• silicon.com
• Technology
• Software

By Suzanna Kerridge, 26 January 2000 00:25

NEWS Linux developer Red Hat has partnered with IBM to develop Java-based software components rather than team up with Sun Microsystems - the founder of the Java platform. The company will license and distribute IBM's Java Runtime engine, Java Virtual Machine, as well as the Developer Kit for Linux - Java Technology Edition. Colin Tenwick, general manager of European Operations at Red Hat, said: "We certainly see a number of developers requiring this technology as they start to deploy into the enterprise. We can meet that demand better in a full open source environment." He added that the company chose to partner with IBM because its licensing structure is closer to the open source ethic. "The Sun licensing model is only one stage short of a proprietary model," he said. Christine Acton, leading analyst for Web development tools at Ovum, said: "I understand why Red Hat would choose IBM. Sun is going through a period of change and it has got a way to go before it has a clear story and strategy. One of Sun's strongest lines is its Java story so it is hanging onto that and steering away from partnerships. In this state, IBM would be easier to work with," said Acton. Not wanting direct competition by Sun's Solaris with its own Linux platform could also explain Red Hat's move, she added. However, while the announcement offers a boost to technologies considered by some industry watchers to be the underdogs, Acton said it does not guarantee corporate
deployment. "There is enough developer interest in Linux for IBM to take it seriously. A lot of developers are now using Java as well as Linux but just because a lot of developers use it does not mean a lot of corporates deploy it though," she said.