Xandros Partners with Bull to Peddle Linux on Servers

Published: September 26, 2006

by Timothy Prickett Morgan

Any new Linux server distributor needs to get the backing of the major server makers if it hopes to get established in the data centers and departments of corporations. And this is not always an easy task, given the choices server makers have already made in terms of the Linuxes they support. Often, there is a bit of nationalism involved, too.

Being based in the United States, which already has two strong Linux contenders named Red Hat and Novell, means that Xandros, which has created an SMB-friendly version of the Debian variant of Linux, will of necessity have a tough time finding server allies. But, there is always a first one, and in fact, the German unit of French server maker Bull said this week that it would be offering Xandros Server on its servers. Bull will also support the desktop variant of Xandros, called Xandros Desktop, on the PCs it distributes and supports in Germany.

Germany is, of course, a hot-bed of Linux development and usage. That's where SUSE came from, and where Collax and a number of other Linux distros were created. But, alas, Xandros may have a tough time getting Bull's backing in its home country of France. Back in France, Paris-based Mandriva is chasing the same SMB niche on the desktop and in departmental servers, and is also hooked into the French supercomputing establishment.

RELATED STORY

Xandros to Enter the Linux Server Fray on May Day