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UK music store loves Linux

Will Knight ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 05 Jul 2000 07:10 BST

Linux is all over the high street thanks to music and entertainment retailer MVC which has installed the open source operating system nationwide, the company said Tuesday.

Over 900 Electronic Point of Sale (EPS) devices in MVC stores will operate across a network of IBM Netfinity servers running Linux.

MVC is looking at installing Linux within these in-store devices emphasising the growing stature of Linux as an embedded operating system as well as a server solution.

"Measured against all our key requirements, Linux beat the competition hands down. We believe it to be the fastest, most cost-effective solution, especially for our new IP-based EPoS terminals," said Steve Jarvis, store systems manager at MVC Entertainment.

This deal also illustrates the increasing success of Linux within different commercial sectors.

"This is yet another nail in the coffin of the old argument that Linux cannot perform in a commercial environment," says UK manager of Pick Systems, Nigel Town, who oversaw the roll out of these new systems across the UK.

"In some sectors, especially in retail, Linux is fast becoming the operating system of choice. Indeed, in this sector, Pick Systems has shipped more Linux versions of D3 than all other platforms put together."

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