School's out or headed that way, and the Summer is set to begin. So this seems as good a time as any to give a rundown of Linux trends that transcend news of the all-noise variety, which has lately been thickened by SCO's anti-Linux FUD campaign, which I refuse to give any more of the airtime it doesn't deserve. Here's the short list:

1. DIY-IT
2. What IBM is really up to
3. Oracle
4. Wireless
5. Globalization

1) DIY-IT

DIY-IT stands for Do-It-Yourself Information Technology. It's how enterprises are using Linux and other breeds of free and open source software to build their own solutions to their own problems. In other words, this is a story about how the demand side has started to supply itself. I am convinced this is THE main cause of Linux success in the Enterprise -- so convinced, in fact, that we made it the subject of a record-length story/editorial by yours truly in the July issue of Linux Journal, which just arrived at my front door and should be on news stands any day now.

Talk about coincidence. Between the last paragraph and this one I got a call from an IT guy at a very large telco who called what I was saying about DIY-IT an "understatement". He said they do most of their development work on Linux, and give Linux and open source credit for their ability to rapidly deploy some way-cool technology I can't talk about right now, but I promise to cover in an upcoming Linux Journal feature. An interesting side note: He said the attractions of Linux wasn't not price, but a combination of speed, deployability and absence of vendor hassle. They love the absence of licensing and vendor permission clearing hassles.

2) What IBM is really up to

I've spent a lot of time in the last few weeks trying to get my head around what IBM is doing with Linux. Here's a brief summary of what I'm seeing.

1. The commitment is for real. Linux may not be the only thing IBM is doing; but the company is clearly involved in Linux, and Linux is clearly involved in the company. By the way, kudos to Big Blue for improving its vast Web site. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that everything is much more organized, and finding information is much easier than it used to be.
2. Linux is emerging as a working base for cross-platform development and deployment. Three of the of the six featured links on IBM's Linux Developerworks page <http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/> involve cross-platform development. "Create native, cross-platform GUI applications, revisited", by Kirk Vogen, is one. "Build a cross-platform test network" is another.
3. Server consolidation is the main strategic thrust. IBM's long history with virtual machines (going back to the birth of VM on the S/360 in 1967) found a perfect match with Linux. The OS is a lead attraction to the company's new z/VM OS for its 64-bit z/Architecture. The company is pushing Linux server virtualization on zSeries, iSeries and pSeries systems. And it's pushing Linux by itself on the xSeries as well. (Note the sensible directory paths in the URLs below -- much appreciated)
   <http://www.vm.ibm.com/>
   <http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/os/linux/>
   <http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/iseries/linux/>
   <http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/pseries/linux>
   <http://www-1.ibm.com/servers/eserver/linux/xseries/>
   
4. IBM likes pushing its big enterprise solutions -- DB2, Tivoli, WebSphere -- on Linux.
5. Positioning Linux as a high-end solution actually fits nicely with IBM's heavy-duty service and support orientation, no doubt making life less complicated for IBM Global Services, the largest support division in the world. Context: Global Services accounts for 40% of IBM's sales, or about $33 billion in the last year. (Source: Hoovers.)
6. Supporting Linux and open source development in general helps customers doing DIY-IT. When they're ready for the high-end stuff IBM does best, they're an upfit path.
7. Linux and open source support gives IBM a huge competitive advantage. By making an enemy of open source and Linux, Microsoft fights its own customers. By supporting open source and Linux, IBM helps those same customers. Those customers comprise the marketplace. Who do you think is better positioned to win?

3. Oracle

For all the good press IBM has earned for itself around Linux, the big winner I keep hearing about is Oracle. Amazon, Orbitz, LSI Logic and other companies have given me stellar reports on Oracle's support for Linux in its products, and on Linux performance as a base platform for Oracle databases. In fact Wim Coekaerts, Oracle's "Mr. Linux," tells me he thinks Oracle is *more* of a "Linux company" than IBM. <http://otn.oracle.com/oramag/Coekaerts.html>

Oracle's success does nothing, by the way, to contradict the growing successes of MySQL and PostgreSQL as well. Once again, AND logic seems to be working in the marketplace around Linux and the various databases that run on it.

4. Wireless

When I was in New York City last week, I did much of my connecting over wi-fi provided by NYCwireless <http://www.nycwireless.net/i> and gear governed by a nice little homebrew Linux distro called Pebble. <http://www.nycwireless.net/pebble/> Between Sputnik <http://www.sputnik.com/> and a bunch of other enterprising companies, Linux seems to handy for commercial wi-fi deployment as well. Again, this is a subject that gets little attention from the mainstream press, but shows once again how Linux, like the Net (another basically free platform with no obvious "business model") is good for business.

5. Globalization

The big frontier for Linux -- and where it is poised for the largest successes -- is outside the U.S., especially in places where resourcefulness and cost control are top technology deployment priorities. I've written before about Linux success in India, in spite of Microsoft handouts that run into the hundreds of $millions. <http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6450> The same kinds of stories are playing out elsewhere in the world. That's why we launched Worldwatch this week. <http://worldwatch.linuxgazette.com/> Current stories come from Brazil, Denmark and other places. Our mission is to follow how Linux and open source influence social, economic and political change throughout the world. It's brand new and wide open to your input. <http://worldwatch.linuxgazette.com/mission.php> Contact Editor in Chief Willy Smith with your thoughts, suggestions and news stories. <[email protected]>

And, of course, I'm looking for your feedback and stories as well.

<[email protected]>