InformationWeek

A host of major hardware and software vendors last week disclosed plans to support Linux for the first time or expanded on earlier commitments. Hewlett-Packard will develop tools and technologies for Linux-based applications and provide services, training, and electronic support for the operating system. SAP plans to offer its R/3 enterprise resource planning application on the platform by the third quarter. IBM will support Linux on several hardware systems, including its RS/6000 line of servers and workstations. It will also team with four Linux distributors-Caldera Systems, Pacific HiTech, Red Hat Software, and Suse Holding AG-to offer global, around-the-clock support. Computer Associates, Corel, Intel, Sybase, and VA Research also made Linux support and services announcements.

"To suddenly have all the major systems vendors, database vendors, and others making a significant commitment to Linux will at least make it an option," says Dwight Davis, an analyst at Summit Strategies Inc.

The number of companies using Linux will double over the next 12 months, according to a survey of 166 IT managers last week by InformationWeek Research. In all, 14% say their companies use Linux, while another 16% plan to deploy it over the next year. Among the factors cited by Linux adopters, the operating system's low price-it's free on the Web, or available at nominal cost from resellers-rates at the top with 72% of users, followed closely by its reliability and performance.

"I spent $32 on Red Hat Linux and had it running on a four-way system in 25 minutes," says Ash Shehata, IS director for Antelope Valley Health Care Systems in Lancaster, Calif.

However, only 30% of those using or planning to use Linux say they will employ it to any "significant" extent. "To get reliability, you need a good hardware and software combination," says Walter Curd, VP of IT at semiconductor company Fujitsu Microelectronics Inc. in San Jose, Calif., which runs SAP on HP-UX. "Saving a few bucks on the operating system is not a priority."

The growing support for Linux by major vendors is encouraging to the Linux faithful-88% of whom say such factors make them more likely to use Linux. But critics say Linux still has a long way to go before it becomes mainstream: According to the InformationWeek Research survey, 72% of Linux deployments are occurring at companies with revenue of less than $1 billion. "As a corporate tool, Linux still isn't there yet," says Ajit Kapoor, director of worldwide network standards and architecture at General Motors Corp.

But Linux backers and some analysts say the operating system is well on its way to taking its place in the enterprise. "When you get this kind of support," says Yankee Group analyst Colin Mahony, "the momentum becomes a self-perpetuating driver for growth."