Canonical and IBM partner
December4
December 4, 2008 (Computerworld) IBM and Canonical Inc. today announced a virtualized software bundle with Lotus desktop applications running on top of Ubuntu Linux that they say is far cheaper than running Microsoft Corp.’s Office suite on conventional Windows PCs.
From: Computerworld
I think this is pretty exciting news, and with the economic downturn, is likely to find a lot of business/corporate interest.
A virtualized linux desktop bundle, to run proprietary IBM software, running across the network inside a proprietary remote desktop solution from Virtual Bridges. Yes.. that’s pretty exciting news. IBM is willing to take a loss on its own proprietary software licensing with regard to its MS Office competitor, Lotus suite in order to try to displace MS’s applications. Yeah great. A couple of proprietary software vendors teaming up with Canonical to take marketshare away from the dominant proprietary software vendor.
Well at least its a garunteed per-user revenue stream for Canonical. Even if it means relying on proprietary Virtual Bridges remote desktop client software running on MS or Apple operating system to access these virtualized Ubuntu desktops.
So here’s the question for you. If Canonical is going to go after the remote desktop market, are they going to make investments into open remote desktop services to replace the Virtual Bridges proprietary tech? Or does this partnership in some way constrain Canonical from helping build an open virtualization platform?
-jef
Horay!
(nice blog theme btw!)
More info here.
Blast, no Cell Broadband Engine powered Ubuntu workstations yet..
Right on! I’m glad to see more corporate adoption of Ubuntu in this fashion.