Japanese software maker joins open-source group

Japanese software maker NEC Soft announced Wednesday that it has joined (OSDL). The company plans to participate in OSDL's Data Center Linux and Carrier Grade Linux initiatives as the Linux operating system catches on in Japan. NEC Soft, which has been integral to computer maker NEC's Unix operations, has offered systems integration and support of Linux products and servers since 1999.

Beaverton, Ore.-based OSDL employs about 30 people, including Linux founder and leader Linus Torvalds and the programmer in charge of the new 2.6 version of Linux, Andrew Morton.