Congradulations Debian - Comercial product coming ! [Long]
Just got this from pointcast !
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Story
VA Linux, SGI, fund retail version of Debian GNU/Linux
October 12, 1999 3:55 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) - Three companies have teamed up to fund the
packaging of another version of the upstart Linux operating system called
Debian GNU/Linux, which was developed by a group of about 500 independent
programmers.
VA Linux Systems Inc., a maker of systems that run the upstart Linux
operating system, workstation maker SGI (SGI.N) and book publisher O'Reilly
& Associates are sponsoring the packaging of Debian GNU/Linux for sale at
retail.
Until now, Debian GNU/Linux, which was created by a group of developers
called the Debian Project, has been available over the Internet for free.
The Debian Project is an open source project, where developers access a
product's source code for free and share their work over the Internet, in
order to create better, bug-free software.
In retail stores, Debian GNU/Linux will compete with Red Hat Linux and a few
other retail versions of the software, which has become increasingly popular
in the past year as a competitor to Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT.O) Windows NT
for some applications.
Linux is a version of the UNIX operating system that was developed by Linus
Torvalds, a Finnish programmer. Torvalds manages the updates and additions
to Linux.
VA Linux Systems said Debian GNU/Linux is the second most popular version of
Linux among hardware customers after Red Hat Linux, which is distributed by
Red Hat Inc. (RHAT.O), the first company in the Linux space to go public.
``Debian has a few qualities that make it interesting,'' said Brian Biles,
vice president of marketing at VA Linux Systems. ''It's our second most
requested distribution.''
O'Reilly & Associates, a publisher of books on the Internet and open source
software in Sebastopol, Calif., will include its new book, ``Learning to use
Debian GNU/Linux,'' in the Debian package, which will retail at an
introductory $19.95.
The Debian CD package will also include 1440 open source software packages
and a demo of Loki Entertainment's ``Myth II: Soulblighter'' game software,
which runs on Linux.
One of the most popular features in Debian GNU/Linux is ''apt-get,'' which
automates free network downloads of all software package updates, making the
Debian CD the last CD a user may need to keep their system up-to-date with
Linux.
SGI, based in Mountain View, Calif., is helping to sponsor the project by
helping VA Linux with the cost. Sales for Debian GNU/Linux will be donated
to Software in the Public Interest, a nonprofit group for open source
projects, including Debian.
VA Linux Systems, based in Sunnyvale, has two Debian programmers who work on
Debian full time while at VA Linux. Last week, VA Linux Systems filed a
registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise
$70 million in an initial public offering. Chip giant Intel Corp. (INTC.O)
is among the investors of VA Linux Systems.
``We want to give back to the community,'' said Biles. ''(Debian) has been a
cornerstone of the open source community. It's a way for them to give back
to their audience.''
The Debian Project, which started in the mid-1990s, is central to the open
source community.
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