IBM banks on Linux

jdaily writes "IBM's server group head said in an interview that IBM will Linux-enable all of its server hardware, from PCs to mainframes. " This is a pretty major endorsement... but I still want a Thinkpad running Linux with every component (including the freakin' modem!) working. You listening IBM?

Comments

Wait and see...

[Bad Mojo]

I work at IBM. Everyone outside of IBM tells me, "It must be great working at IBM with all the Linux stuff they do." To be honest, nothing at IBM involves Linux. Everything IBM has done with Linux has been essentially an external posturing and hype. Otherwise you would see Notes for Linux, Lotus Smartsuite for Linux, and Linux would run properly on RS6000 machines with Token Ring.

IBM might want everyone out there to use Linux, but until I see IBM using Linux, I won't believe it.

Bad Mojo

Stop complaining...

[ryand]

I'm going to try to respond to as many of the comments as I can: IBM is supporting Linux for 1 main reason - their customers are asking for it. They've never hidden that reason, and are quite open about it. Unlike most companies, by supporting it, they mean also contributing developers to it. Believe it or not, there are some _very_ experienced developers in IBM working exlusively on contributing source to Linux, Apache and maybe some other OS projects. This is costing IBM a lot of money, so it's not to be taken lightly. It's also a long term investment, because they don't make very much on Linix based projects right now.

"no one can use it on the Desktop until Lotus comes up with "Notes for Linux""

I don't know why Notes doesn't have a Linux client. I use it, and I can honestly say that I felt better before I used it. My personal opinion is that I hope that someone else comes out with a Notes client for Linux, because the Notes client I use is pretty awful.

"To be honest, nothing at IBM involves Linux. Everything IBM has done with Linux has been essentially an external posturing and hype"

Just because nothing you do has anything to do with Linux, doesn't mean that nothing _IBM_ does has anything to do with Linux. Come on - it's a huge organization. Most of the Linux work is being done in a grassroots way, and once it becomes big enough it becomes officially endorsed by the upper level Linux initiative. I'm hoping to soon be involved in a movement of my project to Linux. It's starting off unofficially (I'll be working on it in my spare time) but hopefully, it'll be part of everything else I do, and eventually officially endorsed. Why am I doing it? because it'll be a challenge, and it'll be fun to see what I'm working on run on Linux. My point is, if you don't see anything done with Linux, do something about it yourself. Even if you haven't been asked to do so.

"until I see IBM using Linux, I won't believe it"

Well, I've seen IBM using Linux, and I've only been here for a few months so I believe. Look around a bit more, you'll find it soon enough.

"don't have to cope with screwed-up proprietary IBM network protocols in the data center"

I'm not sure about this - wasn't there a time when that protocol was better than what else was out there? Didn't it make sense then?

"But what are they going to do to develop linux? Are they going to contribute to the community, or are they just going to make a quick buck on everyone else's work without having to worry about NT licencing fee"

IBM's Linux site It might not say anything about the contributing developers, but at a conference CASCON, the person in charge of Linux projects at IBM talked about contributing back to the community at length.

"Who knows, they might even Open Source some of the marginal Operating Systems, like OS/2"

Just a note - OS/2 is not that marginal. Actually, it's doing well from what I hear. I don't know much more, but I doubt that it'll be open-sourced.. Disclaimer: I'm a relatively new employee for IBM, and I don't claim to speak for them at all. That's not what I'm paid for, and I might have things wrong, so it's a good thing I'm not getting paid for that.

Check out Alphaworks.ibm.com

[Greyfox]

IBM's doing some neat stuff and they're giving a lot of it away for free. They've got a bunch of XML tools, a Java IRC program that can be embedded in a web page, their own Java VM which may or may not be more advanced than the Blackdown one (I haven't checked lately) the Postfix sendmail replacement and REXX and Object REXX for Linux.

At least some divisions of IBM are "with it." I'm pushing to open source some of the UNIX stuff I'm doing for them and hope to start shoring up some areas where Linux has significant weaknesses if I can get the ball rolling on some of these projects.

Linux On the Thinkpad

[cruise]

CmdrTaco: I WANT A LINUX THINKPAD WHERE THE MODEM WORKS!

IBM: You'll get it when we're finished and if you ask us again, we'll delay it another week.




They are a threat to free speech and must be silenced! - Andrea Chen

too many misconceptions...

[Silverpike]

Disclaimer: I am an IBM employee

Um, I think my friend Mr. Malda has confused some /. readers. The announcement, as stated, applies to Enterprise Servers, which in IBM lingo means RS/6000, AS/400, and OS/3[7-9]0 machines.

As far as I can tell, this does not affect notebooks, PCs, and Netfinitys. They fall under a separate division of IBM and have their own "master plan". This is somewhat moot however, since Linux does run fairly well on these machines anyways.

As some readers insightfully pointed out, there are obvious motives for this. AIX, VMS, and VM are expensive to develop and time consuming to maintain, and IBM makes more money off the hardware anyways. IBM still has very strong hardware expertise, and the best reason to buy a RS6k is the hardware architecture (that and all the reliability aspects).

Don't have the misconception that IBM's enemy is Microsoft. Although we compete with them, our real competitor is Sun. Sun competes heavily in all the same areas we do, and Linux is the perfect way to help us fight the the workstation battle.

Since it is obvious to me that Sun has no intention of really supporting Linux until it begins to threaten their survival, I'm all for IBM and Linux partnership. This means IBM will contribute to linux kernel development for all of the products mentioned above, which should be quite valuable to Linus and Alan.

As for applications, that too falls under a different IBM division. I can't tell you if Notes or Smartsuite are coming for sure, but I wouldn't be suprised to see some changes in light of this announcement.

But where's the Lotus Notes Client on Linux?

[octothorpe]

I work in development for Big Blue and lots of us here love Unix in general and Linux in particular but no one can use it on the Desktop until Lotus comes up with "Notes for Linux". Now mind you no one actually likes Notes here, but if you want to get mail you don't have any other choice. I've gotten it to work using WINE but then its even more unstable than usual. Sigh.

Another story . . .

[gnarphlager]

There's a bit on the NY times website about this too.

Personally, I'm not sure I really see the significance of this. Big blue likes linux. Okay, fine. They'll sell servers running linux. Neat. But what are they going to do to develop linux? Are they going to contribute to the community, or are they just going to make a quick buck on everyone else's work without having to worry about NT licencing fee. Don't get me wrong; it's great to see more linux servers and workstations in the world, and any exposure is good exposure, but if anyone has the means to help development, it's IBM.

Too many corporations are looking at linux as a finished product, rather than a work in progress. It's not.