Linux Debate

IBM Chairman and CEO Louis Gerstner may be trying to spread the Linux gospel, but some IBM business partners aren't buying the sermon.

Solution providers attending an IBM conference on supply chain and enterprise applications last week said Unix and other operating systems are still more suited to their customers.

'It will have an impact, but Linux is a toy. By IBM supporting Linux, well then it is not a toy. But does that mean IBM and Linux will carry the day? No way.' -- Steve Ballmer, Microsoft

"Linux is not in the cards for us," says Rick Baldwin, vice president of sales and marketing at iSeries integrator Mincron Software Systems, Houston, echoing the reaction of other IBM partners at the company's link_2001 conference here.

Enterprise developers have not yet pursued Linux-based applications, says Edward Sitarski, vice president of advanced planning at J.D. Edwards, Denver.

"It's good that IBM is in the Linux game, but there hasn't been [interest] on that platform," he says.

Application developers must join IBM in support of Linux before Linux will gain ground in the enterprise, says Todd Skousen, vice president of sales at SBI, Salt Lake City. "IBM will help, but someone needs to [develop] some apps," he says. "The [midsize market] is still NT. Look at the market caps of the four Linux players,they're nothing,and Caldera [Systems] said it plans to spend as much on Unix as Linux. They're hedging their bet a little bit."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took his own potshot last week at IBM's pledge to commit $1 billion toward supporting Linux on its server platforms. "It will have an impact, but Linux is a toy," Ballmer said in an interview with CRN. "By IBM supporting Linux, well, then it is not a toy. But does that mean IBM and Linux will carry the day? No way."

Ballmer questioned IBM's participation in the modern software revolution and says its investment in Linux will not automatically spur innovation.

IBM sees things differently. The company's new marketing campaign features a peace sign, a heart and a penguin to drive home how much the company believes in open-source architecture.

"Linux is the future. We made a gamble a year ago on Linux because of the need to achieve [open] standards," says Bill Etherington, senior vice president and group executive for sales and distribution at IBM.

"The infrastructure must be open," Etherington says. "This eliminates some companies, notably Microsoft and Sun, but we believe it is critical. We think proprietary solutions are dinosaurs."

KELLEY DAMORE contributed to this story.