Stacey Quandt, Industry Analyst, Giga
UnitedLinux is an effort to create a common Linux distribution that will be marketed under the four separate brands of SuSE, Conectiva, Caldera and TurboLinux.
It is not a marketing ploy to compete with Red Hat but an opportunity for the initial system vendors and ISVs--which include IBM, HP, NEC, Fujitsu Siemens, Progress Software, Borland, Computer Associates, and SAP--to have a Linux Standard Base- and LiN18ux-compliant platform to support. Since the four Linux partners will be able to offer their own value-added system software with SuSE Enterprise Server, this will prolong the distinctions and differences between different Linux distributions, while at the same time achieve portability across different Linux providers. The fact that all four UnitedLinux members face competition from Red Hat and Sun Linux will help to clarify the group's focus and increase its chances of success. UnitedLinux has the means, motive and opportunity to become a standard Linux distribution for the enterprise.
In essence, despite the promise of a united Linux, the subtle differences between Linux distributions will still remain relevant from the perspective of system administration. What does change is that the sharing of a core Linux operating system simplifies certification for ISVs and OEMs. This enables customers to deploy a standard optimized version of Linux with enterprise capabilities on a global scale. The one company that stands to benefit from UnitedLinux is IBM, since it can use it to target the support for NUMA and other system software. If successful this will enable IBM to sell more of its applications such as DB2, WebSphere, and Domino on a global scale. At present, IBM leverages the engineering expertise of its Linux Technology Center to work with the Linux community on the development of the Linux kernel. However, the process toward the release of a stable kernel can range from two to two-and-a-half years. In order for IBM to meet a time-to-market opportunity and provide enterprise customers with advanced functionality such as NUMA and increased scalability in the Linux kernel, it needs UnitedLinux as an alternative go-to-market strategy. This will segment the enterprise Linux market to Red Hat, UnitedLinux and the forthcoming Sun Linux.
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