VA Linux Systems Launches Linux.com Portal Website

VA Linux Systems Chosen as Top Private Company by Red Herring and Upside Magazines

LAKE TAHOE, Calif., Venture '99 (May 18, 1999)-- VA Linux Systems (VA) , the leading provider of Linux-based hardware, software, service and support so lutions, today announced the launch of the much-anticipated website, Linux.com. The website is a community for proponents and users of the open source-based operating system. The highly coveted Linux.com domain name was awarded to VA earlier this year despite fierce competition for ownership rights from companies such as Microsoft, Compaq and others. Additionally, VA announced today that it was chosen by both Red Herring and Upside magazines as one of the top private companies in the technology sector. In response to soaring demand for information about Linux, VA is using Linux.com to create a comprehensive open-forum community for anyone, from consumers to programmers, who is interested in Linux. In particular, Linux.com caters to business users who need to evaluate Linux for their companies and need to know which Linux vendors to turn to next. Since its inception, VA has been leading the growing migration of Windows NT, NetWare, and Unix users to Linux, the free operating system that offers users greater efficiency and scalability than competing operating systems.

Although Linux.com first went live today, the site has been receiving more than 100,000 hits per day, evidence of the pent-up demand for information on Linux solutions. Innovative features of the site include real-time chat between Linux community members about a variety of topics, and an index to Linux tuning information, which has been hard to find in the past. Linux.com will be growing and changing over time based on the input and contributions of these community members, just like Linux itself.

Linux.com offers both general and technical information. Consumers and business people who are interested in Linux can find Linux User Groups (LUGs) to connect face-to-face with other users in their area; free online support; interviews with developers; and current news on open source projects and other issues of interest to Linux users. Technical information includes specifications on optimizing Linux systems for premium performance, such as server configuration parameters and buffering for performance acceleration.

The success of the Linux operating system is completely due to the enthusiasm an d support of users worldwide, said Dr. Larry Augustin, president and chief execu tive officer of VA Linux Systems. "We've designed the site to reflect that community spirit while also providing an open forum of information exchange where eve ryone who chooses to contribute can do so," he said.

Augustin announced the launch of Linux.com at Red Herring's Venture '99 Conference in Lake Tahoe, Californi a, where VA was named one of the Top 50 private companies. VA Linux Systems was also chosen by Upside Magazine as one of the Top 100 private companies in the te chnology sector. In true open-source tradition, Linux.com visitors are directly involved with website content using the increasingly popular Internet "inverted publishing" model, which allows site users to contribute news, opinion and information to the site. The publishing model was first popularized by the website Slashdot.org, which currently receives more than 600,000 hits daily. Rob Malda, Slashdot publisher, is a board member of Linux.com, as is Nick Petreley, Linuxworld editorial director; Patrick Lenz, Freshmeat.org founder; Phil Hughes, Linux Journal publisher; Doug Kennedy, Oracle VP; and Kurt Akeley, SGI VP, among others. According to Augustin: "There has been so much interest from the community at large. We hear from hundreds of people every day who want to know more about Linux, how it works, and how they might be able to contribute to the growing shift away from legacy operating systems. We are excited to represent the Linux community on the Internet and to have the opportunity to spread the word about the open source movement."

About Linux

Linux was developed by Finnish graduate student Linus Torvalds in response to his dissatisfaction with Windows and other operating systems. Since its inception, the free, open source-based operating system has been particularly popular with large research institutions, universities and government agencies because it provides the power needed to run scientific, engineering and imaging applications. Linux is increasingly popular with Fortune 1000 companies, as well as smaller companies that have realized the potential for significant cost savings and improved system versatility with Linux. According to a recent International Data Corporation study, the market share for Linux jumped from 6.8% to an estimated 17.2% of server operating system shipments in the past year.

About VA Linux Systems

VA Linux Systems is the leading provider of Linux-based hardware, software, service and support solutions. The first and fastest growing Linux systems company in the world, VA is a pioneer in providing high performance workstations and servers to enterprises. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., the privately held company is at the forefront of the open source revolution and has gained a reputation for innovation and responsiveness that is making it a leader in full service Linux solutions. For more information contact VA at http://www.valinux.com, 888-LINUX-4U or by sending email to sales@valinux.com.