Linux scores a win with Corel, By Ben Elgin, Sm@Rtreseller 05.08.98 6:15 pm ET Corel Computer Corp. - the hardware arm for Corel Corp. - announced Thursday night that Linux will be the operating system for its new family of network computer products, dubbed NetWinder. In addition, the company will make publicly available the operating system source code for third-party developers. According to company officials, Corel Computer (COSFF) will establish an outside development strategy similar to the approach taken by Netscape Communications Corp. and its mozilla.org Web site. The Ottawa company has plans to establish an independent organization to assist developers and spearhead third-party development efforts. And, as Corel Computer releases periodic NetWinder upgrades, the company is planning to incorporate the best third-party innovations into the product. "Developers are so enthusiastic about anything Linux, they're willing to look at this with fresh eyes," said a Corel Computer spokesman. "Some developers will help our product with their innovations, and others will want to take the product in their own direction. We will applaud the efforts of both." The new NC products, whose source code could be available by as early as next month, run on a Linux operating system and are fueled by the StrongARM microprocessor. According to Corel Computer, this is the first time Linux has been used in conjunction with StrongARM. Under the Linux General Public License, Corel Computer is making its months of porting work for the microprocessor available to the Linux development community. Last night's announcement, made at the Ottawa Carleton Linux Users Group, put an end to week-long speculation over the direction of Corel Computer's open source efforts. The company remained tight-lipped on the announcement, saying only that it would further outline its commitment to the open source community. The move was lauded by a number of Linux development companies, including Caldera Inc. and Red Hat Software Inc., both of which develop commercial versions of the operating system and offer tech support for their wares. "The decision to open this code and support [Linux] is based on solid business reasons, including faster development, more reliable offerings and a closer relationship with their customers," said Red Hat President Robert Young. -- PLEASE read the Red Hat FAQ, Tips, Errata and the MAILING LIST ARCHIVES! http://www.redhat.com/RedHat-FAQ /RedHat-Errata /RedHat-Tips /mailing-lists To unsubscribe: mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe" as the Subject.
