LinuxWorld SF: Stars align for open-source

While some still question the value of Linux and other Windows alternatives, more people than ever seem to be seeing the light with OSS as a whole. I believe this to be well illustrated at the recent LinuxWorld event.

The LinuxWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco last week featured strategic partnerships among key companies and the release of proprietary commercial code to the community.

On the partnership front, leading open-source database provider MySQL lined up Dell and Novell to resell its MySQL Network directly to their customers. MySQL introduced the network in February as a subscription offering that includes certified software updates, technical support, and indemnification for enterprise customers using its database.

MySQL is an integral part of the LAMPstack, which Dell is packaging with its hardware. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and either the PHP, Perl, or Python scripting language.

Many companies have seen IT budgets tighten in the past several years, said Noel Yuhanna, senior analyst at Forrester Research. As such, stacks of proprietary software comparable to LAMP have become increasingly cost-prohibitive for many companies. [Read the rest]