This is a good news indeed. IBM has pledged $1 billion investment in Linux and other related Open Source technologies. The announcement was made by IBM Fellow and Vice President of Power Development Brad McCredie at Linuxcon in New Orleans. Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation said:
IBM’s continued investments in Linux for Power Systems is welcomed by the Linux community. We look forward to seeing how the Power platform can bring about further innovation on Linux, and how companies and developers can work together to get the most out of this open architecture,
Not the first time with $1 billion
IBM has been a Linux supporter for a long time. In fact, this is not the first time when IBM has invested in Linux. Back in 2000, IBM had invested $1 billion in Linux with a dedicated team of over 1500 engineers. This resulted in several innovation for Linux and it has continued to grow. It is a proof of Linux’s growing presence in technology world that over 95% of supercomputers in the world run Linux.
Back in year 2000, Linux was a novice OS (in terms of users), now it has grown significantly. Linux in the first choice of OS for Big Data and Cloud computing companies.
What will happen with $1 billion?
Out of the proposed $1 billion, a large sum will be spent on facilities and personnel to help Power users move to Linux. One new center in Montpellier, France, will be set up for that purpose, McCredie said. Apart from that, IBM will develop “development cloud,” an installation of Power-based servers operated by IBM that customers can use remotely at no cost to help build and test Linux applications.
Linux is growing in all aspect. Linux desktop is growing. Linux gaming is growing. Linux in enterprises growing as well. The Big Blue has safe bet on Linux and it will only benefit the technology in future.
