IBM is joining forces with Linux OS vendors Novell, Red Hat and Canonical, the distributor of Ubuntu, in a global effort to deliver what they tout as a “Microsoft-free” computing experience.
The four allies note that Linux is better equipped to work with lower-cost PC hardware than Windows Vista and the latest version of Microsoft Office. Worsening economic conditions are also fueling demand for more economical software alternatives, they said.
“The slow adoption of Vista among businesses and budget-conscious CIOs — coupled with the proven success of a new type of Microsoft-free PC in every region — provides an extraordinary window of opportunity for Linux,” said Kevin Cavanaugh, vice president for IBM Lotus Software.
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The partners say they intend to work together to build and distribute preloaded Linux-driven PC offerings in markets around the world. In addition to Linux, IBM’s Open Collaboration Client Solution (OCCS) will integrate Lotus Notes, Lotus Symphony and Lotus Sametime, together with market-specific applications and installation services from local partners.
IBM also is formulating different OCCS iterations that will be targeted at the specific needs and preferences of individual customer groups, such as banks, government organizations, and schools. Government organizations such as Russia’s postal service have already piloted and phased in the new desktops, saving 30 to 35 percent of the cost of the Microsoft equivalents, noted IBM spokesperson Mike Azzi.
“This specific OCCS/Linux desktop is far more profitable than Microsoft preloads because it contains two free technologies, the Linux OS and Lotus Symphony, instead of MS Windows and Office,” Azzi wrote in an e-mail.
However, IBM and its partners have been down this road before, noted Michael Silver, a research vice president at Gartner Client Computing. “Same plan, same problems as in prior years,” he said.
In the more developed markets, things are not all that…