One of the factors that has kept Linux out of the enterprise, industry vendors acknowledge, is that customers want to know where to go to point a finger if there is a problem. The Middle Tier. IBM's announcement of MQSeries for Linux could be the first step in breaking the stranglehold, allowing Linux applications to connect to applications on other systems. Borland has introduced Kylix, the first RAD toolkit for creating native Linux applications. IBM has released the Visual Age for Java IDE for Linux, and has added support for the WebSphere family of products to deploy on.
Nothing helps build momentum quite like, well, momentum.
As some of the industry's biggest players come to embrace the operating system, others will follow suit, and that most certainly will tip the scales for Linux. Now, just because Linux in the enterprise is set to take off doesn't mean that being in the business of selling Linux implementations is necessarily a good thing. SuSE is reported to be laying off 75 percent of its U.S. work force, yet claims its commitment to this market will not be affected. No reason was given for the move. TurboLinux is said to have begun laying off 40 of its 120-member staff as part of a restructuring brought about by its acquisition of LinuxCare, which is reported to be laying off 10 percent of its staff.