Linuxcare Announces Linuxcare Labs, Industry's First Independent Certification Program

Linuxcare Announces Linuxcare Labs, Industry's First Independent Certification Program

Effort Launches with Successful Certifications from Dell, Compaq, Others

May 19, 1999 -- Linuxcare, Inc., the leader in technical support, consulting, education, and product certification for Linux, announced today the launch of Linuxcare Labs, a comprehensive program for independently certifying hardware and software for use with the Linux operating system.

To accompany the launch, Linuxcare Labs released testing results for successfully certified hardware products from Dell Computer, Compaq Computer, and PFU (Panasonic-Fujitsu-Uchida). These products are the first to be designated with the "Linuxcare Labs Certified" mark, which serves to instill consumer confidence in offerings from Linux vendors and OEMs.

Dell Computer, the world's leading direct computer systems company, supported the launch of Linuxcare Labs. "The Linuxcare Labs Certification Program brings Dell customers even greater assurance that Dell's OptiPlex PCs, Precision WorkStations, and PowerEdge Servers are ready for Linux," said Michael Lambert, Senior Vice President of Dell's Enterprise Systems Group. "Under the program, Linuxcare has taken steps to certify a range of Dell systems against both the Linux kernel and the offerings of the leading Linux distribution vendors."

Vendor-neutral Methodologies Advance Standards Process

According to David Sifry, Linuxcare CTO, Linuxcare Labs adheres to a testing methodology that contributes to the open standards effort in the Linux community. With a vendor-neutral approach, Linuxcare Labs will help prevent fragmentation of the Linux platform while fostering the continued development of the operating system, Sifry said.

Caldera Systems, Inc., a leading distribution vendor, agreed that an independent approach is crucial for driving the adoption of Linux in the enterprise. "The business acceptance of Linux hinges on the credibility of vendor-independent certification," said Ransom Love, Caldera Systems President and CEO. "Vendor independence and competitive alternatives are in the spirit of Linux and Open Source. Linuxcare will provide a quality alternative for credible certification in the Linux industry."

SuSE Linux, another leading distribution vendor, pointed to the contribution Linuxcare Labs will make to the Linux standards movement. "The Linux community needs a certification program that embraces open standards like the Linux Standards Base and the Open Hardware Certification Program," said Marc Torres, President of SuSE Linux. "We support Linuxcare's efforts to provide a fair, open, and authoritative certification program for Linux."

More information about Linuxcare Labs testing methodologies, along with product test results and a program overview, can be found at the Linuxcare Labs Web pages at http://labs.linuxcare.com/.

Certification Program Eases Device Support

In addition to certifying hardware against the Linux kernel, Linuxcare Labs tests device-level compatibility with the leading Linux distributions and with drivers from independent Open Source developers, Sifry said. And when certified components lack driver support in the distribution, Linuxcare Labs will provide pre-tested device drivers via its Web site, along with installation documentation and other information.

Sifry said that the hardware testing operations at Linuxcare Labs are fully operational now. Software certification and hardware and software benchmarking will be available from Linuxcare Labs in the third quarter of 1999, he said.

TurboLinux, another leading distribution vendor, praised the beneficial effects the Linuxcare Labs program will have on enterprise adoption of the Linux operating system. "Independent certification and testing, to validate that Linux runs as it should on different hardware platforms, is critical to corporate customers," said Lonn Johnston, vice president of TurboLinux (formerly Pacific HiTech). "We're pleased to support Linuxcare as they build a comprehensive hardware testing program that assures enterprise Linux buyers that they are making a sound investment in our high-performance Linux solutions."

About Linuxcare, Inc.

Linuxcare, Inc. is the leading provider of Linux services-including technical support, professional services, education, and product certification-for Global 1000 companies. Linuxcare supports all major distributions of Linux on all major platforms, offering a variety of programs including 24x7 enterprise-class telephone support. With funding from Kleiner Perkins and others, Linuxcare is working with numerous major technology companies. The company hosts http://www.linuxcare.com, the world's leading online technical-support resource for Linux. Founded in 1998, Linuxcare is headquarters in San Francisco, Calif. The company can be reached at 888-LIN-GURU (+1-415-354-4878) and at http://www.linuxcare.com. Japanese information regarding Linuxcare services is now available through jpinfo@linuxcare.com.