Caldera latest Linux company to cut jobs

Caldera Systems, one of the few publicly traded Linux companies, laid off 32 of its 188 employees to cut costs and prepare for its coming merger with Santa Cruz Operation.

The 17 percent cut was disclosed Wednesday in a regulatory filing. The company will take a $450,000 one-time charge to pay for severance benefits and rehiring assistance.

Caldera isn't the only Linux company hurt by today's economic climate. Stormix, which had been creating an attack-resistant version of Linux based on the Debian edition of Linux, has laid off its entire staff.

"We regret to announce that in light of the weakness in the financial markets, we are unable to secure additional funding for our company," Stormix said on its Web site. "Despite our technological achievements, Stormix has suspended its operations and has gone into 'hibernation' mode. Since all of Stormix's employees are regrettably laid off, we can no longer offer support."

Layoffs also have struck hardware maker VA Linux Systems, German Linux seller SuSE, software companies Turbolinux and Linuxcare as they merged and top Linux seller Red Hat.