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Linux brings in $2.5 billion for HP

Hewlett-Packard says it garnered $2.5 billion selling Linux-related products and services in 2003.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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Stephen Shankland
Hewlett-Packard said it garnered $2.5 billion selling Linux-related products and services in 2003.

The announcement, expected Thursday, comes as the open-source community prepares for the twice-annual LinuxWorld Conference and Expo from Jan. 20 to 23. At that show a year ago, HP Chief Executive Carly Fiorina said that HP garnered $2 billion in Linux-related products and services in 2002.

In addition, HP is now selling several new Linux-based collections of hardware and software. These collections include database software from Oracle and MySQL, and Web server software from BEA Systems, JBoss and Apache.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company also has two new thin clients--stripped-down PCs that rely on a central server for computing horsepower. The Compaq t5300 and t5500, based on Transmeta processors, plug into central Linux servers through technology from the Linux Terminal Server Project, a project closely affiliated with education customers.