IBM warms to desktop Linux

IBM's other Linux shoe could drop Monday, as Big Blue is
expected to endorse the idea of Linux on desktop
computers at a conference. Big Blue has heavily promoted
the open-source operating system for use on servers, but
Sam Docknevich of IBM's Global Services group plans to
discuss how Linux's popularity now has spilled over into
the desktop market, according to the agenda for the
Desktop Linux Conference in Boston. Docknevich's speech
is titled, "The Time is Now for Linux on the Desktop."

That's a significant change from August, when Irving
Wladawsky-Berger, a senior executive who led Big Blue's
Linux effort in the past, spoke on desktop Linux: "There
is a strong buildup of interest, but I don't think this
has quite achieved escape velocity." Until now, IBM has
favored Linux for use on servers, which are networked
machines for data storage and processing that typically
are run by technically proficient administrators. The
company has avoided pushing Linux for desktop computers,
where Microsoft is overwhelmingly dominant.

However, IBM is likely to take a cautious approach to
desktop Linux similar to that of Sun Microsystems and Red
Hat. Those companies argue that desktop Linux is most
appropriate when the computer user is performing a
defined set of tasks.

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