Oracle to Compete With Red Hat for Linux Support

PCM2 writes "It's not Oracle Linux, but Larry Ellison has announced that Oracle will be providing full enterprise support for Linux. This means not just phone calls but also patches, security fixes, and backports, in addition to indemnification from lawsuits like SCO's. This puts Oracle in direct competition with its erstwhile partner, Red Hat, whose entire business is based on providing similar support for its Linux distro and related software."

Comments

The Linux OS

[RAMMS EIN]

``Oracle will be providing full enterprise support for Linux.''

That should have said "Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and 4". They're not supporting every GNU/Linux distribution, nor are they supporting just the kernel.

Remember, there is no such thing as the Linux operating system. Linux is just the kernel, and the various distributions based on it are all different.

Re:I'm confused...

[eln]

Ellison explained it more fully in his presentation. Basically, Oracle will provide Enterprise support for RedHat as well as its own version of Linux called Unbreakable Linux. Unbreakable Linux will essentially be a copy of RedHat. Every time RedHat comes out with a new release, Oracle will take the source code, remove all of the RedHat trademarks, and release it as Unbreakable Linux. Oracle will allow both RedHat and Unbreakable installs to get support from them, including bug fixes, patches, and other software.

All a RedHat client has to do to move to Oracle support for their RedHat install is to stop using RedHat's update servers and start using Oracle's. Oracle will provide patches, and will backport those patches to earlier revisions than RedHat does in order to keep enterprise-level clients from having to upgrade all of their systems too often.

So, as it stands now, Oracle will basically be offering a higher level of support than RedHat for the same exact software for a lot less money. RedHat is going to be forced to drastically reduce their prices just to compete.

I would think that over the longterm Oracle's Unbreakable Linux will fork off, especially if this ends up seriously damaging RedHat, but for now Unbreakable Linux is nothing more than a re-branded copy of RedHat.

Re:I'm confused...

[civilizedINTENSITY]

"If Oracle does provide support, then the kernel developers get paid by Oracle..."

Ah yep:

Oracle has been aggressively recruiting kernel developers out of Novell. Novell has lost three in the last several months, making it hard for Novell to claim any leadership against Red Hat, which is a hard-core innovator on the kernel. Oracle understands that to support a community-based product, it has to be part of that community. This, incidentally, is still the best reason for Red Hat customers to stay with Red Hat for support: Red Hat is doing more to innovate and develop the kernel than anyone else, including Oracle. Source of code matters more than source code in Linux, and Red Hat is the predominant source.

RH Response

[talksinmaths]

Unfakeable Linux