起初，我们都以为Oracle公司推出的Unbreakable Linux将会是Linux业界的一件大事，可能导致红帽企业级Linux用户的大规模倒戈，涌向Oracle的Linux发行版，红帽公司会不会被Larry Ellison的小伎俩弄翻？ 一个月过后，答案很明显了。Oracle RHEL定制版并没有掀起大波澜。就在Oracle宣布推出unbreakableLinux的时候，作为一个经常关注Linux业界的人，不断有金融分析公司的人打电话给我询问有关unbreakableLinux的部署情况，是否有公司开始将unbreakableLinux用于试验性的部署。我的答案是：没有，甚至没有一家公司认真测试过unbreakable Linux，更不用说用于试验性质的企业部署。5 `6 k! J9 J, J, S* i0 A* H/ G
那个打电话给我的那个分析人员应该也没有找到哪个公司在使用unbreakable Linux。Oracle公司推出unbreakable Linux，也许这并没有什么令人大惊小怪的，但是当时我就断定没戏，现在看来更多的人要同意我的观点了。/ I) ]' n, |0 s3 Z1 F
别的不说，在Oracle公司二季度财报分析中写道，在unbreakable Linux发布的一个月内，unbreakableLinux的下载拷贝数量达到9000份，一个月才9000份的下载量能算什么呢？看看Red hat的社区发行版FedoraCore吧，自从10月24号发布，到一月初，就突破了100万份拷贝了。还有其它的开源操作系统的下载量也超过了100万份，比如OpenSUSE、Ubuntu和OpenSolaris等等。unbreakable Linux？简直就是小毛毛。0 U% T& `' T/ z& d9 g9 f5 p8 P
At the time, most of us thought Oracle undercutting Red Hat'sLinux business with its Unbreakable Linux was a big deal. Wouldcustomers flock to Oracle's cut-rate version of RHEL (Red HatEnterprise Linux)? Would Red Hat be pounded by Larry Ellison's minions?( ^* W$ A- T$ i6 U7 G
After a few months, the answers appear to be: No, it wasn't a big deal; and no; and no.
! z5 x% T7 U4 _$ x2 j I was reminded of Oracle's move into Linux this week when Istarted getting calls from financial analysis firms. They wanted toknow if I, as someone who follows Linux closely, had heard of anycompany actually using or trying out Oracle's Unbreakable Linux in apilot program. My answer? No. I didn't know of a single company thatwas even testing Unbreakable Linux seriously, much less deploying it ina trial program.
# i/ |' e) o1 a/ Y It turns out that the analysts who called me didn't know of anybusinesses taking Unbreakable Linux seriously, either. So, we agreed tocheck into it further and compare notes if we found anyone.7 N/ g0 V2 N8 ?: [; C) R# i1 y2 }
We didn't find anyone.' I. M8 v/ b6 A/ L8 F
Maybe this isn't too surprising. Both before, and after, Oracle'smove into Linux, I said Oracle getting into the Linux distributionbusiness was dumb. It turns out a lot of people seem to agree with me., `, \4 g# R/ F' Q
Take, for example, this comment from Oracle's second-quarterearnings call on Nov. 30, 2006: "In the first 30 days, we had 9,000downloads of Unbreakable Linux from our website and hundreds ofcustomers connecting their servers to our network," said Charles E.Phillips, co-president of Oracle.
( W* ?; W4 Y: i: _% `- N 9,000 downloads in the first 30 days? That's nothing.
( J/ z j& }$ ]( K }! S$ o Red Hat's community-based Linux, Fedora Core 6, has averagedalmost 100,000 downloads a week since its release on Oct. 24. By earlyJanuary, Fedora had cracked the million download mark. Otheropen-source operating systems that have already been downloaded morethan a million times, include Ubuntu, openSUSE, and OpenSolaris.Unbreakable Linux? It's not even a blip on the radar.$ K- V3 o# D4 L2 ^
It's not that Oracle customers don't like Linux. They do. CRNwriters Stacy Cowley and Barbara Darrow recently reported that MickGallagher, CEO of LS Technologies, an Oracle partner, said, "More andmore [Oracle] customers just assume they'll run on Linux."
( }' Y9 q! |: T( V; C5 a Oracle is also continuing to move its applications to Linux. OnJan. 31, Oracle announced major new versions across its software line:Oracle E-Business Suite 12, PeopleSoft Enterprise 9, Siebel CRM 8, JDEdwards EnterpriseOne 8.12, and JD Edwards World A9.1. In the process,Oracle also announced that, for the first time, Siebel CRM, now runs onLinux, specifically Unbreakable Linux. In case you've forgotten,however, Unbreakable Linux is just RHEL without the Red Hat logo.
3 {/ c- c& S8 K% M- B# D# s" x On Jan. 22, the database giant Oracle got around to releasing amanagement system for its Linux: Oracle Management Pack for Linux.Based on Oracle's management solution, Oracle Enterprise Manager 10g,it's meant to give Unbreakable Linux support program customerscomprehensive Linux server lifecycle management, while helping toreduce the complexity and cost of managing their Linux environments. Inshort, it's a functional clone of Red Hat's RHN (Red Hat Network).
0 @+ G) P7 \ M1 X7 g2 A& K Oracle's VP of Linux engineering, Wim Coekaerts, proclaimed that"The Oracle Unbreakable Linux support program now features theindustry's most comprehensive Linux management solution, at noadditional cost to users. Drawing upon our wealth of application andsystems management expertise, we offer our customers a single,integrated solution that is unmatched by other Linux support providers."& n7 r7 j3 X4 j: Y
Oracle has also managed recently to partner up with IBM to bringits Unbreakable Linux to Big Blue's z9 series mainframes. Oddly enough,though, the Management Pack didn't make it over.
# v: t+ @/ l. a' E So, why isn't Unbreakable Linux taking off? It certainly sounds like Oracle is doing everything it can.
9 M1 W `- ]; Z4 t$ O4 c I think Unbreakable Linux hasn't really left the starting gate forthe same reasons I always thought Oracle getting into the operatingsystem business was a lousy idea. First, people see Oracle as adatabase and an applications company. They don't see it as an operatingsystem company. X; l- Q/ k0 L( F( a+ d) j7 v$ [$ ?
Next, Oracle continues to have a mediocre reputation with CIOswhen it comes to delivering the goods. In the most recent CIO InsightVendor Value Survey, conducted in late 2006 Oracle came in at number30. And how did Oracle's competitors do compared to the other operatingsystem companies in this enterprise IT vendors contest? Red Hat wasnumber 3; Sun was in 21st place, followed closely by Novell, 23rd andMicrosoft, 24rd.
O0 v0 _4 P2 R% P6 G I find it more than a little telling that the company that Oraclewas most directly attacking with its Linux move, Red Hat, ranks so muchhigher in the minds of the people who decide on what's the bestoperating system for their enterprises.# f6 G6 I J- `3 X4 |' v/ T
All the operating system companies are also, to one extent oranother, partners with Oracle. Exactly how much support do you thinkSun is going to give Oracle's Unbreakable Linux? Even IBM is givingUnbreakable Linux lukewarm support. Yes, IBM is supporting it on its z9line, but isn't it interesting that IBM isn't supporting the managementtools? What good exactly is any mainframe operating system withoutmanagement tools? We're not talking Windows Media Center in the livingroom here!5 e- w) w/ G4 i$ t
No. Larry Ellison may be the most stubborn man in IT, but I reallydon't see his Unbreakable Linux breaking into the business market. ForLinux, and for operating systems in general, Oracle is the wrongcompany at the wrong time.
