A 'Big Blue' Penguin?A 'Big Blue' Penguin?

IBM has a long, tangled history with Microsoft. The original IBM PC was a launching pad for Microsoft's dominance in desktop operating systems. IBM fought back with its own—failed—OS/2 operating system. Then it tried dtente, and refashioned itself as the Switzerland of middleware, using all viable platforms to help find corporate solutions.

But change is in the air, and IBM might be readying for battle once again with Microsoft, this time using Linux as its platform. A recent, leaked, internal memo quoted IBM chairman Sam Palmisano rallying the company's own IT department around the Penguin, saying, "all of IBM [should] move to a Linux-based desktop before the end of 2005."

Post-leak, the company backpedaled and called it only a motivational memo for the testing of Linux apps; still, the mindset inside Armonk is clear: Linux is the future. Indeed, IBM released a Linux-based point-of-sale management system for retailers recently, bringing open source into another work environment. The company also rolled out a preview of the next version of its popular WebSphere Application Server, which will support J2EE 1.4 for deploying Java apps.

Though IBM has taken Java interoperability seriously with its support for Eclipse.org, it declined to join the new Java Tools Community (JTC), formed by Sun, BEA, and Oracle. IBM had "nothing bad to say" about JTC, but has been one of many vendors to create a more proprietary set of Java tools. That gives Microsoft's .Net tools an advantage over Java, because one company can move a lot quicker than can a group that's fighting each other.

As for the SCO Group's huge lawsuit against IBM, Big Blue seems unflustered, continuing to take major steps away from Microsoft and toward a future of Linux and open source.

IBM Memo Advocates Move To Linux On Internal PCs - information
Such a shift would help the vendor sell software written for Linux to business customers.

IBM Unveils Linux-Based Retail Product - TechWeb
A new version of IBM Retail Environment enables retailers to use SUSE Linux as the operating system for IBM's SurePOS client terminals, eServer, and middleware.

Vendors Launch Effort To Boost Java Tools Interoperability - InternetWeek
IBM is committed to Eclipse but is willing to exchange ideas with the JTC and has 'nothing bad to say' about new group.

IBM Releases Preview Of Next Update Of Java Software - TechWeb
Technical preview of next version of WebSphere Application Server gives developers early access to the J2EE 1.4-compliant software.

SCO Faces Deadline In IBM Case - InternetWeek
SCO Group must produce some proof to support its lawsuit against IBM.