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Compaq and Linux operating system supplier Red Hat Software today announced a joint development and marketing agreement which will result in better compatibility between Compaq's Tru64 Unix and the Red Hat Linux operating system.
Linux began as a noncommercial, open-source project by Linus Torvalds and hundreds of other programmers. But the rival operating system is now entering the for-profit landscape. In the last year, the operating system has been embraced by many big-name hardware and software companies, and one seller of Linux, Red Hat, has filed for an initial public offering.
Compaq also said that it is making available additional Linux-ready systems including certain Compaq Deskpro models and XP Professional workstations. These are certified for Red Hat Linux V6.0, Compaq said.
These new systems complement Compaq's previously announced Linux support on its Alpha processor-based servers and Intel-based Proliant and Prosignia servers as well as on certain Intel-based workstations.
The technology initiatives of the Compaq-Red Hat agreement will focus on "design and development to maximize the performance and ease of installation of Red Hat Linux on Compaq AlphaServers, ProLiant and Prosignia servers, and desktop personal computer and workstation hardware," Compaq said.
Compaq said it also intends to make Linux more "user-friendly."
Marketing initiatives will include Compaq's ActiveAnswers and Red Hat's Kick Start programs, and will focus on "training for the Compaq sales force and channel partners; documentation and tools to improve serviceability, performance, and ease of installation; and customer-focused activities such as seminars, trade shows, and telemarketing."
"This agreement with Red Hat and the newest offerings of Linux on the desktop will enable us to deliver the appropriate mix of [Compaq's] Tru64 Unix and Linux so that customers can achieve seamless...compatibility," said Enrico Pesatori, Senior Vice President and Group General Manager, Compaq's Enterprise Computing Group.
Compaq and Red Hat executives indicated that a key goal of this expanded relationship is to ensure that programs can be created in a "single source code implementation, compiled on either Compaq Tru64 Unix or Red Hat Linux."
