Linuxcare, Red Hat and VA Linux Systems Announce Joint E-Seminar Series to Educate Executives on Linux Benefits

SAN JOSE, Calif., LinuxWorld Expo Trade Show, August 10, 1999 -- Linuxcare, Red Hat and VA Linux Systems today jointly announced the "Linux -- So What?" e-seminar series, for informing and educating CEOs and CIOs about the benefits and value of installing the Linux environment. The seminar series will begin in mid-September and participants can register free of charge beginning today at www.linux4u.com and www.linux.com.

Composed of nine streaming audio and video presentations, "Linux -- So What?" can also be reached from the open source Internet destinations Linux.com, VAlinux.com, Redhat.com, and Linuxcare.com.

The seminar series has garnered support and resources from the entire Linux community, which recognized the need for a concerted effort to educate executives on Linux's value proposition. The e-seminars are hosted by Linux luminaries and customers such as:

• Dr. Larry Augustin, CEO for VA Linux Systems;
• Bob Young, CEO for Red Hat;
• Arthur Tyde III, Executive Vice President for Linuxcare;
• Eric S. Raymond, Author of the open source paper, Cathedral and the Bazaar;
• Jon "Mad Dog" Hall, Executive Director of Linux International and Director of Linux Marketing at VA Linux Systems;
• Etoys' CIO;
• Ed McFadden, Advanced Computer Analyst at Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Jeremy Allison, Samba Co-creator
• Register.com's CIO

"Linux use is exploding because open source is a powerful and effective model, and this seminar series captures some of the best articulations of why it is so powerful for business users," said Dr Larry Augustin, CEO of VA Linux Systems. "LinuxCare, Red Hat and VA Linux Systems are the Linux market leaders, and we are delighted to work together and demonstrate our alignment on its principles."

"For enterprise customers, it's important to cut through the hype and focus on the ROI that Linux truly delivers," said Art Tyde, Executive Vice President, Linuxcare. "We are proud to co-sponsor these e-seminars, which will advance the business case for Linux."

"We're pleased that members of the open source community have joined forces to help educate IT professionals on the powerful benefits of Linux," said Bob Young, CEO, Red Hat, Inc. "The e-seminar series is a terrific illustration of the power of the open source community and its common goal to increase acceptance of Linux and other open source technologies."

About Linuxcare, Inc.

Linuxcare, Inc. is the first company to provide a complete solution for Linux technical support, consulting, 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. The company hosts www.linuxcare.com, the world's largest online technical-support resource for Linux. Founded in 1998, Linuxcare is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. The company can be reached at 888-LIN-GURU 888-546-4878) and at www.linuxcare.com.

About Red Hat

Founded in 1994, Red Hat is a leader in the development of Linux-based operating system (OS) software and services. Based in Durham, N.C., Red Hat builds the most accessible and advanced server OS available anywhere with technical innovations such as RPM and the disk druid installation tool. Red Hat Linux is available for Intel, Compaq Alpha and Sun SPARC platforms. Red Hat Linux is available directly from the company and through Red Hat's partner, distributor and reseller programs, which include top PC and server manufacturers such as Dell, IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

About VA Linux Systems

VA Linux Systems is the leading provider of Linux computer systems, support and Internet services. The first and fastest growing Linux systems company in the world, VA is a pioneer in providing high performance workstations and servers to enterprises, service providers and technical computing markets and is at the forefront of the open source revolution. Linux.com, a VA production, is the leading open source portal on the Internet, enabling millions of new users to connect dynamically to the work of the Linux community. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., the privately held company 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.

Note: VA Linux Systems is a trademark of VA Linux Systems, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.