HP charts Linux course
Published: 04 Dec 2003 12:40 GMT
HP has a close relationship with Microsoft. How does pushing Linux affect that relationship?
Our strategy is a multi-operating system strategy. IBM is pushing Linux at the expense of other things. We're pushing Linux as part of a complete enterprise solution. Does Microsoft want HP to be selling Linux stuff? No. But at the same time, they understand that Linux is in the market, and we have to compete. It's not about competing with Microsoft. HP is not poking a finger in their eye. It's about competing with Dell and IBM.
What are you seeing with Linux on the desktop?
Linux on the desktop is definitely an area where hype is ahead of reality by orders of magnitude. There's a sexiness around the idea of taking on Microsoft. The reality is that (desktop Linux) is still less than 2 percent of the market, but at the same time, we certify and sell a number of Linux desktop solutions. There are two areas of interest: the engineering desktop with folks like DreamWorks and Disney, and the application developer. We are certifying our notebooks with Linux, and the target there is big-time application developers. In the developing countries that don't have the Windows legacy -- like India, China, Asia Pacific and the Eastern bloc -- we see some pretty significant volume there.
What about Sun's announcement at Comdex about its agreement to sell Linux desktops to China?
I'm in the process of doing a reality check. I was personally in China a couple of months ago. I signed a deal with Red Flag Software, which has 90 percent of the Linux desktops in China. (With Sun's announcement), I'm really confused -- is everybody buying two? It didn't add up for me. If I've got the relationship with Red Flag, I have no answer for how Sun could possibly be doing that much business.
It seems like people have already acclimated to two platforms.
That's an unknown. We have to wait and see how it plays out. That (Linux) desktop is not mature. You take the Windows desktop, and it's more sophisticated, more developed. We've now got Red Hat saying, "if you're doing a desktop, stick to Windows." Customers say they have to set up a new competency centre and support two operating systems. When you think about it, customers have done that for a long time -- on the server side. I'm not sure what they'll do on the desktop.
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