TurboLinux, NEC ink Linux deal
One of the major sellers of the Linux operating system inks a deal with Japanese chipmaker NEC to provide technical support for Linux.
Under the agreement, TurboLinux, one of the major sellers of the Linux operating system, will provide back-end support for all of NEC's computer hardware systems and servers that run on Linux, the two companies said in a statement. In turn, Japan-based NEC said it will use TurboLinux engineers and have access to a complete Linux support database in Asia for bug fixes, troubleshooting and security information.
The announcement follows a slew of deals TurboLinux has made in the past few months to help it expand into other Asia markets and the United States. In October, the company said Linuxcare will provide round-the-clock technical support for TurboLinux. Linuxcare already provides technical support for Linux products from Dell Computer, IBM and Sun Microsystems.
Under the NEC deal, both companies said they will also work together on joint marketing, sales and application software development programs to promote Linux in Japan.
"This is a natural step as more businesses seriously consider using Linux in their mission critical systems," Takayuki Okada, a chief manager at NEC, said in a statement.