breakast with their Reps'. The 
agenda consists of sessions, booth visits and an executive 
luncheon. Sessions include: 
Dan Powers,"How a Penguin will change the face of the Internet" 
Christoph Arenz, "Growing Success of Linux on the Mainframe". 
There will also be a conference panel session hosted by IBM VP 
eServer Development and IBM President Open Source Development 
Lab, Ross Mauri on Best Practice with Linux for an eBusiness 
Infrastructure. Panelists will include representatives from SAP, 
Pioneer/Keylink and Grede Foundries. 

This year,IBM is the co-sponsor of the first ever "Enterprise 
Application showcase" featuring key ISV's, BP's  and customers' 
case studies.The showcase will be located in Booth #273 in the 
center's North Hall and will feature a range of applications from 
independent software vendors (ISVs). The showcase will also 
feature various IBM business partners. Applications will range 
broadly to highlight the full capabilities of Linux, including 
work optimization, CAD (computer-aided design), gift 
registration, small business accounting, email infrastructure and 
automated web hosting.  

Our main IBM booth features an improved "Developer Habitat",where 
developers can test drive IBM's eServer line (i,x,p,z), and 
middleware. And don't miss the "Linux Car". 

The Day concludes with an IBM Executive Cocktail Party. 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linuxline/events

                            ==========

IBM Linux Scholar Challenge
IBM is announcing a Linux Scholar Challenge that will encourage 
student use of Linux to help the open source community. The 
objectives of this contest will be to promote the use of Linux 
worldwide by students in colleges and universities, solve 
real-world Linux issues, and educate students on open source 
environments and how to make improvements.

Applicants must complete the online registration by October 15 at 
the Linux Challenge web site:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/challenge

The contest will end on November 30 and winners will be announced 
on December 14. Students must be enrolled full-time in a two- or 
four-year accredited college or university.

For this contest, students will select a Linux project from a 
list of twenty-one proposed projects; or propose one of their 
own. They will need to describe their objectives, methodology, 
research and results in a three-page paper; and submit it for 
evaluation. 

Winners will receive one of 25 IBM Thinkpads Three qualified 
winners will be offered Summer 2002 internships at IBM's Linux 
Technology Center. The university with the highest average score 
of student entries (with a minimum of 10 entries), with get their 
choice of a 16-node Linux Cluster, or entry-level zSeries Linux 
server

IBM is strongly committed to the open source and open standards 
direction and has made significant investments to support our 
commitment. For more information about this contest, goto: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/challenge

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BUSINESS PARTNER NEWS
***************************************************************^*
If you're not already an IBM Business Partner, you can find out 
what the program is all about, become part of it and gain access 
to these special Business Partner resources by visiting:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362bp/membership

Have you looked at the world through the Linux Lens lately? Linux 
Lens is the section of ibm.com/partnerworld that helps Business 
Partners keep current on the hot news in the cool world of Linux.
You'll find links to that and a host of other Linux information 
for Business Partners at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/bp

The e-Business Sales Essentials 2 course is now available for IBM 
Business Partners. Register today at:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362bp/register

Check out the special offer for a no-cost three month trial 
subscription to Linux Magazine available to IBM Business Partners 
in the US: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362bp/marketing
 
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LINUX LEAPS: Forging New Ground in Linux Solutions
*****************************************************************
ABC News: IBM to build computing 'utility' power grid
IBM is betting that computing power will evolve into a simple 
utility like electricity with users buying what they need from a 
computing grid instead of owning large computers themselves. To 
capitalize, IBM is investing $4 billion to build 50 computer 
server farms around the world, said Irving Wladawsky-Berger, a 
vice president at IBM's Server Group.
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362abc/news

Linux Devices: NASA robot to use Linux, Pentium III
The robot is a six-inch sphere inspired by the sparring droid 
that Luke Skywalker fights in the movie "Star Wars", but NASA 
engineers say its functionality is closer to the "tricorder" tool 
used in Star Trek: it senses the pressure and temperature of the 
ambient atmosphere, and detects concentrations of gases like 
carbon dioxide and oxygen.
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/devices

ZDNet: Open source Java going strong 
The open source and free software communities have embraced Java, 
and the fruits of that relationship are starting to show.
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362zdnetnews

The Register: PS2 Linux Kit heading for the US? 
The official PS2 Linux Kit website for Sony Computer 
Entertainment America consists of the following lines of text: 
"PS2 Linux Kit is only available in Japan." 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362ps2linux/kit

Linux Devices: Linux "upgrade" unveiled for Palm III 
Empower Technologies Inc., a 30-person company based in Redmond, 
WA,today announced what they are calling "the world's first major 
operating system upgrade for Palm IIIx and IIIxe handhelds".
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/updrade

Pavone and SuSE -- a winning combination
proQuest set out to find a Linux-based project and resource 
management solution that would work with Domino for Linux,and be 
easily distributed to their different offices. When Sambeth saw 
PAVONE Project Management software at the CeBit 2000 in 
Hannover,Germany,he realized this was what proQuest had been 
looking for. Read the story at:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/success

IBM announces preload for Red Hat 7.1. 
IBM e(logo)Server xSeries systems are now available preloaded  
(in the U.S.)with Red Hat 7.1 or Caldera OpenLinux Server 2.3.1, 
two of the leading Linux Distributions available.
For more information and details,see: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/xseries

You can always find our latest Linux customer Case Studies at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/casestudies

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APPetizers: Porting Linux to New Horizons
*****************************************************************
ServerProven Solutions
As of July 2001, the number of IBM eServer xSeries Linux 
ServerProven solutions has doubled from last year. To make 
finding the right solution easier from the growing list of 
validated ServerProven applications for Linux on xSeries, we have 
introduced a new website. Go to:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/eserver
and click on Linux ServerProven Solutions.  
You can then search by industry, in addition to Company or 
Solution name, allowing you to more quickly locate the solutions 
you need.  If you would like to validate an ISV application using 
the ServerProven program, you also can find out how to do that at 
the same location.

Here are just a few examples of ISVs that have ported their great 
applications to Linux. (You can see them for yourself in the new 
Applications Showcase at LinuxWorld conference and expo)

SteelEye             http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362steeleye
Tarantella           http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362tarantella
AccPac Int'l, Inc.   http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362accpac
Alabanza Corp.       http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362alabanza
eGrail Inc.          http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362egrail
Journyx              http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362journyx
Legato Systems Inc.  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362legato
MarCole Enterprises  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362marcole
Rational Software    http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362rational
SAP                  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362sap
SAS Institute Inc.   http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362sas
Sendmail Inc.        http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362sendmail


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DEVELOPments:  Tickling Technology Forward
*****************************************************************
Extreme Blue: Coding on the Edge

The IBM Extreme Blue program is designed to bring the best and 
brightest computer science and MBA interns together inside IBM, 
to produce and manage cutting-edge, outside the box projects.

Over the next few months, we'll be reporting on several of these 
projects that relate to Linux. The first of the projects we're 
looking at is called SashXB.

SashXB proceeds from Sash for Windows, it's predecessor, which 
has been in development at IBM Research over the last couple of 
years. Sash for Windows brings the ease of JavaScript to the 
desktop by wrappering and abstracting the system APIs in a 
JavaScript superset. 

Sash comes with it's own fully featured application development 
environment. It can be dynamically updated, and has it's own 
security model which is rooted in the assumption that the 
scripted "weblications" it runs on the desktop, or from the web 
are from designated, trusted sources. 

This makes Sash a powerful application development tool and 
runtime that is available for use at the scripting level of 
software development complexity. If you can do JavaScript, you 
can do Sash. 

Sash has now been released as a preview, and if you have 
client-side development needs consistent with its profile you 
should check out release 2.0 at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362sash/home
But Sash is currently for the Windows platform only, a drawback 
in the view of many.

Enter SashXB. This year the Extreme Blue Sash team will build on 
last year's Extreme Blue Sash for Linux prototype, "Sashmo," and 
focus on bringing Sash's capabilities to Linux. SashXB will 
attempt to apply exactly the same abstraction of system API's as 
the Windows version. However, the Linux version is a complete 
rewrite and re-interpretation for Linux, not a port. 

SashXB components include the Xerces XML parser and Mozilla's 
Gecko HTML rendering system, and it is currently being 
re-engineered using XPCOM.  Last year's effort was promising, but 
very difficult to compile (Gecko was not yet stable). So the goal 
of this years SashXB team is to make usable distributions that 
will comprise the first from-scratch open source project ever 
started at IBM. 

SashXB will include both the development environment and the 
runtime. And eventually, it will be Bonobo-aware. It's being made 
available to the community as a part of the GNOME desktop 
environment at:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362gnome

As is the case with most open source projects, SashXB is in need 
of skilled and dedicated hackers who are interested making 
contributions. Skilled writers for documentation are also needed. 

SashXB is still in it's early stages, so now might be a good time 
to look for a niche in the program. For more information, and to 
subscribe to the discussion lists have a look at:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362sashxb/linux

                            ==========

FreeZ! for the Community: Who, let the Penguins out?
In June, IBM unveiled it's new Linux Community Development System 
(LCDS). The LCDS will provide selected applicants with free 
zSeries mainframe Linux access via telnet and a secure shell 
client (SSH). These users will have root access to their own 
guest Linux systems, which are based on VM. 

The LCDS consists of a zSeries 9672 G6 Model ZX7 (10 way 
processor) with 32GB of memory, and a Shark 2105-F20 which 
provides 2.1 terabytes of storage. 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362lcds/linux

                            ==========

The IBM Linux Technology Center
If you're a hacker, you've probably heard of the Linux Technology 
Center (LTC), but might not know much about it. The LTC is an 
in-house IBM hacker meritocracy... a community of some of the 
best and brightest minds in the open source community, who happen 
to also work for IBM. They have the mandate to work with the 
community to make Linux succeed, and several LTC members are 
prominent in, or lead the projects they're associated with. 
The LTC also hosts several important resources that hackers or 
users may access, and should be aware of, including a collection 
of white papers covering several LTC open source projects. 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/papers

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SUPPORTING LINUX: New service offerings from IBM Global Services
*****************************************************************
IBM Installation Services for DB2 Universal Database Enterprise 
Edition
This installation services are targeting customers who want to 
install or migrate their DB2 system from version 5 or 6 to 
DB2 UDB EE Version 7. Platforms supported are : AIX, SUN, LINUX, 
HP-UX, NT Windows, Sequent/Dynix . 
IBM skilled services specialists will install and configure the 
DB2 products accordingly with customer's specifications, 
IBM Installation Services for DB2 Universal Database Enterprise 

Extended Edition
This installation services are targeting customers who want to 
install or migrate their DB2 system from version 5 or 6 to 
DB2 UDB EEE Version 7.Platforms supported are : AIX, SUN, LINUX, 
HP-UX, Sequent/Dynix. DB2 UDB Enterprise Extended Edition 
specifically takes advantage of large scale symetric 
multiprocessing and multi-node configurations. IBM skilled 
services specialists will install and configure the DB2 products 
accordingly with customer's specification. To get more 
information on these IGS Services Offerings visit our website at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362linux/services

e-Business Hosting - xSeries Linux Platform Offering
IBM Global Services continues to expand its Linux Services 
portfolio.  IBM e-Business Hosting is adding Red Hat Linux 6.2 to 
its suite of supported Operating Systems. This new offering 
consists of a base service element and a set of additional value 
added, rate card elements that customers can choose from to 
enable, manage, monitor & secure their Linux e-business servers. 
For more information, please visit our website at:  
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362hosting

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IN THE LOOP  Keeping current with Linux
*****************************************************************
Upcoming Events
*****************************************************************
Solutions 2001
August 14-17 -- San Francisco, California -- Moscone Centre
For the past two years, Solutions, The IBM Technical Developer 
Conference has become the place to meet, learn and test-drive the 
latest advances in IBM's open architecture and e-integrated 
solutions. This conference is dedicated to developers committed 
to using open standards technology to develop scalable, available 
and secure e-business solutions. Choose from the many breakout 
sessions, hands-on education, and birds-of-feather sessions 
focused on Linux that will be presented at the conference, 
including: IBM's Linux Strategy, Linux Clusters for eBusiness, 
and more. This year, the IBM Solution Excellence Awards will once 
again recognize outstanding commercial members of PartnerWorld 
for Developers. Categories include: Best Web Site, Hot Java 
Solution, New on the Horizon and e-Commerce -- and now -- Hot 
Linux Business Solution. Winners will be announced at Solution 
2001 by IBM, Lotus and Tivoli. This is a fantastic opportunity 
for ISVs to promote their world-class Linux-based solutions. The 
winners will receive up to US$30,000 in marketing assistance and 
technical support.
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362solutions/conference 

LinuxWorld San Francisco 
August 28 -30 -- San Francisco, California -- Moscone Center
This show expects to draw up to 20,000 attendees. IBM is a 
Platinum Sponsor of this event, and has another exciting IBM 
Customer Day planned for Wed., August 29th 2001. Details in IN 
THE LINELIGHT, above, or at:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362events/world/expo

"Demystifying Linux" Rebroadcast
On July 19th, IBM VP Steve Solazzo debunked some common Linux 
myths in a live Webcast you can listen to the rebroadcast at your 
convenience.
In the US, call: 1 888-203-1112
International (TOLL): 719 457 0820
Passcode: 515683.
Get Audio and Video on the Web at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362recording

Caldera Forum
August 19-22 -- University of California Santa Cruz
The conference includes keynotes, individual sessions about  
Caldera International, Caldera's product line, Linux and Open 
Source to help you understand the range of possibilities Linux 
and eServer xSeries can offer. IBM will be demonstrating 
Clusters, File and Print servers and other solutions in the 
Exhibit hall. We encourage you to stop by and discuss your Linux 
experiences or get answers to your questions.For more information 
or to register, visit:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362caldera

AMERICAS Linux Roadshows 
The dates have been set. Come 
Toronto, Ontario         September, 25th
Atlanta, Georgia         October,18th
Chicago, Illinois        October, 30th
For details, go to: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362roadshow

IBM eServer pSeries (RS/6000), Linux and NUMA-Q Technical 
University
Oct. 8-12, 2001 -- Atlanta, GA.  
Some of the newly added Linux topics include:  
Rebuilding the Linux kernel,     Linux for UNIX professionals, 
Kernel recompile,                Red Hat (R) Linux installation, 
Clustering,                     'What is Linux?', 
Linux system monitoring,         Load balancing cluster(s),
Linux today,                     Linux networking, 
Linux VPM,                       Embedded Linux,
Remote installation of Linux clusters,  
Setting up Linux-based routers and firewalls,  
For more information, please visit our Web site at:  
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362pseries

z/OS and OS/390 EXPO - featuring Linux for zSeries
October 8-12, 2001 - Orlando, FL
For details and Information visit:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362os390

For complete IBM Linux Event listings, please visit:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362events

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Learning Linux
*****************************************************************
Linux Professional Institute Education and Certification (LPI)
LPI is a non-profit organization involved with setting standards 
for professional certification. It is neutral to vendors of Linux 
distributions and training. IBM Learning Services can prepare you 
to obtain this certification. Alternatively, if you have general 
UNIX experience, you can take Linux for UNIX Professionals to 
prepare yourself. Certification is offered through the Linux 
Professional Institute:
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362lpi

Red Hat Linux Education and Certification
Red Hat began operations in 1994 and has become the leading 
distributor of Linux in the US. IBM Learning Services offers Red 
Hat's hands-on, real-world Red Hat Certified Engineer (TM) (RHCE) 
(TM) Program, including training and certification of Red Hat 
Linux professionals. 

IBM can also help you prepare for the RHCE Certification exam.  
For exam schedules, as well as schedules for the other RHCE 
courses that IBM offers in the US, call 1-800-IBM-TEACH(426-8322) 
or Get details online at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362course/linux

zSeries and S/390 Linux Education
IBM Learning Services has three new courses for those of you 
wanting to implement Linux on a S/390 or zSeries platform. 
-VM Basics for Linux (ZV050) - a new 2-day course focusing on 
building the VM infrastructure to support Linux on an S/390 or 
zSeries platform
-Linux Basics - An S/390 Perspective (HLX13) - a 2-day course for 
the S/390 professional needing basic education about Linux. This 
is a subset of the ILS course Linux Basics (course code QLX13)
-Linux Implementation for S/390 (ZL100) - a 3-day course focused 
on the planning and tasks that are particular to implementation 
of Linux on the S/390 platform. Pre-requisites are ZV050 or HLX13 
or both depending upon the background skill and experience of the 
individual.

All of the above courses are available for delivery at IBM 
locations as well as onsite at the customer location. 
1-800-IBM-TEACH. Be sure to reference the appropriate course code 
shown above. View schedules, descriptions and enroll online at:  
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362curriculum
or call. 

Getting Started with Linux and IBM e-Business Software on IBM 
e-Servers (QLS01)
This new two day course provides first hand experience with basic 
Linux commands and configuration of WebSphere, Domino and DB2. 
Learn more about this course and other Linux education offerings 
at: http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362course/linux

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Did You Know?
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In "Linux goes mainstream," Forrester Research Director Carl Howe 
noted, "Forrester sees Linux and open source software as the 
future of Internet-based software development."
   http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362forrester

According to IDC...
- In 2000, Linux distributions accounted for 27% of the worldwide 
  SOE new license revenue shipment totals compared with Microsoft's 
  41%. Linux has clearly emerged as the spoiler that will prevent 
  Microsoft from achieving a dominant position in the SOE market.
- With strong vocal and financial backing by heavy hitters 
  including Intel, IBM, Hewlett-Packard (HP), Dell, Compaq, and 
  Siemens; and more recently by Hitachi, Fujitsu and NEC in the 
  Japanese market, Linux is quickly gaining credibility with end 
  users.
- Recent demand-side studies run by IDC have found that users 
  that obtain a free copy of Linux subsequently tend to invest a 
  lot of real dollars to implement the product, just as they would 
  for a purchased COE.
    http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362idc

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Believe it or not
*****************************************************************
Estimating the size of GNU/Linux. 
David Wheeler has released More Than a Gigabuck: Estimating 
GNU/Linux's Size, his second white-paper to address the size 
and development costs of Linux. It analyzes the source code from 
Red Hat 7.1 to draw a number of conclusions, including: 

1.It would cost over $1 billion (a Gigabuck) to develop this 
  Linux distribution by conventional proprietary means in the U.S. 
  (in year 2000 U.S. dollars). 

2.It includes over 30 million physical source lines of code 
  (SLOC). 

3.It would have required about 8,000 person-years of development 
  time. 

4.Red Hat Linux 7.1 represents over a 60% increase in size, 
  effort, and traditional development costs over Red Hat Linux 6.2 
  which was released about one year earlier). 

5.The predominant software license is the GNU GPL. Software 
  packages using the copylefting licenses (the GPL and LGPL), at 
  least in part or as an alternative, accounted for 63% of the 
  code. 

His original paper used Red Hat 6.2 as a reference platform. Some 
other distributions, such as Debian and SuSE, include much more 
code and would produce even larger numbers.
Read the whole fascinating paper at: 
  http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362gnu/linux

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For Further Surfing
*****************************************************************
Articles:
Starting Points of a Secure Linux System
     http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362security

Websites:
New IBM Linux Portal
     http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362ibm/linux

Open-Source Development Lab Web site
     http://www.osdl.org

Open-Source Data Network,
     http://isource.ibm.com/cgi-bin/goto?on=c3362osdn

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Next Issue
*****************************************************************
The new Turbolinux is positioning themselves as an operating 
systems company, not just a Linux distribution. Their vision is 
to focus their energy on the middle-tier. And they want to build 
a strong, clearly-differentiated brand by providing Linux 
applications, and by making application deployment easier. 

This new vision will be implemented by Ly Pham, the new 
Turbolinux CEO. In the next issue of Linux line, we'll ask Ly for 
details about where she want's to take the company, and how she 
plans to get there.

Also, look for full coverage and analysis of LinuxWorld Expo, San 
Francisco.

Stay tuned each quarter for more breaking news, Linux solutions,
innovative applications, facts, figures, and food for thought.  
Also, you can look forward to more exclusive interviews with 
leading executives from the broad world of Linux -- from
distributors to ISVs to open-source gurus -- and fresh, current 
commentary from the analyst community.

*****************************************************************
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*****************************************************************

(c) 2001. International Business Machines Corporation. Permission 
to copy and distribute in unmodified form for non-commercial 
purposes is granted. LEGAL DISCLAIMERS HERE

IBM, the e-business logo, xSeries, iSeries, zSeries, OS/390, 
OS/400, DB2, DB2 UDB, MQSeries, Netfinity, and S/390 are 
trademarks or registered trademarks of 
International Business Machines Corporation.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.

Java and all Java-related trademarks are trademarks of Sun 
Microsystems, Inc., in the United States and other countries.

Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft 
Corporation.

All articles in this publication written by non-IBM authors 
represent the opinions of their authors only and not necessarily 
those of IBM.

All customer implementations described in this newsletter are 
presented as examples of how those customers have implemented 
the solutions described. As customer environments vary, similar 
results may not be obtained elsewhere.

______________________________________________

Category:

  • Linux