Networking companies give Linux thumbs down
(05/13/99, 5:52 p.m. ET)
By Charlotte Dunlap , Computer Reseller News
Major networking companies are
shunningsupport of the Linux
operating system.
Product managers staffing booths at NetWorld
Interop offered candid comments regarding
the new open-source-code operating system.
"To add this [Linux] operating system along
with the ones we already support [which
include Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Solaris and
Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT], I'd need a
lot of users banging on my door," said
Christopher Cook, product manager for
Optivity NETarchitect at Nortel Networks
Corp., Billerica, Mass.
Cook said, however, that while he does not
receive calls every day from customers
clamoring for Linux, he is getting requests
"more and more" frequently for the operating
system.
"We don't support Linux now, nor do we plan
to support it," said Mark Emmerson, product
manager for Enterprise Network Management
at Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, Calif. The
reason: lack of massive interest by enterprise
customers and lack of commitment by large
software companies.
And the story was the same with most
networking companies.
"[Linux is] a 'techie' technology right now,"
said Cam Cullen, product marketing manager
of large enterprise served marketing at 3Com
Corp, Santa Clara, Calif. "When the big
applications vendors say they'll support it,
then we'll support it. And believe me, we're
tracking what they do."
Momentum has been building among some
enterprise customers looking for open,
non-proprietary operating systems. However,
networking vendors said they need more proof
before investing in the adoption of another
operating system.
Networking vendor managers said, however,
that there is a lot of interest in Linux,
particularly by the investment community. In
fact, if Red Hat Software Inc. announces its
much anticipated initial public offering, a few
of the managers at the Nortel booth said
they'd love to get their hands on the stock.
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