• On TechRepublic: Five super-secret features in Windows 7
July 18, 2008 10:08 AM PDT

Ubuntu looks to open-source applications to boost its server business

by Matt Asay

The VAR Guy has the scoop on some upcoming Ubuntu news: Ubuntu and Openbravo are teaming up to help push Ubuntu into the enterprise.

Now, Canonical is seeking killer server applications for Ubuntu. MySQL, the open-source database now owned by Sun, has backed Ubuntu quite a bit. And now Openbravo is joining the party...Smart move by Canonical and Openbravo. CIOs, midmarket IT managers, and solutions providers don't care much about server operating systems. It's all about the applications.

I agree, and so do Red Hat and Novell, which built their formidable server businesses by focusing on applications.

It's interesting, however, where Canonical/Ubuntu is focused. It started with some select, big-name partnerships with IBM and others, and is now focused on shoring up that story with open-source applications. Openbravo is the first to leak, but there are others in the works.

For those of us on the open-source application side of the market, we're looking for good foundations upon which to build our businesses. Red Hat was first with RHX, but Novell has also been friendly with open-source applications. But both of these vendors make most of their money from integration with proprietary applications that they certify.

Could a sustained, concerted effort from Ubuntu displace these two in the affections of the open-source ecosystem? Definitely maybe. Does it matter? I'm not sure. Not in the short term, but in the long run?

What is clear is that Ubuntu has room to grow on the server, and even relatively small sell-through with open-source applications is a step in the right direction.


Disclosure: I'm an adviser to Openbravo, but The VAR Guy still beat me to the information...again. :-)

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay.
Recent posts from The Open Road
Google shifts software value to operations, away from IP
Mobile: Still waiting to see what sticks
Google privacy controls: Most people won't care
Amazon's move mocks EU's fear of Oracle
Skype to open-source far too little
The difference a few years makes to open source
Novell cuts 3 percent of its workforce, plus benefits
Data's one-two punch in open-source business models
Add a Comment (Log in or register)
by kelvin12345654789 July 20, 2008 10:25 PM PDT
This concept is worth appreciations. It sholud be considerd.
_____________________
Aady
Addiction Recovery North Carolina
Reply to this comment
advertisement

After 5 years, Firefox faces new challenges

Mozilla helped reshape the Web since releasing Firefox 1.0 five years ago. Now it's got a reawakened Microsoft and Google Chrome to reckon with.

There's a map for that: GPS or smartphone?

Almost every handset comes with mapping software these days, but standalone GPS devices are becoming more affordable than ever.

advertisement

About The Open Road

Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to the Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is general manager of the Americas division and vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

Add this feed to your online news reader

The Open Road topics

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right