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HP Linux group tries again with "OSLO" name

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.
Expertise Processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science. Credentials
  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
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Stephen Shankland

Fashionistas are wise to hang onto their duds: Today's passe clothing style is tomorrow's retro chic. Hewlett-Packard now has demonstrated that marketing labels also can make a comeback.

The company announced Wednesday it's renamed its HP Linux group the Open Source and Linux Organization (OSLO). "This further signifies HP's continued focus on open source beyond the Linux operating system," the company said in a statement.

Fair enough. But those who've watched the company might get a chuckle out of the move.

When HP launched the group in 1999, it also was called OSSO--the Open Source Solutions Operation. Then in 2000, it renamed itself the Open Source and Linux Operation. After a stint as just HP Linux, the OSLO name is back, though this time the final O stands for organization.

There is some substance beneath the flash, though. The group employs 100 Linux programmers, has certified more than 300 products with open-source products, has released more than 300 open-source printer drivers and has 34 response centers to deal with customers' open-source issues.