Tux, the Linux Mascot

Welcome to the Corporate Linux Advocate Homepage!

What is Linux? - General Info - Linux/Alpha Info - Linux/Alpha Resellers - New User Info - Distributions - Documentation - Magazines - Media - Papers - Newsletters - Linux Journal - Boardwatch Magazine - Software - Newsgroups - Interest - Worldwide - Folks - Other - Maintainer - Bill

PLEASE NOTE: This page is maintained for historical purposes only. It is no longer being actively updated.

I began this work back in February 1998 when there were very few sites advocating the use of Linux in the corporate world. For roughly two and a half years, I tried to supply information which would feed the adoption of Linux in the business during a time when the "common wisdom" proclaimed that Linux would never become viable in business. Thankfully, my voice is now one of a great many instead of one of a very few.

Sometimes, it's darn good to realize that you're obsolete because you've accomplished what you set out to do. In my case, the task was to get people to take Linux and Open Source seriously in business. If you're not taking them seriously today, look out. Linux and Open Source have many real business advantages -- and these days, it is likely that your competition is paying attention, even if you are not. Do you really want to give them that advantage?

To see my more recent opinions on Linux in the corporate world, check out my bibliography for many of the articles I've written on the subject, including my columns for InfoWorld and Processor magazines, and my weekly appearances on The Linux Show webcast.

-- Russell Pavlicek

My new book Embracing Insanity: Open Source Software Development is available for sale at Barnes and Noble ($23.99), Amazon ($23.99), or Fatbrain ($23.95).

Want to know what's going on in the corporate world? I suggest Linux Today. For older announcements, try my old Linux News for the Corporate World page.

Great things are happening in the Corporate Linux movement. Many companies are coming onboard, like Oracle, Informix, Computer Associates, IBM, and Compaq. Partially because of my speaking schedule, I have not had time to keep this page updated as I should. My apologies.

One of my articles appears in the November 1998 edition of Linux Journal. It's called "The Quick Road to an Intranet Web Server."

Want to try Linux/Alpha without breaking your bank account? Check out my article in the August 1998 edition of the Linux Gazette called "Personal Linux/Alpha System: 64 bits for Under $500."

An Alpha-based Linux Supercomputer ranks in the top 500 supercomputers worldwide! And, it only cost $150K! Read about it here.

Linux at the US Postal Service! It's true! Check out Linux is reading your mail.

My current bibliography is online here.

Corporate Linux is a reality! Datapro's 1997 International User Ratings Survey of UNIX and NT ranks Linux as the 4th most used Unix in large corporations worldwide! This represents a jump from 7th last year.

Heck, EVEN MICROSOFT USES IT!

How big is the Linux market? Red Hat's Sizing the Linux Market gives the newest estimates. Their belief: 7.5 million Linux users worldwide!

Red Hat 5.0 Named Infoworld 1997 Network Operating System of the Year! I guess winning Desktop Operating System of the Year last year wasn't enough!

Who says Linux isn't supported? The Linux community was named Infoworld 1997 Support Organization of the Year! And that doesn't even include the formal support channels at Red Hat and Caldera.

Check out my first article, published in the Linux Gazette webzine: Confessions of a Former VMS Junkie: One Techie's Journey to Linux.

Linux/Alpha Saves the Titanic! Learn why Digital Domain used more Linux than NT or Digital Unix to create the movie Titanic. Click here for the full scoop!

WHAT IS LINUX?

Linux is a freely available Unix clone operating system that is changing the computing world from the bottom up!

Linux has gone from a mere concept in 1991 to a full, rich, dependable workhorse in just 7 years! Current estimates are that 6 to 10 million or more computers run Linux -- and the number is no where near a plateau.

DOS and Windows lowered the bar for technical excellence in operating systems in order to raise the bar for ease of use. Linux has already surpassed DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95 for technical excellence, and some knowledgeable people argue that it has even surpassed Windows NT. At the same time, there are tremendous efforts surging ahead to do what no Unix-type operating system ever succeeded in doing: making the operating system friendly enough for non-technical people to enjoy its benefits! The past year alone has seen the birth of a strong Windows-95ish desktop system, based on the open standard of X Windows. It has also witnessed the development of even more easy-to-use and easy to administer front ends that effectively harness the power of Unix.

Linux is designed to POSIX specifications (and at least one distributor has gone through POSIX certification). Linux is multiplatform (Alpha, Intel, Sparc, Macintosh, PowerPC, MIPS, and more!). Linux is multiuser and multitasking. Linux is built on open standards, like X Windows and a full-blown TCP/IP implementation. The Linux kernel and all standard utilities are distributed with full source code. Linux even sports a healthy DOS emulator, a Windows emulator (in development), NetWare support, Lan Manager support, and DECnet support is in the works. Languages such as GNU C/C++, GNU Fortran, Pascal, Perl, and Tcl/Tk are included for free as well. The Apache Web Server -- the most popular Web server in the world, hosting over 50% of Internet sites worldwide (Netcraft Web Server Survey, January 1998) -- is a standard feature.

Linux is lowering the cost of operating both the desktop and the server compared to both traditional Unix implementations and the current Microsoft operating systems. By combining the power of a Unix server and a snazzy user desktop, Linux can match most of the serving abilities of Windows NT while carrying a software pricetag below that of a traditional DOS/Windows PC!

Software vendors, assisted by such companies as Caldera (birthed by Ray Noorda after leaving Novell), are beginning to port software to Linux. Netscape Navigator, Netscape Fastrack Server, WordPerfect, Software AG's Adabas-D, the StarOffice Product Suite, and the Applixware Product Suite are all available, with many more on the way including a number of the Corel products. Informix has announced that it is examining the porting of its database products to Linux. Linux vendors such as Caldera and Red Hat are now offering traditional product support services that corporations require. The time is now clearly past when Linux can be dismissed as a mere "hacker's operating system!"