It's a Linux world

San Francisco conference brings out the big names

By CNET News.com Staff
August 16, 2002, 9:00 a.m. PST

The growing influence of the alternative operating system and the open-source software movement is on display at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo, as heavyweights IBM, Sun and Oracle get in on the action, and sworn enemy Microsoft keeps watch.

Standards help Linux avoid Unix fate
Efforts to stop Linux from splitting into incompatible versions--the fate that hobbled Unix--move forward as key companies get behind a standardization plan.

Linux makes a run for government
Proponents of the open-source operating system aim to create a version certified for government use, despite opposition from Microsoft. An open-source march on city hall
A small but enthusiastic crowd of Linux lovers hits the streets of San Francisco, hoping to trumpet the virtues of open source to lawmakers and voters. Verizon switches programmers to Linux
The telecommunications company says it saved $6 million in equipment costs by moving its programmers to Linux computers. Ellison seeks open-source unity
Linux is making inroads against Microsoft, but to become a real threat, there must be a concerted effort to build an open-source alternative to Office, Oracle's CEO says. Sun Unix pioneer jabs open-source
The software maker may have just begun selling its first general-purpose Linux servers, but Sun's chief scientist and a pioneer in designing Unix, voices his doubts. Red Hat, Sun to boost desktop Linux
Red Hat will release a new version of its software for corporate desktops, while Sun will use Linux on its own desktop PCs as a part of a plan to cut real estate costs. Dell services tap Red Hat partnership
The computer maker begins offering new services to help customers install and use Linux, but Red Hat will be doing much of the behind-the-scenes work. Worlds collide in IBM-VA Software deal
VA Software plans to take a step toward the proprietary world by moving its SourceForge repository of open-source projects to a foundation of IBM software.

Sun to name Linux-Solaris chief
John Loiacono, Sun Microsystems' former chief marketing officer, will take over a key new role managing the two software lines for the server seller.

Big computing flexes Linux muscle
The Unix clone graduates from being a hobby for independent programmers to a tool companies like IBM and HP use to advance their products.

Server sellers bang Linux drum
On the eve of the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo, IBM and HP begin making the case that the comparatively young operating system is worthy of real-world use.

Open source's new weapon: The law?
Open-source advocates ready a legislative proposal to prohibit the state of California from buying software from companies that don't open their source code.

Flaw opens door in Windows, Mac, Linux
Security researchers warn of a flaw in communications software that could let attackers take over computers running Windows, Mac OS X and Unix-based operating systems

Study: Linux sales down, but not out
Linux sales lose some ground to Windows, but they're expected to climb as distributors of the alternative operating system create new revenue streams.